You only live once
Mariel Ettinger has always stretched herself to the limits, in running, cycling and triathlon, as well as in her professional life as an attorney
By Katie Brauns / The Bulletin
Published: June 02. 2009 4:00AM PST
Bend resident Mariel Ettinger knows that when she enters a race, anything can happen.
A world-class runner since her early years and now, at 28, a successful cyclist and triathlete, as well as an attorney, Ettinger has certain expectations for her performance. With that, she also expects occasional failure.
“I do love competition,” she says. “I do love a good challenge. I’m afraid of it. I approach it knowing that it could end up going badly. My dad — because he was a racer — always used to say, ‘It’s not a matter of IF you fall off the bike or IF you crash. It’s just a matter of when. And that’s true. That’s true in life.”
And she did crash.