Karen lives in Lincoln, Massachusetts, just outside Boston. After winning Ironman Hawaii in 1995  Smyers had a glass pane fall on and injure her hamstring in June of 1997. She claims that caused her to become pregnant, and last May gave birth to Jenna, her first child.  She did three races last summer before getting hit by a semitruck in August. After recovering from that accident she began training again and on February 14 she finished fourth in  the Antofagasta Triathlon in Antofagasta, Chile. 

duathlon.com:  Were you happy with your recent performance in Chile?

KS: I was not happy with the place, but I was happy with my swimming, and I don't know about my biking. I had a bad transition so I missed the group. The 3 girls ahead of me rode   in a group and I had a 4 minute deficit coming off the bike. I rode the whole bike by myself, so it was basically a time trial.

duathlon.com:  What are your racing plans for this year?

KS: I guess I have 2 goals. One is to get back into the Olympic distance to be eligible for the Olympic trials. I would like to race at the Pan Am games and World Championships and I am considering doing the ITU Long Distance Championships in Sweden. I am also planning on doing Ironman Hawaii.

duathlon.com:  When were you able to start training again after the semitruck incident in August?

KS:  I had 6 broken ribs from the truck, a separated shoulder, and a lung contusion. It took me at least 4 months to get back to where I was in the middle of August. In mid December I was back up to where I have been. I feel like I have just started to make some progress. My biking is a little behind because of the New England weather.   I try to ride outside once a week, but I ride almost exclusively on my CompuTrainer.

duathlon.com:  Was it mentally difficult to come back from your recent setbacks?

KS: I haven't sat out for this long, and all of a sudden I feel like I am getting old.  All of a sudden, watching vicariously through others, you have this feeling like the world is passing you by.  I have to concentrate on myself and my workouts. But now I am doing some of my best workouts.

duathlon.com:    How long do you plan to continue racing?

KS: I don't really know. I am going to concentrate on 2000 and I will probably take stock after that.

duathlon.com:  What is your duathlon experience?

KS: I won Powerman Chicago in 1995, and I tried Zofingen one year and that was an eye-opener. That was when the race was in May and that was too early for me to do a long race.  I bonked on the bike big time.  In the back of my mind I would like to go back and race Zofingen again.

duathlon.com:  How do is your training different now that you have Jenna?

KS: My husband is home most of the time and we just kind of trade off with her. My husband and I never get to train together anymore. That is probably the biggest thing I miss.

duathlon.com:  Who are your sponsors?

KS: Nike is my main sponsor, plus Trek, Oakley and  Timex. My sponsors have stuck with me through all that has happened, which I feel lucky for.