In memoriam

I met Babette Kulka in December 2003 when she was cheering on her Friends In Training teammates who were gearing up for the Miami marathon. She had just had her cast removed. A broken ankle didn't stop her from crossing the finish line of the Hawaii Ironman triathlon in October of that year, although she didn't finish within the required time. I was still impressed. I think I would have limped back to my hotel room. Babette was modest, yet a great motivator.  Her obituary:

   BY ANI MARTINEZ
   armartinez@MiamiHerald.com
   Babette Kulka conquered most of her fears by the time she was 65.
  She swam countless miles in the ocean, pedaled on treacherous trails and ran across a finish line with a broken ankle.
      While training off Hollywood beach Wednesday, the spunky triathlete went into cardiac arrest.
      Kulka, 65, of Hallandale Beach, died Wednesday.
      When lifeguards tried to stop her from going into the water, she ignored their warning to stay out of the rough current.
      Thirty minutes later, a public service worker pulled her out of the water. Despite efforts to revive her, Kulka died at Memorial Regional Hospital.
      "She told the lifeguards she was a triathlete and knew what she was doing, " Hollywood Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Mark Steele said.
      Family at her home declined to speak to The Miami Herald on Friday.
      Kulka moved to South Florida from New York in the 1980s. She joined a bike club and took a part-time job as a swimming instructor.
      She participated in bike races, cross-country competitions, swimming and other events.
      She worked to qualify for the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Kailua Kona, Hawaii, twice.
      When Kulka finished the Ironman Florida Triathlon in November 1999 to qualify for other races, she crossed the finish line saying, "I'm an ironman! I'm an ironwoman! I'm an ironbabe!''
      "It was the highlight of my life, " Kulka said at the time.