Loving via training

Newport Beach residents Mike and Tina Catlin began their day on Saturday with a chilly dip in the 55-degree waters off Corona del Mar State Beach.

This was no leisurely Valentine’s Day morning at the beach — the couple are training for the Lavaman Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii, in March.

“Our kids probably think we’ve gone crazy,” Tina Catlin said. “It’s a way we can go through our mid-life crisis together.”

The Lavaman Triathlon begins with a 1,500-meter swim in the Pacific Ocean, then continues with a 40-kilometer bike ride on the big island of Hawaii.

The rigorous event ends with a 10-kilometer run that begins in a lava field and ends on the beach.

The couple aren’t just competing for themselves — they’ve raised about $36,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society over the past year competing in triathlons.

Nine years ago, the Catlins noticed that their 13-year-old daughter, Amy, was getting a lot of bruises.

They took her to the doctor, who diagnosed her with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The disease causes the body to overproduce white blood cells in the bone marrow and can be fatal if left untreated.

Now Mike and Tina Catlin are on a mission to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

The couple have competed in two triathlon events so far and have plans for more in the works. The donations they collect go toward blood cancer research, education and patient support.

Today, Amy is a senior at UC Santa Cruz, where she is studying photography.

She underwent two and a half years of rigorous treatment for her leukemia, and has been in remission ever since.

“We were lucky because the survival rate has gone up dramatically over the years,” Mike Catlin said. “Forty years ago, she might not have survived.”

One side effect of Amy’s treatment has been that she has developed osteoporosis.

The Catlins hope that their fundraising efforts will help the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society fund research that will result in better treatments for the disease, without long-term side effects, like osteoporosis.

The couple have been training seven days a week for the last few months for the Lavaman race anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes a day.

The hardest part of training is what triathlon competitors call a “brick,” or transition from a lengthy bike ride to running, Mike Catlin said.

“They call it a brick because it’s short for bike to run, but also because your feet feel like bricks after getting off the bike,” Mike Catlin said.

Although the couple stayed in shape, neither Mike nor Tina Catlin had competed in any sort of athletic event before they began training for their first triathlon last year.

Tina Catlin wasn’t even a very good swimmer before she competed in her first triathlon.

“I would sort of do a breaststroke thing, but I didn’t like to put my head under the water,” she said.

The couple said they have been inspired by the other athletes they have met.

“They have leukemia survivors that do the triathlons, so we thought, if they can do it, so can we,” Tina Catlin said.

HOW TO HELP

To make a donation in support of Mike and Tina Catlin’s efforts to raise funds for a cure for blood cancers, visit https://pages.teamintraining.org/ ocie/lavatri09/tinaandmikecatlin.

Reporter BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at [email protected].