Jennifer Lopez has once again shown that her drive and determination are unmatched, revealing that she competed in a triathlon just six months after becoming a mother. The Kiss of the Spider Woman star, 56, opened up about the experience during the October 8 episode of the Las Culturistas podcast.
She told hosts Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers that after giving birth to her twins, Emme and Max, now 17, whom she shares with ex-husband Marc Anthony, she decided to take on the ambitious challenge. While talking about her love for musical theater, Lopez recalled performing You Are Woman, I Am Man from Funny Girl at Anthony’s 40th birthday party — and casually mentioned that she had completed a triathlon earlier that same day.
“I had run a triathlon that day,” she said with a laugh, prompting the hosts to burst out laughing at how casually she said it. Lopez explained that the idea came to her while she was still pregnant. “When I was still pregnant, I was like I’m going to do a triathlon when the kids [are born and] after I give birth to get back into shape,” she said. “I was like, I’m giving myself a goal.”
The On the Floor singer said she was inspired by a TV show and began researching local races before finding one scheduled in Malibu for September 2008. She decided to commit to it. For Lopez, the triathlon was not just about getting fit again, but about setting an example for her children.
She recalled looking at her 2007 American Music Award while pregnant and thinking about what kind of role model she wanted to be. “The triathlon was part of that,” she said. “I want them to be proud of me.”
Her twins, however, are not as impressed as she might have hoped. “Now, I’ve told them the story. They couldn’t care less. Like, ‘Okay, you ran a triathlon.’ But one day, maybe they’ll think of it and go, ‘Wow, my mom ran a triathlon six months after she had me.’”
Lopez admitted that one part of the race intimidated her most. “The swim is the crazy thing,” she said. “You go and you’re looking at the ocean for the first time and you’re like, ‘I’m going swimming to the buoy. Not the first one. The third one? I’m sure there are sharks out there.’” Despite her nerves, Lopez completed the race, proving once again that when she sets a goal, she sees it through.