Margaret Lloyd claimed first Dolphin Dash women’s title in her hometown

Margaret Lloyd claimed first Dolphin Dash women’s title in her hometown
GSHS grad has also completed an Ironman Triathlon
By Fran Thompson
When I first asked Margaret Lloyd if she was coming home to defend the women’s overall title she won at the inaugural Gulf Sc
hool Schools Dolphin Dash, she said she didn’t think so, as she is in the process of writing a masters thesis on vascular permeability. That is, of course, a topic that a UAB student earning a masters in bio-medical sciences would be familiar with.
But the more Margaret talked about that first race, the training that went into it and her naturally competitive nature, the more she warmed up to the idea of finding the time to come home for the 5K run at Gulf Place on March 6.
A competitive athlete since parents Nelya and David signed her up for the Gulf Shores Swim Team when she was four years old, Margaret said she did not like swimming at first, but her mom would not let her quit.
“She said I couldn’t quit until the season was over, and I’m so glad she made me stay until I figured out that I loved it,’’ she said.
She started running cross country and track while at Gulf Shores Middle School and continued with those two sports at GSHS, earning four trips to the state championship in cross country and advancing to the state finals twice in track. She also played two years of varsity softball and was on the GSHS swim team for four years.
It was natural for her to follow her triathlete dad into his sport, especially after he built her a custom bicycle.
“I played a little bit of softball, but my passion was always swimming and running in high school,’’ she said. “My father is a big cyclist and he built me a road bike that was sparkly and rainbow colored. The sparkles did it. That is how I got started in triathlons.’’
When she first started training with her dad, who she credits for instilling in her a love of sports competition, she would ride her bicycle to keep up while he ran. A few years later, they would still train together, but David would be the one riding the bicycle.
“He saw how good a runner and swimmer I was and we just added the cycling discipline,’’ she said.
“When I graduated from high school, I no longer had high schools sports teams to use for my swimming and running. So, triathlon was a natural transition. Plus, I love competition.’’
Margaret was on the triathlon team while earning a chemistry degree at Alabama, competing in at least four triathlons per year.
She is also one of the few people in the world to complete a full Ironman Triathlon. She ran 26.2 miles, swam 2.4 miles and bicycled 112 miles in Panama City exactly 10 years after her father completed that same monumental achievement.
“I am so competitive,’’ she said. “I can’t stand to lose. There is a quote about there being more emotion behind a loss than a win. With a win you are happy, but after a loss you have growth and you want to train even harder to win.’’
Margaret was the first woman across the finish line last year. But she did finish behind nine males, including her training partner, local realtor (and Gulf Shores School Board appointee) Frank Malone.
“It kills me not to come back because I want to beat the boys that beat me, and one of them was my training partner,’’ she said.
Malone, Margaret’s father and a third local triathlete, Ken Kichler, ran together on the University of South Alabama track and cross country teams.
Friends since childhood, Malone and Kichler roomed together at South. Margaret considers both surrogate fathers. The former college running teammates always included the children in their efforts to turn their competitions into fun family events.
“They would race for competition and all of the kids would race for fun. They started us early,’’ Margaret said.
Margaret’s next big sports obsession is to run a marathon in less than 3:30, the qualifying time for the Boston Marathon. She hopes to qualify at the Birmingham Marathon next February.
She also wants to compete in another Ironman. She is just not sure when. It took her a little over 12 hours to complete the task in Panama City and she thinks she can do even better.
“I’m 100 percent sure I want to do another Ironman,’’ she said. “But it’s about finding the time to train.
“In college I could go on eight hour bike rides instead of going to the football game on a Saturday. To be in full training for an Ironman you have to give up 15 hours a week. Plus, the entry fee is expensive and the fields are usually at full capacity eight months prior to the event.’’
Margaret and Malone trained together for last year’s Dolphin Dash with a goal of breaking 21 minutes. Both missed that mark (Malone by only 12 seconds).
“I wanted to support Frank, because he is part of it, and then we decided to make a competition out of it,’’ she said. “Now I am getting a little excited about trying to come down. I feel like I have some unfinished business.’’
She also wants to continue to support Gulf Shores City Schools. She has a little sister at GSMS and she also runs.
Margaret will be applying to medical school this summer. But she loves research. So her work at UAB is more than just a resume builder.
She said he couldn’t imagine having a more idyllic childhood than growing up in Gulf Shores.
“I know I wouldn’t be where I am without the Gulf Shores community and my three dads and their wives,’’ she said. “My dad settling down in Gulf Shores is the best thing that could have happened to me.
“There are so many options with all the trails when you go outside. And if my dad had not met Frank and Kenny, we would not have ended up here. They were from here. I was born in Russia.
“As soon as my parents decided to move to America, they chose Gulf Shores. My whole life and support system comes from Gulf Shores.’’