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Julie Lithco Ellis, a Lodi native, rides in the Florida Ironman on Nov. 1. (Courtesy photograph)
Julie Lithco Ellis delievers on promise to dad, 22 years later
A promise 22 years in the making has finally been fulfilled.
When Julie Lithco Ellis was 16 years old, she promised her father Norman Lithco she would go skydiving, run a Boston Marathon and compete in a Ironman Triathlon. On Nov. 1 2008, the 38-year-old Lodi native completed her vow, capping off the three-part pledge with the Ironman Florida at Panama City Beach.
Shortly after skydiving when she was 20, Ellis, a former Lodi High and Delta College track and cross country star, hurt her knee in a skiing injury and the promise appeared to be impossible.
Then in April, she ran the Boston Marathon. Now she's not only an Ironwoman, but a promise keeper as well.
"There was a couple tough times during the race and I was thinking about my dad," said Ellis, who lives in St. Louis with her husband Brad and their two children. "I just said 'Dad this is for you and I'm keeping the goofy promise I made you when I was 16.'"
While her father wasn't there to see the feat completed in person, as he flew out to St. Louis to be on full-time grandfather duty, he tracked his daughter on the Ironman Web site. He saw her times come up as she went and shortly after seeing her final time come up, he got a very special phone call.
"That meant a lot to me," he said. "I am very, very, very proud of her. She did it."
Ellis finished the Ironman, which involved a 2.4-mile swim in the Gulf of Mexico, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run, in 11 hours, 52 minutes and 18 seconds. That put her at 941st overall and 36th of the 127 women in the 35 to 39-year-old division.
"The one thing I was happy with since it was my first Ironman was to be under 14 hours," said Ellis, who hired a coach to help her train for the triathlon. "That was my goal."
Ellis said she gave her Ironman T-shirt to her father, who wore it with pride when she returned to St. Louis. While she was very satisfied with having kept her word to her dad, Ellis also said she was pleased that she was physically able to compete in the Ironman.
"There wasn't one time during the race when I said I can't do this," she said.
She trained under an intense workout schedule, that even included practicing her open-water swimming in Bermuda. With a coach helping her pace herself and strengthen her body properly, Ellis didn't injure herself once since her training began immediately after she ran the Boston Marathon in April.
Knowing she can bike, swim and run 140.6 miles in under 12 hours is also a pretty good feeling.
"I am happy I did it. I feel like I am a little stronger than the lady next to me," she said. "I have done many things most people only imagine doing."
As for her father, no one believes Ellis is more of an Ironwoman than he does.
"She told me she was thinking about running the Ironman in Hawai'i next year and I said she's crazy, but good luck to her if she wants to do it," Lithco said. "I will support her in anything."
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cavanlady wrote on Nov 14, 2008 5:03 PM:
Uncle Stinky wrote on Nov 14, 2008 10:53 AM:
Great time. I remember the first time we took you to Bay to Breakers. Keep it up. Jeff "
Audi 5000 wrote on Nov 13, 2008 3:27 PM:
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