This story was originally published on Sept. 8, 2016
Maybe you’ve seen her on Silverbell Road or at the La Cima Middle School track. Or spotted the wheelchair with a flag on the I-10 frontage road as she pushes to Picacho Peak.
This week, the scenery changes. World-class wheelchair athlete Shirley Reilly competes in her fourth Paralympic Games. At the event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Tucsonan will vie for medals in the 400 meters, the 800 meters, the 4 x 400 relay, and the marathon.
Watch the Rio Paralympic Games
The Rio Paralympics features 4,300 athletes competing in 22 sports. It runs Sept. 7 - Sept. 18.
About 70 hours of television coverage will be shown on NBC and NBCSN. TeamUSA.org will show comprehensive coverage online.
Follow Shirley Reilly's Paralympic journey here.
Reilly's schedule:
Sept. 10 - 400 meters qualifying
Sept. 15 - 4x400 relay
Sept. 17 - 800 meters qualifying
Sept. 18 - marathon
Her goal is to "come home with at least one medal," she said. At the London Games in 2012, she won three from five events.
Reilly, 31, has lived in Tucson for 13 years. She is majoring in Government and Public Policy at the University of Arizona. She is on track to graduate in 2017. After that, she’d like to work for the Department of Homeland Security.
Reilly says there’s no time frame on her racing career. She’s been racing since she was 10. “I might go until I just stop enjoying it,” she said.
We caught up with her last month as she prepared for Rio. She reflected on her start as an athlete, training with her boyfriend, Sean Eres, chin-ups, omelets, the greatest year of her racing life, and what makes her good. Her 8-month-old Springer Spaniel, Bond (as in Agent 007) played in the background.
On training
I get up by 4:30. We are out on the track or the road by 5. I train six days a week and am in the gym three days.
I’m a big napper. I get my recovery and then later in the afternoon I go to the gym. When I do chin-ups on the bars I get some people staring at me.
My boyfriend is in a handcycle, and I’m in my racing chair. He’s always out there every day. He’s my pacer. He can go a lot faster. For him it’s easy, and I’m working my butt off.
On Saturday or Sunday we usually do long workouts. My boyfriend’s mom follows me in my van, and we wear bright clothes and have flags to make sure we can be seen.
She’s always used wheels
I was born premature about six weeks. When I was born, the doctors had the incubator turned down too low. I was suffocating and both of my lungs had ruptured and filled with blood. It paralyzed me from the waist down.
I also have a hearing impairment. I wear hearing aids.
On the beginning of her athletic career
I got involved in a junior sports adaptive program (in her hometown of Los Gatos, California.)
I tried all these different sports — tennis, basketball, table tennis, archery, swimming. I grew up with a junior sports program called Wheels on Fire. They do a junior national wheelchair championship once a year. I qualified for the Silicon Valley marathon at 15. Oh my God, that was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I said, "I’m never doing one again." I didn’t like it. It was the hardest thing.
But I qualified for the world championships at that point. I thought “OK I can give this a chance, there’s something there.”
I grew to really like it — the adrenaline. I kind of realized I might be kind of good at this. And I was really sad when I came in second.
Women's wheelchair winner Shirley Reilly, of Tucson, Ariz., waves as she is awarded her trophy at the finish area of the 2012 Boston Marathon in Boston, Monday, April 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
On winning the Boston Marathon in 2012
All my hard work finally paid off. It was all about consistency. Things were finally starting to come together through workouts, through lifting weights. I was so excited. My parents, my sister, my boyfriend, they actually came to watch me race. It was that much more special. I won by a second. I beat the course record holder at the time. It was a phenomenal year.
On recovery
Wheelchair racers usually tend to recover faster than runners because we can do it in an hour and a half.
I notice as I get older I’m taking longer to recover. It’s a tough sport. Grueling.
Post-workout
My favorite post-workout meal is anything with eggs and spinach. I do an omelet and some fruit on the side.
When she’s not racing
Being an athlete is all about routines. My boyfriend and I love the movies. In my free time, I hang out with my friends, maybe go out to have a drink — very rare maybe once every three or four months. We like to shop. I like to get my nails done.
What makes her good
Consistency is key for me. I’m disciplined. Having Sean out there for me makes a difference.
Her inspiration
Apolo Ohno works incredibly hard to get those medals, and there is nothing more that I admire than hard work and dedication.
After Rio
I will do the Chicago Marathon in October. Some other marathons. Usually in May the track season starts.
27 questions with Shirley Reilly
Your name, age, occupation.
Shirley Reilly, 31, Student/Elite Athlete
I'm on a mission to _______________________.
Rio Paralympics
Describe yourself in three words...
Shy, motivated, indecisive
And in five emojis.
:) :D
Your first-ever job?
Being an athlete is my job
How long have you lived in Tucson?
13 years
Who and/or what inspires you?
Apolo Ohno
The secret to coping with stress is ________________.
Usually going to the gym or swim
Your favorite Tucson spot?
Arizona stadium or RA
What are your favorite three songs and why?
Right now I'm a big fan of anything by Drake, Rihanna, and The Weekend
Your go-to order at your favorite Tucson restaurant?
A Chili Shrimp Roll at RA
What's your favorite Tucson-only thing?
Mosaic Mexican Restaurant
You know you're a Tucsonan when _____________.
Think 98 degrees isn't that hot outside
What constitutes your morning getting-ready routine and how long does it take?
It involves getting my workout clothes ready and putting on my heart rate monitor and I'm out the door to practice
Favorite app at the moment?
Groupon
Give us a two-sentence pep talk.
"Don't give up, you're almost done." "Go for the gold"
What would you tell your teenage self?
Stop being so shy
What's a quality you got from your mama?
I got my mom's kindness and eyes
And one you hope to pass on to the next generation?
Kindness is important
The last great book you read?
The Daughter by Jane Shemilt
The last great movie you watched?
Suicide Squad
Is there something you've always wanted to learn, but haven't had the time?
CPR
Anything you've always wondered about Tucson?
How people live here without an Ocean, I grew up a California girl.
Favorite ice cream flavor?
Half Baked
Where can our readers follow you on social media?
twitter @ShirleyReilly1
Is there something you REALLY nerd out about?
Food Network
What's your spirit animal?
Lion
Which fictional character (from TV, movies, books, etc.) just gets you?
Sheldon from Big Bang Theory
What makes you feel the most confident?
Being prepared
The best piece of advice you ever received?
Never know you can achieve until you try. Reach for the stars.
By Shannon Conner for This Is Tucson
