Ridgewood Native will Compete in Ironman to Raise Money for Brain Aneurysm Research

Ridgewood native Joanna Chitko will compete in her first Ironman triathalon at the Lake Placid Competition on July 24 to raise money for the Brain Aneurysm Foundation, an opportunity she sees as kismet.

Chitko, 36, will be completing in the ultra-distance triathlon as a part of TeamCindy, a group dedicated to honoring the life of Cynthia Lynn Shervin, a devoted athlete, marathoner and triathlete who died from a ruptured brain aneurysm while training for her first Ironman in 2007.

“When I read about [Cindy’s] story, I felt a connection,” Chitko said. “My father suffered a severe stroke and two years later, he had an aneurysm and ultimately died from the aneurysm. When I came across a spot for this charity, I figured it was meant to be.”

The rigorous Ironman consists of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and 26.2 mile run.

When Chitko first tried to sign up for the competition, the race entry occupancy was already full, so she assumed it wasn't her destiny to participate. But when she heard about TeamCindy, her perspective changed.

The Brain Aneurysm Foundation created TeamCindy in 2008, which allows them to market roughly five spots on the team for Lake Placid each year, said Christine Buckley, Executive Director for the Brain Aneurysm Foundation. This gave Chitko the opportunity to apply for a spot on TeamCindy and compete in the Ironman, despite the fact that general sign-up spots had been filled.

Chitko trains six days a week with the NYC-based TriLife team to ensure sure she is both physically and mentally ready for her competition. She typically trains for two to three hours a day during the week, and anywhere from five to ten hours per day on the weekends. The brutal weather conditions this past winter presented a particularly difficult challenge.

“Unfortunately, with the snow, with those kinds of conditions, we have to train indoors, which can be grueling,” Chitko said. “Sitting on a bike inside for three or four hours not going anywhere, forces you to really mentally push yourself.”

Chitko’s goal is to raise $3,500 for TeamCindy. All of the money raised by Chitko and her teammates will benefit the Brain Aneurysm Foundation.

“Not only is it a physical challenge, but I have a personal connection,” Chitko said. “I’m raising money for something that is important for everyone, but has more of a personal meaning for myself.”

TeamCindy also strives to spread public awareness about the dangers of a ruptured brain aneurysm, said Buckley.

According to statistics from the Brain Aneurysm Foundation, about 30,000 people rupture from a brain aneurysm in the United States each year, and of those people, about forty percent of them actually die from that rupture.

“A lot of our efforts now push for early detection,” said Buckley. “People can be scanned [for aneurysms] and treated early on, therefore having a much better outcome.”

She went on to explain that brain aneurysms can run in the family, so if individuals know a family member has had an aneurysm, it is important to let their doctors know so they can be scanned, treated, and hopefully live a normal life.

Some of the money Chitko and her teammates raise will go toward a research grant funded by the Brain Aneurysm Foundation, a way to “keep Cindy’s memory alive,” Buckely said.

Chitko hopes her involvement in TeamCindy will help others realize that an aneurysm can affect anyone, and will encourage people to ask their doctors about testing for aneurysms. 

“People always think people die because they aren’t taking care of their body," said Chitko. "But Cindy completed several marathons and was a nutritionist. [Aneurysms] can happen to anybody."

Buckley will be at Lake Placid on July 24 to cheer on Chitko and the rest of TeamCindy.

“We appreciate their efforts tremendously,” Buckley said of the TeamCindy competitors.

“I’m excited,” Chitko said. “I feel like our coaches have really prepared us for every kind of condition in a sense of weather, but also conditioned our minds in terms of what we need to do. I’ve been training about six months, so I’m ready.”

To learn more about TeamCindy, visit TeamCindy.org. To help Chitko reach (or exceed!) her goal of $3,500, please visit her fundraising page.