Wyoming
Wyoming Mother Of Nine Gets Personal Best In Triathlon Despite Breaking A Rib
A barefoot woman rushed down a ramp and splashed into a cold lake this month, along with 200 other swimmers bound in black wetsuits like seals.
She crossed from the baking 81-degree air into the 61-degree waters of the Sand Hollow Reservoir, eager to cover the 1.2.-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1 mile run of the St. George, Utah, half-Ironman race, a super triathlon.
At the finish line, April Lange, of Evanston, Wyoming, would go right back to being a mother of nine, a pastor’s wife, and an English professor. But for the moment, all she did was move through time and space.
Until five minutes into the race, when a man drove his heel into her rib.
People had been jostling one another in the open waters of the frigid lake. It’s unnerving to be touched underwater, Lange told Cowboy State Daily days after the May 4 race, but most racers manage to keep their course.
This man appeared to be struggling. He thrashed sideways and upon brushing against Lange, he kicked her away, breaking her rib, she recounted.
Her breath caught in her throat. She took in water and had to stop swimming; and treaded against the disturbed water.
Then she gathered herself and kept going.
Next came the bike race, which was a climb up Snow Canyon with a 3,200-foot elevation change. Every breath fired pain through Lange’s chest and back. She popped one, then two Ibuprofens and they did nothing, but she knew better than to take a third while racing.
Finishing the bike race and starting her 13.1-mile run was a relief, Lange said. She didn’t stop at any one of the eight stations along the half-marathon route; she just ran, scaling hills and rambling down them.
April Lange’s husband Jonathan Lange watched a virtual tracker of the race from his phone.
He noticed his wife was on track to beat her personal best time for the half-Ironman by about 10 minutes. She was killing that course, Jonathan recalled to Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday.
“I had no idea she was fighting through all that pain,” he said.
By the time April crossed the finish line after 5 hours, 47 minutes and 39 seconds of searing pain, she was completely preoccupied with the agony: each breath pluming her lungs against her cracked bone.
She finished in sixth place out of 36 women in the 50-54-year-old age group and within the top third of all females; and nearly in the top third of all 1,580 finishers.
The race’s final leg, the half-marathon run, Lange covered in one hour, 55 minutes – a time difficult for most women to achieve, even if they haven’t been biking and swimming for three hours with a broken rib.
“I just kept thinking, ‘Well, I’ll go to medical (tent) as soon as I’m done,’” Lange said. And she did. “They helped me there, but there’s not much you can do about a rib anyway.”
This wasn’t her first time finishing a race on a broken bone. Last autumn she finished a full (140.6-mile) Ironman in California by running the last 24 miles on a broken and displaced ankle – the excruciating culmination of months of hard training. A surgeon later installed a plate and four screws in her ankle.
What You Need For This Day
With her torso wrapped, Lange left the medical tent. Then she vented to her husband.
He congratulated her for achieving a personal best time.
She told him how frustrated she felt at having to battle against her own body once again.
“I mean, it just kinda sounds weird, like I break an ankle, and then I break a rib,” she later told Cowboy State Daily.
Jonathan told his wife her rib wasn’t anything she could control, and that she went above and beyond by finishing the race at all.
April Lange chuckled when she recalled that conversation.
“That never enters my mind, like I’m not going to finish,” she said, adding that any athlete could find an excuse not to finish if she looked hard enough for one.
“Something’s always going to be bothering you,” she said.
Lange came home the next day and got right back into training. She wrapped around her aching torso when she went for runs.
She also told anyone who asked about the race that her seventh-born child Isaiah,18, placed fourth in the competitive, 18-24-year-old men’s category in the same race, qualifying for the New Zealand World Championship.
One of Lange’s prouder racing achievements has been watching six of her nine children join her on various courses.
Ten days after the race, she was still fighting back feelings of defeat. But as she became able to run greater lengths without her arm curled around her rib, her frustrations fell away.
“God gives you just what you need,” she told Cowboy State Daily. “Maybe it’s not always our (plan). Like we plan things, we have in mind how we want things to go but then – He gives us just what we need for that day.”
The Bleak Year
Lange’s doggedness might seem kooky to a non-athlete, she said. But she figured other runners would understand: putting one foot in front of the other drives one’s worries away.
“You just need to get in a run. If anything else is going wrong or you’re having a bad day, you just go for a run,” said Lange.
That was her attitude in 2012, her bleak year.
It was the year of her first miscarriage (she’d lose another unborn baby soon after). She was finishing up her master’s degree. Her mother died that year.
Lange said she was also diagnosed with an autoimmune condition that makes it dangerous for her to take antidepressants.
“I was in a pit,” she said.
She’d been running since eighth grade and had always been a casual biker, but now she leaned into her training. She raced her first Olympic-distance triathlon in 2015, the year after her youngest son Noah was born. Her two oldest kids moved away in 2016, which prompted her to train even harder, she said.
“I was really sad about (them leaving),” she said. “And I also don’t want to live vicariously. You know, they need to go do their own things. I also had to do something I was looking forward to.”
Lange said she believes her training has been a gift – one of many cures God hides amid the ordinary. She opened up about her battle with depression, the sadness of her autoimmune condition diagnosis, and the freefall of grief when she lost her mother.
She said she wants to reveal rather than hide these despairing periods of her life, to show other people who are struggling that they’re not alone.
“You always think people have an easier time of it than they really do – you know?” said Lange. “(It helps) if you’re not going through things by yourself; (if you know) there are other people struggling.”
She’s now completed five full Ironman races, seven half Ironmans, 19 marathons, and 17 half marathons.
Holding The Sign
Jonathan Lange doesn’t get the appeal of this sport.
“I don’t understand it,” he said with a laugh, adding that his role in all this racing is to hold the sign that says “Go, Mom!” and to cheer on his wife and his kids.
But he’s seen his wife’s training pull her out of the pit, and he’s marveled at her perseverance, he said.
“She has an amazing capacity for pushing herself beyond the limits,” said Jonathan. “I’m just in awe of her ability, and very proud of her.”
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
If you’re planning on visiting Wyoming, for a truly authentic experience, you must include at least one of the state’s awesome downtowns in your travel plans. Positioned at the southern end of the 60-mile-long valley known as Jackson Hole, the character-rich town of Jackson is one such place to consider. A wonderful place to explore on foot, Jackson’s unique downtown, with its Old West vibe, spreads out from the intersection of Broadway and Cache Street. While it consists of just a few blocks, it is jam-packed with fun things to do, no matter what time of year you visit. Its impressive elk arch makes for an excellent photo opportunity, while the charm of its Old West heritage exudes from the historic buildings, cowboy-themed bars, and art installations across town. The wild past also comes to life in Jackson during the Jackson Hole Shootout at the Town Square, a tradition that has endured since 1957.
Town Square And The Elk Antler Arches
Though Jackson’s Central Park is officially known as George Washington Memorial Park, locals and visitors alike prefer to call it Town Square. Dedicated in 1934, this centrally located public space occupies the block at Broadway and Cache and is famous for the elk antler archers set at each of its corners.
Made entirely from naturally shed elk antlers, the first arch was erected by local Boy Scouts and Rotary Club members in 1953, with the other three added a few years later. Each consists of around 2,000 antlers collected from the nearby National Elk Refuge and is among the most photographed landmarks in Wyoming.
For a truly memorable experience, try to time a visit to coincide with ELKFEST. Held in May, this community-wide celebration attracts visitors from across the country for events like the Mountain Man Rendezvous, a reenactment of the state’s early fur trading years.
The main event, though, is the highly anticipated Elk Antler Auction. Bidders from far and wide turn up at Town Square to purchase antlers, which are then used to make everything from furniture to jewelry (proceeds going back to the Elk Refuge).
Jackson’s Cowboy Heritage
From Memorial Day through Labor Day, Town Square becomes the backdrop of the famous Jackson Hole Shootout. This fun (and free) mock gunfight has been entertaining visitors since 1957 and includes several costumed outlaws and lawmen shooting it out (with blanks, of course). You can add to the experience by hopping aboard the Jackson Hole Stagecoach, a ride aboard a century-old coach that loops around downtown.
The Old West theme is evident in other spots around the downtown core, too. Steps from Town Square, the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar has been around since 1937 and is set in what was once the town’s first bank in the late 1890s. Highlights include its hand-carved bar top with silver dollars embedded in it, as well as its cool saddle barstools. Live music is regularly scheduled on the stage that has seen such legends as Willie Nelson and Hank Williams Jr. perform.
The Wort Hotel is another downtown landmark you’ll want to include in your Jackson itinerary. A local fixture since 1941, it’s here you’ll find the famous Silver Dollar Bar with its custom-made S-shaped counter inlaid with 2,032 uncirculated (and therefore rare) 1921 silver dollars. You’ll also want to check out its priceless collection of original Western art.
Other Fun Stuff To Do In Downtown Jackson
In addition to its iconic bars, downtown Jackson also boasts a world-class food scene. Highlights include Persephone Bakery, its old-fashioned stone hearth turning out delicious baked goods, including croissants and artisanal bread. Also yummy, Cafe Genevieve occupies an old log cabin and serves breakfast and lunch with a Southern-inspired menu.
Jackson’s art scene is also worth a mention. Art galleries are plentiful in the downtown area, with establishments like Astoria Fine Art and Mountain Trails Galleries, both on Town Square, featuring works by local, national, and international artists. The Center for the Arts is another cultural high point and features performance spaces, visual arts studios, and an outdoor sculpture park.
Snow King Mountain
Another unique feature of Jackson’s downtown is its proximity to some of Wyoming’s best (and certainly most accessible) ski hills. The base of Snow King Mountain is just six blocks from Town Square and has been in use since 1936, and really took off when Wyoming’s first chairlift opened here in 1946.
Dubbed the “Town Hill” by locals, Snow King now consists of 500 skiable acres, 41 named runs, three chairlifts, an eight-passenger gondola, and night skiing. In warmer months, the action shifts to a thrilling Cowboy Coaster, a zipline, a treetop adventure ropes course, and an alpine slide.
The Snow King Observatory and Planetarium is another excuse to head for the hills from downtown Jackson. Located at the summit of Snow King Mountain, in addition to its large telescope, this must-see attraction features a planetarium theater and a rooftop observation deck boasting incredible views over Jackson and the Jackson Hole Valley.
Explore Jackson’s Not-So-Wild Side
Downtown Jackson has so much to offer visitors seeking an authentic slice of Wyoming life. From its unique elk antler arches to its art galleries and cowboy culture, as well as its unique position steps from the ski hills, few towns in the USA’s Mountain Region can match the long list of fun things to do in Jackson’s downtown core.
The expansion would open the spigot for 550,000 barrels per day of crude, the company says. Although the crude would mostly pass through eastern Wyoming, the venture opens opportunities for Wyoming oil producers in the region for more transportation access to U.S. refineries and shipping ports, according to Bridger and local industry officials.“It would be the biggest project in our history, if it comes to fruition,” Bridger Pipeline spokesperson Bill Salvin told WyoFile on Friday. “We are, however, in the really early stages of the project. But we’re very excited about it.”Industry trade groups speculate the Bridger Pipeline Expansion is part of a competitive scramble to fill a gap left by TC Energy’s Keystone XL project. That company, in 2021, abandoned the controversial project in the face of major opposition and protests. It would have transported Canadian tar-sands oil into the U.S. market via a route extending through Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. Among many challenges for Keystone XL was acquiring new rights-of-way easements. Though the Bridger Pipeline Expansion proposal requires some new rights-of-way, that’s not the case for the 210-mile Wyoming segment, according to Salvin.“All of that distance is within, or parallel to, existing pipeline corridors,” Salvin said.
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The Wyoming segment would pass through Crook, Weston, Niobrara, Goshen and Platte counties.Bridger Pipeline, a subsidiary of Casper-based True Companies, submitted a notice of intent to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality in January and noted it will formally initiate environmental applications to the agency. Salvin told WyoFile he’s uncertain about the full spectrum of regulatory requirements in Wyoming.However, the company regards the Cowboy State as a great fit for the project, he said. “This [project proposal] just highlights how important the region is and how Wyoming is a very good place for energy projects like this.”Reached for comment, the Petroleum Association of Wyoming said the proposed pipeline only stands to benefit Wyoming producers and the state.“Investments like these, along with continued growth in areas like the Powder River Basin, show Wyoming will continue to play an important role in the nation’s energy markets,” PAW Vice President and Director of Communications Ryan McConnaughey told WyoFile. “Connecting in Guernsey allows product to be transported to refining hubs like Cushing, Oklahoma.” WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy.
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LARAMIE — Nasir Meyer converted a three-point play with 35 seconds remaining to give Wyoming Cowboys men’s basketball the lead for good, and Wyoming held Air Force Falcons men’s basketball scoreless over the final two minutes to secure a 66-62 victory Saturday night.
The win marked the 13th home victory of the season for Wyoming, which improved to 16-13 overall and 7-11 in conference play.
“Air Force deserves all the credit and let’s talk about a team that has every reason not to fight, but thats why they are Air Force and the cadets and I have a lot of respect for them,” Wyoming coach Sundance Wicks said. “They were not going to quit, and I didn’t drive that message home enough and hats off to Air Force because they deserved to win. We snuck away with a win. Adam Harakow showed when we need him and he was massive for us. Simm-Marten was made big plays and Naz was clutch for us late.”
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Wyoming shot 35% from the field and went 7 of 28 from 3-point range, making just two from beyond the arc in the second half. Air Force shot 49% overall and 44% from 3, hitting eight shots from long distance. The Cowboys made 13 of 16 free throws (81%) and scored 22 points off 15 Air Force turnovers while holding a 39-36 edge in rebounding.
Damarion Dennis led Wyoming with 16 points and three assists, going 7 of 8 from the free-throw line. Meyer finished with 14 points and tied a career best with eight rebounds. Adam Harakow added 14 points off the bench on 5-of-6 shooting, his first double-figure scoring game since the first meeting with Air Force. Simm-Marten Saadi had nine points in 13 minutes, and Kiani Saxon grabbed seven rebounds.
Air Force opened with back-to-back 3-pointers to take a 6-0 lead. Meyer scored Wyoming’s first basket, and Leland Walker added a 3-pointer to make it 8-5 with 16 minutes left in the first half.
Wyoming responded with a 9-0 run over nearly four minutes, with Saadi and Harakow each connecting from beyond the arc to give the Cowboys an 11-8 lead with under 14 minutes remaining. Air Force regained a 12-11 advantage as Wyoming went scoreless for more than two minutes.
Harakow’s second 3-pointer pushed the lead to 22-16 with nine minutes left in the half, and Wyoming used a 6-0 run while holding the Falcons without a field goal for more than four minutes to build a 28-18 lead with six minutes remaining. The Cowboys closed the half on a defensive stand, keeping Air Force scoreless for the final two minutes to take a 35-25 lead into the break. Wyoming scored 15 first-half points off turnovers.
The teams traded 3-pointers early in the second half, and Air Force cut the deficit to 40-31 with under 17 minutes left before trimming it to seven 90 seconds later. Walker answered with a 3-pointer to make it 43-33 with 15 minutes to go.
Air Force used a 9-0 run during a stretch in which Wyoming went more than 3 1/2 minutes without a point to pull within one with nine minutes left. The Falcons later tied the game at 51-51 with 5:30 remaining after forcing six straight missed shots.
A pair of free throws by Meyer and a basket from Saadi gave Wyoming a 57-53 lead with under four minutes to play. Air Force answered with three consecutive 3-pointers from Kam Sanders to take a 62-59 lead with two minutes left.
Meyer scored with 90 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to one. On the next trip, he converted an and-one to give Wyoming a 64-62 lead with 35 seconds left. The Cowboys added late free throws to close out the 66-62 win.
Sanders led Air Force with 16 points and nine rebounds, going 4 of 5 from 3-point range. Eli Robinson added 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
Wyoming closes its home schedule Tuesday against Nevada Wolf Pack men’s basketball at 8 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the Cowgirls.
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