Story Photos
 Beth Soltero feels stronger purpose and motivation when she trains for a triathlon that involves fund-raising for a cure. She will swim, ride a bicycle and run June 28 at Sunriver, Ore. Roger Werth / The Daily News
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Ty-athlon: Leukemia victim Tyson Mageo-White inspires local athletic trainer
Sunday, March 23, 2008 6:10 AM PDT
By Cathy Zimmerman
Printable version
E-mail this articleWhen Beth Soltero gets up in the morning, the first thing she sees is the wistful smile of Tyson Mageo-White.
Mageo-White died of Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia when he was 11. Soltero focuses on him to motivate her training for a triathlon fund-raiser.
"A lot of times, you reach a point in your training when you stagnate," said Soltero, a 24-year-old graduate of the University of Wyoming who came to Longview for a job as an athletic trainer.
"I really don't want to get up and swim some days. But you look at the picture of the person you're training for. He didn't choose his disease. ... He didn't have the option of going to chemo or not going.
"I can choose to help. It gives me a purpose."
Soltero's purpose is to raise $4,000, the amount set by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for each member of multiple training teams competing in a June triathlon sponsored by the society.
She has set a personal goal of raising the money by April 18, Soltero said, so she'll be done before the training schedule starts to get more intense, she said. "I want to focus on training for the last month and a half."
After a sports-minded childhood in Cody, Wyo,, Soltero competed in high school swimming. At the university in Laramie, she earned a bachelor of science degree in kinesiology and sports science.
Solter works full time as a certified athletic trainer for R.A. Long High School, which contracts with Longview Physical and Sports Therapy for her services.
"If kids have an injury, they come see me," Soltero said. "If it's serious, I send them to the doctor."
She attends every sporting event and every practice, working up to 60 hours a week in busy sports seasons, taking care of before-game taping and other training needs.
An RAL student is putting news about the triathlon in the Lumber Jack Log, Soltero said, and a few coaches know about her training. "Butch Allinger, the track coach, is helping me out. ... I love swimming and biking; running is my weak link."
Soltero has finished several triathlons, including one at Blue Lake in Gresham. Her last effort, at Vancouver Lake, resulted in a first place finish in her age division, which is 20-24. "I was pumped," she said.
Following a schedule drawn up by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, she trains in this rotation: three days biking, two days running and two days swimming, taking one day out of every seven to rest, Soltero said. "We have coaches," and a group rides together every week in Portland for the camaraderie and motivation.
And of course, there's that face she wakes up to everyday.
"It's really heartwarming to know that Tyson is encouraging Beth as she trains," said Judy Quinting Saling of Eugene, Ore., the boy's grandmother. "I was so thrilled when she asked if she could do this in his memory."
Saling, who graduated from R.A. Long High School in 1967, said Tyson died in 2004, but fund-raising efforts such as Beth's mean that "some other young boy or girl is going to grow to adulthood."
The June 28 triathlon, held at Sunriver, Ore., includes a 1.2 mile swim, a 56.3 mile bike ride and a 13.1 mile run.
Soltero's goal is to raise $4,000, with funds raised by hundreds of other athletes, will go to research at Oregon Health & Science University. Soltero said the OHSU research facility created Gleevac, a drug that has added years to the lives of people who have leukemia.
"When it's over, it will be so much more meaningful -- this race," Soltero said. "It will be the one I remember most, because I didn't just race; I may have helped to save a life, or kept someone alive so their family could spend more time with them."
You can help
To visit Beth Soltero's Web site, go to www.active.com/donate/tntor/tntorBSolter
To make a donation, make out checks to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and send them to Soltero at 13210 SE 7th St. #51, Vancouver, WA 98683.
To learn more about the Society and Team Training, go to www.lls.org
Jane Samuels wrote on Mar 23, 2008 5:34 PM:
Football Mom wrote on Mar 23, 2008 6:30 PM:
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