Summary: For almost seven years Jamie Whitmore was at the top of her game. She ruled the world of Xterra offroad racing and had a classic rivalry with Melanie McQuaid that that kept the reporters busy writing about who would win which race. Many insiders considered her the Superwomen of offroad triathlon because of her fearless, daring, and no holds barred racing style. But that all came to dramatic end about a year and a half ago when Jamie went to her doctor after finishing a respectable 3rd at the Xterra World Championships. What the doctor told her would have shaken anyone to their inner core. Jamie was diagnosed with an exceptional rare and aggressive form of cancer. She immediately had a softball sized tumor removed, only to have it grow back again. A second operation left her clinging to life by a thread and without the use of one of her legs because the doctors were forced to remove the sciatic nerve that runs down her leg, most of her glut, and part of her hip. Despite it all, Jamie remains incredibly positive and in her own words, "powered by God." Doctors said that she would never walk again let alone compete professionally, and yet she proved them wrong by walking even without the critical nerve that tells her leg to move. Today she battles on as well as coaching other triathletes. She hope to one day have a career as both a coach and a motivational speaker. While she still has several difficult choices ahead of her along with yet another serious operation she looks forward to being able to ride a bike, and perhaps even announce a race. When I spoke with her there was no hint of fear, self pity or even sadness. Simply put, Jamie is determined to beat cancer in a no holds barred way just like she did so many others she raced during her long and winning career. Please don’t forget to please visit http://www.everymantri.com for more podcasts and endurance sports news and views.
