We will having dual Athletes of The Month for May. The Male and Female overall winners of the Shelbyville Triathlon Series, Jeremy Brown and Shar Golding. They can tell their stories much better than I.

Photos by Matt Rice

Shar Golding

I grew up in Vernal Utah swam in a pond every summer and ice skated on in the winter.  I rode mtn bikes and jogged back in the 80's..Children came along.  I have 4 children and 3 grandchildren, my youngest child being 12 and oldest 30.  I'm married to a wonderful man named John Golding..life is good.

About 7 years ago we moved to KY and just to get involved and exercise I started going to the Pavilion Parks and Rec center in Georgetown.  I really enjoyed a body sculpt class and started to notice a difference and see tone in my muscles,wow that rocked.  There was an opening to teach the Aqua class and I was recommended.  I really enjoyed teaching others fitness so in 2005 I became certified to teach group fitness.  I taught body sculpt, kickboxing, bootcamp and water classes and just recently became a Zumba and Aqua Zumba certified teacher  I love it.  Well I always wanted to do a triathlon and everyone in Mallard Point where we lived told us the neighborhood has a tri every summer.  The year we moved in they stopped having the tri.  So after 1 more year I decided to take it on to raise money for a wonderful ministry that helps young single mom's so I took it on.  Todd I will always appreciate how you held my hand through the process.  You are so calm and knowledgeable about the entire tri experience.  If I would not have had someone as kind as you who knows if I would have done any tri's.

Well tri's are a blast but I discovered road biking along the way and it is "my drug of choice"..  This is my second year of racing for McDonald's cycling team and I'm lovin it.  I still can't hardly believe I am doing all this at my age.  So if I can do it anyone can...Best thing I have ever done is to put fitness in my life.

Jeremy Brown

I started my athletic pursuits when I was 21 by picking up weightlifting. I thought I was gonna get big and strong. Boy was I mistaken. I can honestly say that I put my heart and soul into it. I did the research and hard work, but reaped very little benefit. Back then I didn't understand just how much influence genetics and body-type had on things like that.

After about 5 years of banging my head on the wall, I decided to give up. I still lifted but not with the intensity and drive I had at first.
Fast forward to 2008 and age 30. I was at a crossroads in my life and thought to myself one day: If I'm not meant to be big, then I'll see just how small I can get. I started dieting and bought a mountain bike. I put road tires on it and after 4 months had put 1100 miles on the bike and had lost 25 lbs. I weighed in at 125. Of course along with the fat, I had lost a lot of muscle mass too. One thing I had gained though was a renewed passion for exercise.

Soon after, I bought a road bike and enlisted the help of a couple of my motorcycle buddies who rode to show me the ins and outs. By the end of that first year one of them challenged me to do an Ironman with him. I thought, "sure, how hard could it be?". I started running at the end of 08 and started swimming(if you could call it that) in Feb 09.

I decided to do a half before the full Iron so I signed up for Ironman 70.3 in Orland May of 09. I had never done a triathlon and had never swam in open water. I know, big mistake. When the gun went off and I got in the water, I was scared to death. I began hyperventilating and grabbed the very first kayak, which was 25 yards from the shore. I continued to grab a kayak every 25 yards until I reached the halfway point. Once I got there, I was able to swim the rest of the way. It took me an hour to get through that, and it was one of the most terrifying hours of my life, but I didn't quit. The bike and the run were easy. I finished up in just under 6 hours. Mission accomplished and I was hooked on the sport.

Needless to say my body is much better suited for endurance than it is strength sports. I wish I would have started something endurance related 10 years ago, but while I can't change time, I can make the most out of the time I have. Hopefully I have many more years of good health in front of me!

interesting facts:
Nickname: Jballs
I have extremely long toes. My second toe is longer than my pinky.
I'm addicted to Peanut Butter
I have a dedicated track motorcycle for when I wanna ride fast.
I like heavy metal and country music. Odd combo, right?
I love zombie-based video games.
My goal for this year is to race in Kona.