Approximately 17 years ago, Lisa Delong was at a pretty low point in her life. A mother of three young kids, then 5, 8, and 11, she’d just gone through a rough separation and divorce.
Then, she ran into a friend at her 25th high school reunion. He was training for his first IRONMAN. “I didn’t know anything about triathlon at all,” she recalls. “When he explained what an IRONMAN was, I looked at him like he had two heads. I thought he was crazy. Why would anyone even do that?”
The two kept in touch, and he challenged Delong to sign up for a 5K. She started riding her bike and signed up for Masters swim classes. “I swam 25 yards and about died, but I kept working on it,” she says. “I think it was the perfect time in my life when I needed something to help me feel good about myself. It was a great way to get away from the noise of life.”
Fast forward a few months and Delong’s friend was planning to do an IRONMAN 70.3 as a test race. Instead of being a spectator, what if she signed up to compete?
“I’d never swam or biked that far, but I absolutely loved it,” she says. “I came across the finish line smiling and asking when I could sign up for my first full!”
Since then, Delong has done seven IRONMAN races and 11 IRONMAN 70.3 events. Life was great—until it all came crashing down again.
The diagnosis
Delong’s daughter, Carly, was a special kid. Delong remembers how her daughter always seemed to know the right thing to say to provide guidance or comfort with wisdom that was far beyond her years. She was a straight-A student, a volleyball player, and a general overachiever.
“She knew where she was going. She liked to set goals and had no doubt in her mind that she was going to reach them,” Delong says. “When she was only 10 years old, she decided that she wanted to become a pediatric oncologist.”
When Carly turned 12, she came up with the idea to provide makeup services and photo shoots for girls who were battling cancer. She started a website, created a logo, and even solicited a few sponsors. Then, the unthinkable happened.
Just two years later, at the age of 14, her daughter Carly was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
“The diagnosis came on New Year’s Eve,” Delong recalls. “Seven days later, Carly wrote a quote on her mirror that stayed there during all her treatments. ‘You’ve been assigned this mountain to show others it can be moved.’ She continued going to volleyball practices and games. You never would’ve known the treatments were wreaking havoc on her body.”
Carly was diagnosed in January and lost her battle in September. She was in remission when she passed. She had beaten cancer, but the chemotherapy treatments had weakened her heart beyond repair.
“It’s intensely hard to lose your child, but I think about people who live 80 years and never have such an impact on others as Carly did in her 15 years. It’s hard not to feel grateful for everything she was able to do during her short time here,” Delong says bravely.
Delong’s daughter, Carly, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age 14.
The Carly Faye Foundation and GLO
Even before she was diagnosed, Carly wanted to help lift the spirits of girls who were battling cancer. Her dream was to turn the program into a non-profit, expanding services across the nation to other hospitals.
Delong is now trying to turn that dream into a reality with the Carly Faye Foundation, which provides athletic and academic scholarships, as well as in-hospital makeovers and photo shoots with GLO (Girls Lifting Others).
“When I look at photos of these girls and see their smiles, I see [Carly] smiling,” Delong says. “I hope she knows her vision has come to life and that it’s everything she wanted it to be. It’s Carly’s legacy, and I want to make sure it’s exposed to more people across the country.”
In the lead up to the 2022 IRONMAN Chattanooga, Delong raised $12,000 for the Carly Faye Foundation. It was a special moment, because the race fell on the anniversary of Carly’s passing. In 2015, Carly was at that same race. It was the only time she was ever able to watch her mother complete an IRONMAN.
At the race, Delong had the perfect day, achieved her best time, and placed 12th in the 55-59 age group and receiving the very last spot on offer for this year’s edition of the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, Hawai`i.
“It’s always in the back of your head. Could I pull off a miracle and qualify? It’s one of those dreams I’ve always had, but it wasn’t my intention for this race,” she says.
Delong got off the bike in 33rd place. Halfway through the run, she’d moved up to 20th. With her boyfriend giving her time splits, she knew by 10K to go that she’d moved up to 15th place and the two women in front of her were walking.
“The way the race played out was surreal,” she says. “I was really struggling after the first loop, but I thought that Carly wouldn’t walk. She would give it her all and keep going.”
Carly worked to uplift girls battling cancer, a goal Delong continues to pursue through the Carly Faye Foundation.
Kona bound
Delong and her kids had always talked about going to Kona one day. She’s most looking forward to experiencing the Kona tradition, being part of the first all-female race, and soaking it all in.
“I think about being there at the swim start as the anthem plays and the gun goes off. I think about running down the finishers chute with all those people. It’s an atmosphere unlike any other race,” she says.
“I’m training hard, and I want to have a good race, because I’m a very competitive person. But I also want to enjoy it. I feel like Carly had such a big part in me getting me there; I really felt like she was there with me in Chattanooga.”
In advance of this year’s race in Kona, Delong will be raising funds for the Carly Faye Foundation and GLO to try to provide more opportunities for girls just like her daughter.
Triathlon is hard, but life is harder
Getting back into training after Carly passed was a way for Delong to start moving, and living life, again. She says it’s a choice she makes every day—to live life and not to grieve. For Delong, triathlon is her outlet.
“Having a purpose and riding your bike or running keeps you motivated and gives you something to work towards. The natural endorphins help with the grieving process and depression for anybody who has faced loss,” she says.
“I went through the hardest thing ever when I lost my child. Now it’s reversed. I know that it doesn’t matter what happens out on that course. I can get through anything. Nothing can hurt as much as what I’ve already been through,” she reflects.
As this strong mother lines up on the beach in Kona, with the sunrise glinting off the waves and the breeze blowing in from the ocean, she knows that Carly will be right there beside her.
“I know she would be ecstatic and so proud of me.”
by Brittany Vermeer