Up close with Susanne Davis
Susanne Martineau Davis is a fast and accomplished triathlete, and is well aware that it is not just about her – she is a wife, mother, coach and the guide for blind athlete Amy Dixon. Davis was also in the news as the age group athlete who was cheated out of the top podium spot at Ironman Canada by the now infamous Julie Miller.
Slowtwitch: Thank you for your time.
Susanne Martineau Davis: Absolutely. Dan [Empfield] and slowtwitch have been a great part of our sport for years. I’m happy to contribute.
ST: You have had a busy 2016 so far. Is that unique or is that pretty much the same every year?
Susanne: As a mom, wife, coach and triathlete, I’m always busy. This year is definitely different because of my commitment to Amy Dixon. The early season travel and media schedule is something I haven’t done in the past couple years. I like to stay local most of the spring and have consistency with my training partners. There are some key running races and triathlons I look to as markers for where my training is to date at certain stages. I haven’t been able to do them all this year. I am definitely getting fit but have taken a different route this year.
ST: How was the Timex camp?
Susanne: I wish I were able to go. This is the first camp I’ve missed due to racing. I love my team. There is so much support and cross inspiration that it’s a very positive environment. It’s contagious. Amy Dixon and I headed to Florida for an Olympic Qualifying race the same weekend so I missed the camp.
ST: Did you stay in touch with the Timex team activities via social media?
Susanne: Yes. This team is amazing at sharing everything via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. I got to see the new rookie athletes like Megan Fillnow get an egg smashed on her head in a trust building game. The food from Skratch Labs everyday looked amazing especially after morning swims with blueseventy. I loved seeing the team ride up Mount Lemon on the new custom painted Trek Speed Concepts and our Timex team manager Tristan modeling our new colorful Timex Castelli Race Kits! Sam Mazer and Ellen Hart were in touch over the weekend filling me in personally and giving Amy and I support from Tucson.
ST: Can you share why you did not start in Oceanside, or was that never on the 2016 calendar?
Susanne: I’d love to do Oceanside. In reality, I take off a lot of time after Kona and regenerate physically and emotionally for the following year. I think that is what’s kept me competitive and motivated for 22 straight seasons. I pretty much shut off the idea of triathlon during November and December and focus on my family. Somehow I never seem to be aware when Oceanside sign up starts and it sells out so quickly. It’s a great race and course. I have a lot of clients and friends on course and I’m out there supporting it every year. My husband is a spotter for the pro women on the motorcycle and gets to see all the action up front. I think 2017 is the year to do this race since I’m not racing Kona this October because the Rio Paralympics race is September 11.
ST: Talk about St George and going sub 5.
Susanne: St. George was and interesting race. We all know it’s one of the hardest courses on the 70.3 circuit. The climbs on the bike and run are steep and often. In 2015 it was a hot race. This year however, the cold, wind and rain were unexpected and added an even more difficult dimension to it. I actually did all the identical splits I did in 2015 in this year’s tough conditions. I attribute that to the ridiculously hard fight I had done in Canada for my Ironman qualifier last year. Sheets of rain, numb hands and huge wind gusts in Canada really strengthened me mentally to perform in St. George. I could have gone faster at St. George but someone moved my T2 bag 10 bike lengths away and then parked their bike on top of it. It took me and two volunteers and at least two minutes to find it. A bummer, but at least a Kona slot wasn’t on the table. I won my AG and took 2nd overall amateur by 30 seconds which could have been a 1st, but that’s the game of sport. I learned that next time I will tie my T2 bag to the bike rack instead of placing it on the ground under my number!
ST: How do you think it moved by 10 spots? Was one of your dogs hiding inside?
Susanne: I’m assuming someone accidently knocked it a few times as they were frantically racking their bikes, grabbed my bag by mistake and tossed it down realizing it wasn’t their shoes inside! Then another person who came in after this racked their bike nailing their tire on top of my bag! Because of the rain most people had their shoes inside the bag, instead of on top of the bag so there were white plastic bags bumper to bumper under each bike rack.
ST: Your first race in that F45-49 age group?
Susanne: Yes. Wow! I don’t like to see that in writing. It’s my 6th different age group since starting the sport at the age of 23. I’m really happy with my performance. There is still a ton of talent in this age group. Every year seems to get faster and it keeps me motivated to stay on top of my game.
ST: When and how did you connect with Amy Dixon and agree to be her guide?
Susanne: Thanks for asking about Amy, what a great subject. Amy is a blind triathlete looking to qualify in the 2016 RIO Paralympics. She is 40 years old and was in a spot where she needed a faster guide as she was progressing up the rankings with only 2.5 years of triathlon experience. A guide has to be stronger than her so you can talk during the bike and run giving constant instructions. In November, I literally prayed for guidance of how I should use my gift of triathlon. I just raced three Ironmans in 4 months, earned the title as the Ironman All World Athlete Champion, but felt like I had something more I should be doing. One day I was riding and I came up on Simon Marshall and Leslie Patterson. Simon has been Amy’s sports psychology coach. When Leslie and Simon returned home they had a conversation about how Simon was looking for someone to help Amy. Leslie immediately told him about me and he called me that afternoon. From there Amy and I had a phone interview. I encouraged her to interview more people and see where she thought she could excel and train most comfortably. I raced the ITU Pro circuit for 4 years leading up to the 2000 games in Sydney so I have the experience of what she is trying to accomplish physically, mentally and emotionally. I knew after our conversation, God placed Amy in my path. It’s been a great journey and it isn’t over yet. I’m thrilled this door was opened for both of us.
ST: Triathlon is considered a selfish sport, but being the guide for someone else is far from selfish.
Susanne: You are right, triathlon can be very selfish. I’m fortunate to have a completely supportive and loving family that is always there for me. We spend a lot of quality time together and plan races and training a couple months in advance while also peppering in some family trips around them. My husband and I are both Christians and we have seen so many blessings from this sport, we look for ways to give back. My first Ironman client from 11 years ago, Tommy, saved my husband’s life by giving him CPR for ten minutes until the medics arrived after having a heart attack in his garage. They were just about to go on a mountain bike ride. This is just one example and amazing stories of how triathlon is more than just a race or personal endeavor. I didn’t know this in my twenties, but that is why getting older is awesome. The experiences, failures and successes I’ve had and learned from can be taught to others. This year triathlon brought us Amy. She is a friend of the whole family, including our dogs! I have seen many blessings already happen.
ST: You and Amy flew to Yokohama Japan to compete in the ITU World Cup event. How was that trip?
Susanne: We won the gold! You can see from the picture where we are hugging at the finish line. It was an amazing win! Amy had terrible bronchitis for 2 weeks leading into this race. Her goal was to podium ahead of the Japanese paratriathlete. This would limit points she could earn which could have moved her up closer to Amy in the World Ranking. Our other competition was US athlete Liz Baker who beat Amy in March at the Pan American Championships. We had great transitions and I helped us get a 2-minute lead off the bike because it was a very technical course with many turns. We got onto the run and this is where it was memorable and magical for me as the guide. I talked and pushed Amy through the last 1.7 miles which gave her the strength mentally to keep pushing and physically to accomplish holding her 7:10 per mile run pace! As we were making the final turns and running down the blue carpet I was pumping my fists in the air to excite the crowd and scream for Amy. I said, “You are going to win and inspire people around the world.” Get ready to grab that tape and enjoy your victory! She crossed, grabbed the tape and fell to the ground in exhaustion. I picked her up and said, “You did it, you won!” The photo really captured this moment.
ST: Which event was your first race with Amy?
Susanne: We did our first race together in February at the Tritonman Triathlon here in San Diego. It really opened my eyes as a guide that I not only did I have to be Amy’s eyes, but her step by step race guide for each discipline. I pushed her speed, heart rate, overcame set backs in the race plan and helped her navigate over any ground or footing changes. It’s helpful that I’m a mother and a coach. I can multi-task, see things a child or a blind person might not see and can help them overcome insecurities or moments of drama in a race or training session. It’s like driving a car in a video game and yelling out everything in front of you before it happens.
I have to watch for cars, other people who might spontaneously move, a dog on a leash that might want to run with us, running over grass to an inclined sidewalk, then stepping up and off of curbs to a bump on the bike.
ST: So what does that all mean in terms of going to Rio?
Susanne: We will know on July 1st if we are competing for Team USA in Rio. Amy is currently ranked 6th in the ITU World Cup Rankings. There are three invitational spots from the Olympic Committee for her category. We hope since Amy is the highest ranked athlete behind the athletes already qualified from automatic spots, she will get the Olympic ticket.
ST: Your name has also been in the news because of the Julie Miller cheating story. You did nothing wrong, but how has that whole episode impacted you?
Susanne: My first impression was shock and disbelief that she would have cheated. Whistler was the coldest and most miserable I have ever been in a race in my entire life. I seriously thought I was hypothermic on the bike and thought of quitting multiple times. I was so proud of myself for sticking it out in such down pouring and freezing conditions that when I crossed first, I was just thankful it was over. I couldn’t grab my bottles or food on the bike because my hands were frozen and could barely squeeze the brakes or shift the bike. On the run it warmed up and friends on course said I was winning by 10 minutes! I was so excited I stuck it out and crossed with an amazing win! I couldn’t wait to celebrate with the other 4 athletes I was sharing a condo with and my husband who supported me. He had flown last minute to CDA just 4 weeks earlier. When I was told I was 2nd at the time, honestly I really didn’t care. I earned the Kona slot, which was my first goal. Just a few weeks prior I had raced my heart out in 105-degree heat in Coeur d’Alene. I was battling a bout of bronchitis. I suffered the other end of the climate almost having heat stroke, but worked my tail off and was 80 seconds from going to Kona. I’ve never missed in a qualifier before so I was in a bit of no man's land wondering what to do. Canada was a last minute decision. During the race I was watching everyone around me and taking note of all I passed and who passed me. If you passed me, I’d ask your age group. You have to remember if someone is passing you on the run and they are running a 13-minute faster marathon than you, that’s only about 7 seconds a quarter mile. Imagine going around a track, you hear them coming and see them passing you for a really long time. It’s very obvious. I know Julie didn’t pass me. I even asked her where she passed me. Somehow even in my matching Timex kit she said she didn’t see me. She didn’t say good job to anyone on stage, share how she had the best run of her life, etc. She flippantly said, “Well, see you in Kona.” I felt in my gut something was fishy on the podium but I had the Kona slot I came for and it really didn’t bother me too much. Once I got home, emails of evidence from splits and pictures started coming out. It then hit home what this athlete had done. Then the replies you had on slowtwitch. I don’t remember the number but I think it was tens of thousands. This was an eye opener to me. I sacrificed a lot of time, money, Saturday’s away from my family to bike all day, sleep etc. All of us athlete’s do this. To take that away from someone and not admit it or apologize is really, really low.
ST: When that whole story came to light on Slowtwitch and the New York Times, was anything new or surprising to you?
Susanne: Certainly the number of people responding to both articles. I have read some but not all. I was also surprised how this seemed to pass doping in people’s mind as an offense. This really infuriated a lot of people. The depth of the comments and the depth of the New York Times story got me more interested in the story. As I said, I had gone to get a Kona slot and did. As months passed and the story was still alive, then I began to read more. I began to get a much broader insight into the anger and frustration people experienced from this situation. My husband and I talked for a couple days about not talking to the press at all. After reading slowtwitch and seeing the race splits and photo’s that calculated her run we realized that we owed it to all those angry people to share anything I might have noticed in an effort to get the story right. I am grateful that Sarah Lyall from the NYT did such a thorough investigation and fair story.
ST: Other than that time on the podium, have you spoken to her?
Susanne: No. Frankly the reporter from the New York Times flew to Canada and knocked on her front door and Julie wouldn’t talk to her. We did get together with the second and third place girls who went to Kona at our condo while on the island. We felt connected having gone through this together. It was a great experience and I always love getting to know fellow athletes.
ST: Is the penalty she received proper justice?
Susanne: It’s certainly an aggressive penalty. I have to applaud Ironman and Jimmy Riccitello who work unbelievable hours and travel to get these races officiated correctly. It’s not easy. If Ironman thinks that is the right penalty then I support it. They have built an icon of a brand. The Kona Ironman is a privilege and the World Championships. They don’t need anything to tarnish it. So my response would be that Ironman has to have a punishment severe enough that athletes take a second, third, fourth or fifth look at what they are doing and if it’s within the rules. Harsh penalties work. I think it might have been a bit softer if this was a one-time offense. Clearly, there was a multiple race pattern that came out. I think this is unprecedented.
ST: What is next for you?
Susanne: Certainly a family favorite race is the San Diego International Triathlon in 2 weeks, which has been on my calendar every year since 1996. I’ve won it as a pro and won as top amateur. I love the course. My family always comes out to cheer as we stay at the Marriott and the kids play in the pool. We also get to go out for a nice dinner at Roy’s next door to celebrate our 15th Wedding Anniversary.
In July I am racing with Amy the ITU World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
In August I am racing for myself at the USAT National Championships in Nebraska. I’m going to race a double for the first time. It’s the Olympic Distance on Saturday and the Sprint Championships on Sunday! It’s a new age group for me and a new goal to see if I can win both!
ST: Anything else we should know?
Susanne: I have been doing Motivational Speeches this year, which has been wonderful. I’ve been connecting with people inside and outside the sport. My life, as many, has been filled with success, disappointment, tragedy, the pinnacle and the valleys in between it all. I love to race, guide, coach and be a mom, but I also love to share my experiences to help others achieve their best. I have had many people encourage me to write a book. I will pray about it and see what unfolds!
