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Team Andres...

Saturday, 25 August 2018 23:10

By Susan Lacke (triathlete.com)

Training, work, family. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing, says this triathlete, teacher, and mother of five.

When 41-year-old Michelle Andres races, she show up with an entourage: Team Andres – made up of Lee, her husband of 22 years, and their five teenage sons, three of whom are triplets.

“Every time, my husband and boys are out there on the course cheering me on,” says Michelle, who took up triathlon when her sons were toddlers and currently holds the amateur course record at Ironman Wisconsin. “Nothing motivates me more than seeing their faces and hearing them yell, ‘Go Mom!’”...

She repays the favor at her sons’ hockey games, where she can always be found in the stands. Michelle’s days are jam-packed as a mom, teacher, and triathlete, yet she knows all roles can coexist peacefully. “I can train, work, do triathlon, and be the mom and wife I want to be. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing,” Andres says. “As moms, we still need to have dreams and goals and work toward them. Who are we to tell our children to do that, but we aren’t asking that of ourselves?” ..

One of the most important contributors to her success, she says, is Team Andres. “I believe my most important job is to raise kind young men who know how to take care of themselves, be responsible, work hard, and contribute to society. My sons have grown up learning how to do their own laundry, take turns cooking dinner, getting themselves up in the morning for school, and getting their own breakfast,” she says. “We’ve got each other’s backs, and we all chip in.”  READ MORE