This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
When Ara Malstrom isn't swimming, biking or running, she likes to spend time at Keys on Main.
The Bountiful native considers the downtown club her second home, where she basks in the music of dueling pianos as she knocks back beers. But sometimes, old acquaintances spot her and stare. Their eyes linger, betraying the lack of recognition.
It's hard to blame them. The Ara Malstrom they remember weighed 275 pounds.
The World Health Organization defines overweight as having a body mass index above 24.9. Tip the scales over 30, and you're considered obese. Malmstrom, standing at around 5-foot-10, had a BMI of 39.5.
That was in 2009. Two years from now — if all goes according to plan — she will complete her first Ironman triathlon.
The Ironman is the chimera of the athletic world, a monstrous combination of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run. Contestants have crawled across the finish line after their legs refused to keep them upright.
So how does a 275-pound woman start gunning for one of the toughest athletic accomplishments in the world? Seven years ago, Malmstrom was parked on her couch watching an episode of Oprah. Featured that day was Team Hoyt: since 1977, Dick Hoyt has pushed and pulled his son Rick through triathlons, marathons and even cross-country treks. Rick's cerebral palsy keeps him from walking or talking; the races, he says, help him forget his disability.
Malmstrom, like countless others, found inspiration in the Hoyts' story. If Dick can do an Ironman lugging his 110-pound son, she thought, I can do one on my own.
The lofty goal went the way of many weight-loss resolutions. Team Hoyt may have touched her heart, but it wasn't able to affect the rest of her body.
"I didn't do anything about it," said Malmstrom, now 32 years old. "I just left it. It was too overwhelming. I thought you had to jump right in and do an Ironman."
It wasn't until March 2009 that she finally began to train. Tawni Williams, a friend from their days at Bountiful's Viewmont High, sent out a mass Facebook invite to the Bountiful Triathlon — something she had just founded with her husband. The sprint triathlon was a shorter, friendlier event: a three-mile run, 11-mile bike ride and 350-yard swim. This time, Malmstrom was intrigued.
"The timing was right. I took it as a personal invitation," Malmstrom says. "I paid the $40 [to register] and I started training."
Forcing herself to swim, bike and walk or run every day, she shaved off almost 75 pounds in three months. When August rolled around, she finished her first triathlon in an hour and 45 minutes — nowhere near the top of the leaderboard. It didn't matter.
"From that moment on, she was hooked," Williams says. "She's never slowed down since."
A year ago, Malmstrom found a trainer, B.J. Christensen, who began giving her a more strategized regimen: she began weight training and incorporated more knowledge of sports nutrition into her routine. She used to see Christensen once a week, but they've now developed enough familiarity that he simply emails her workouts.
Malmstrom has now completed 32 different races, including her first full marathon in Ogden last month. Every one of her events are listed in an Excel spreadsheet, as well as her weight loss progress. She has June 20, 2014 circled on her calendar: Ironman Couer d'Alene, in northern Idaho.
"I have no doubt she will do an Ironman," Williams says, adding that Malmstrom has become much more confident. Christensen agrees, adding that Malmstrom's five-year timeline is a healthy buildup given her starting point. He can't think of another client that works harder.
When asked how she plans to celebrate her Ironman, Malmstrom is momentarily stumped. The key to her success has been a methodical adherence to small steps — merely dreaming about the finish line wouldn't help. She promises to think it over.
The answer comes less than a minute later: a tattoo of a cowbell on her calf, overlayed by the M-dot symbol of the Ironman triathlon. During a race, cheers from the crowd are drowned out by her own focus. It's the sharp ring of cowbells — a staple at a variety of races — that cuts through the fog.
We're here, they tell her. And so are you.
Ara Malmstrom
Once weighed 275 pounds
Took off 75 pounds in three months
Has run in 32 races
Is gearing up for Ironman competition