Wilder, Vt. - From the Upper Valley to overseas, one Vermont woman is heading to London for the 2012 Olympics.
Eating a sandwich, and relaxing with friends, Sarah Groff might not look like a world renowned triathlete. But, in competition, the 30-year-old living in Wilder, Vermont is a different woman.
Her competitive spirit started at a young age.
"I swam, I did some running, I did a little softball, you know, everything, you name it. I tried it all out," Groff said.
It was not until after graduating from Middlebury that Groff got hooked on triathlons.
"I'd already done a couple local races and realized that the swim, the bike, the run, that those were all things I liked doing. Maybe I could come back to this."
Groff came back to it over and over gain, ranking fourth in the World Cup Standings by 2008. But, there were some bumps in the road.
"2010 was probably the hardest year I've had in the sport," Groff said.
She fractured her pelvis in a bike accident in March and re-fractured it the following September. Thankfully, Groff was healed and training again by March 2011.
Groff soon ranked 3rd overall in the World Cup Series and qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
"You know, the first thing when I crossed the finish line at London, knowing that I had my spot, was just relief," Groff said.
But, Groff is not using that relief as an excuse to slow down.
"You ask yourself is it worth the sacrifice? And, yea it is, because when I retire I'm going to be able to say I just had the most amazing adventure," Groff said.
