Anne van Dam finished 10th last week in the LET season-ending Andalucia Open de Espana. She hopes to complete a half Ironman in six hours or less this week.
Last week, players in Spain said she was crazy. The total distance of the triathlon is 70.3 miles. It starts with a 1.2 mile swim followed by 56 miles biking and then a 13.1-mile run.
However, players believe van Dam’s decision was a great inspiration. Grace Godfrey is Grace Park’s 2-year-old daughter. Jane Park, an LPGA player, and Pete, a long-time tour caddie, are her competitors.
Grace was admitted to the hospital with brain swelling and seizures during the Volunteers of America Classic, Dallas, in the summer of 2021.
Van Dam shared the following social media post: Grace still has seizures and undiagnosed epilepsy. Insurance does not cover some of the equipment, hospital treatments and accessibility features in Grace’s home.
A Dutch player set a goal to raise $50,000, and many golfers have donated. Even those who aren’t part of van Dam’s circle have given what they could.
She said, “That’s something special.”
Van Dam, 27, is a five-time winner of the LET and a member the winning 2019 European Solheim Cup Team. She first competed on the LPGA in 2019. She runs a lot during the season, and enjoys long bike rides to get her mind clear. Swimming, however, is what she says impedes her ability to play golf. This week, she went back to the pool to train.
The race will take place in Indian Wells and La Quinta (California) on Dec. 4.
She said that she had done two 1,500-meter swims so far in the week, which were more difficult than I anticipated.
Van Dam, a long-time player in women’s golf said that she became a triathlete after the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. There’s nothing quite like it though.
There was nothing more meaningful than this.
Park said that she called her and told me about her plans. “I burst into tears,” Park shared with lpga.com . I can’t even imagine doing all of these things in a triathlon, but it is amazing to be able to do them all at once. It’s crazy to do all of them in California, when you were playing in a Spanish tournament last week. We are so thankful. We are so grateful for her and everyone else.
