Bio for Michelle Ball
Second Time at Ironman Canada!
 “When
I grow up I want to be ______” was
an annual question in my “Elementary School Daze” scrapbook.
Every year after Grade 1, I filled in the blank space with “lawyer.”
Barely seven years old, I had yet to hear about Ironman or triathlon. I
knew only that my Dad was a lawyer where we lived in
Estevan
,
Saskatchewan
and I wanted to be one too someday. Twenty
years later, I joined the Department of Justice after graduating from
UBC
Law
School
. I am presently counsel with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada.
As
Crown Counsel, I work with police and other enforcement agencies to carry out
prosecutions under federal laws. I
have been involved in many different types of cases but invariably the work has
been interesting and immensely rewarding. It has also been demanding. For years
in a prolonged arduous trial, I toted boxes and briefcases between the office,
courthouse, truck, and home. I was exhausted yet not sleeping.
I
lived in
Vancouver
with so much to do yet I was struck by how little I did but work. In the fall
of 2003, determined to regain my fitness I walked into LadySport, a local
running store, and ran out with my first of many pairs of Mizunos. Summer
2004 I was struck again – alas this time by a taxi.
Although crushed to have to bench my running shoes, I was given the
medical nod to cycle and swim. So I
tuned up my old high school Bianchi and peddled away. I
got a new Speedo and dove into a public pool. In
2005 I started to run again with an Ironcop
in training. The new road I was on
turned into a highway … to
Penticton
…. where I witnessed an incredible event about which I previously knew next
to nothing.
Ironman
Canada
is unbelievably motivating and inspiring. The
community and athletes support each other in accomplishing a goal that seems by
description impossible: SWIM 3.8 km,
BIKE 180 km, RUN 42.6 km. In
Penticton
, I saw proof that anything is possible. When
I signed up to compete in Ironman with the Ironcops, I combined two lofty goals with little clue about the
details needed to obtain them. At
that time, I had yet to run more than a 10 KM race or compete in a triathlon. I
still had to buy a wetsuit, get a real bike, sign up for swimming lessons, learn
about endurance nutrition, figure out how to train for three sports, manage a
busy and stressful career, and find time to fundraise. Despite so much to learn
so quickly, I remained committed. What
kept me focused?
Cancer
has taken the lives of several family members including all four grandparents.
Given genetics and statistics, I believe it's simply a fact that my
chances of getting cancer are high. Perhaps there will be a cure by then but
maybe not. And if not me, there will
be members of my family or close friends, colleagues, friends of friends....
So, while I am healthy, I figure I should do my bit.
It’s a thrill to report
that with the help of hundreds of people and their generous donations, the 2006 Ironcops
for Cancer team raised over $1.3 Million dollars for the Canadian Cancer
Society.
I’m also delighted to
report that I have a 2006 finisher’s
medal after successfully completing the Subaru Ironman
Canada
course in
Penticton
. One of the great things about
doing something for the first time is you are guaranteed to have a  personal
best. And I sure did. For 11 hours and 6 minutes in late August, I had so much
fun I can still hardly believe it! The truly great thing about the competition
was that loved ones were there to enjoy it with me. Amidst the crowd, I managed
to see and hear both my parents during each transition. My Mom was cheering for
me like she has done countless times in my life. A few meters further I
saw my father who was smiling so hard he had tears in his eyes. I
beamed back to thank them for being there, then and always. I could not have
done what I have been able to do but for their love and support and that of so
many other people in my life.
The bonus is that I did well
and managed to get one of the slots for the Ironman World Championship in Kona. I
knew it was the original Ironman but not much more. I learned that upwards of
50,000 competitors attempt to qualify from the
US
and countries around the world for the 1,700 age group spots. I was told that
many people are years on the triathlon road solely to get to Kona and that
qualifying is the chance of a lifetime. Who am I to pass up such an
opportunity? So I also have a 2006 Hawaii Ironman World Championship
finisher’s medal. Totally
unexpected from when I started this journey; and further proof that anything is
possible.
This year the triathlon road
took me further than even Kona. I
was excited to be
added to the 2007 Canadian National Long Distance Triathlon Age Group Team.
Although continuing to train and fundraise with the Ironcops 2008 team,
in July 2007 I flew to
France
to complete in the World Championships in a Triathlon Canada Team uniform.
Training and fundraising are
spare time efforts when not engaged in my regular prosecution duties.
If you met my colleagues, you might think that all of us are training for
Ironman. Like police officers, prosecutors are independent yet accountable,
dedicated and principled. All put in long hours, working under enormous stress
and strain with barely time to recover beginning the next trial. Why?
It certainly is not for money, fame, and glory.
In a rarely credited but invaluable role, we work to promote the high
standards and principles in the administration of criminal justice; to support
the rule of law, to maintain the balance of the scales of justice.
Lofty
goals? Yes.
And so is competing with the Ironcops
for Cancer members in Ironman
Canada
. So is finding a cure for cancer. And
all are possible.
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