Colonie

Breaking the powerlifting record was not part of 70-year-old Marilyn Cataldo’s plans last month, when she entered a local competition at the urging of her personal trainer.

But in the midst of the meet in Latham, after she deadlifted 220 pounds and then 252 pounds, trainer David Derry threw it out there: “You want to try for 281?” The most she had ever lifted in the gym was 270. And as Derry said last week, “those 11 pounds make a difference.”

Cataldo answered in her typical fashion: “Do you think I can do it?”

Well, it turns out, yeah, she could.

“I amazed myself,” she said.

It’s caused some attention and been a bit of a surprise for Cataldo, a retired secretary who was unaware she had what Derry called a “natural talent” for powerlifting until she started working out with the 21-year-old trainer at Best Fitness on Fuller Road.

She started going to the gym – it was originally in Albany’s Westgate Plaza – five years ago after retiring from St. Peter’s Hospital because her husband Anthony had bone cancer. It was a tough time, all the moreso when the Cataldos learned Anthony’s disease was likely caused by exposure to Agent Orange during his military service in Vietnam. Their daughter learned of the service connection, and the Cataldos had to educate the doctors and push for coverage through the Veterans Health Administration. Anthony went through chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant. In the end, he was paralyzed from the waist down.

Marilyn had for years worked out at a St. Peter’s employee gym to stay fit. Joining Best Fitness was a way to maintain her health and stamina. As Anthony’s condition worsened, he made her promise she would keep it up after he died. After he passed in March 2016, she did.

Going to the gym kept her fit physically and mentally. It gave her a routine every day and a new group of friends around her age; they encourage each other in the mornings. Cataldo enjoyed the bike and the treadmill, and worked with free weights.

She tried her hand at powerlifting about a year ago. Derry recommended it as a way to avoid injury. The stronger the back muscles, the less strain on the spine; the stronger the quadriceps, the less strain on the knee. He would teach her the right way to move into a lift. Cataldo liked the idea of staying strong.

The first time she deadlifted – picked up weights off the floor, from a standing position – she hoisted 150 pounds. Powerlifting became a regular part of her routine at Best Fitness, not just the deadlifts but also squats and bench presses.

Despite progress, Cataldo was self-conscious about competing in last month’s meet, at ABC Sports and Fitness in Latham. She was the oldest person there. She had to wear a singlet athletic outfit and was surrounded by young women, she said, “and their beautiful shapes.” Amid an onslaught of support, she overcame her anxiety.

“I thought, it is what it is, I am what I am, I can’t change it,” she said.

The new record, for her age and weight class, is unofficial because there was no nationally ranked referee there to see her do it. So she’s training to get to a national tournament next year, to have a shot at making her record official. She wants to deadlift over 300 pounds.

Working toward a goal has helped Cataldo through her grief over Anthony, she said. He was 69 when he died, eight months shy of their 50th wedding anniversary.

She thinks about what Anthony would say if he could see her. After all, she got into powerlifting by keeping her promise to him.

“He probably thinks I’m crazy,” Cataldo said, laughing. “He’s probably saying, ‘I didn’t mean to that degree!’”