I’ll start. (Apologies for my tendency to be long-winded.)

I, an avid cyclist, moved to a new city (Austin, TX) in 2000. I went to a bike shop looking for information regarding a weekly ride I could get in on, so I could learn the local roads. The bike shop guy asked me to join he and his friends that Saturday. I did. At some point, now knowing I rode and also ran (played field hockey and ice hockey), he asked if I did any Tri’s. This was my very first exposure to the concept, as I hadn’t seen any before though had heard of the race in Hawaii. This prompted me, at age 29, to learn to swim. Once I could swim 1 mi in a pool, I signed up for my first sprint triathlon. I was hooked, even though that guy and I weren’t still hanging out.

Because I like riding my bike more than only 14 or so miles, I looked for longer events to sign up for. Within 8 months I completed my first half iron. I knew I wanted to do an iron but at that point thought it would be a lonely pursuit since I moved again (2003, Philadelphia) and didn’t know anyone else doing tri’s. I stuck with the Olympic distance until a friend wanted to sign up for Lake Placid 2010. Camaraderie was important then as the new training volume was really something I needed people to commiserate with. I no longer need that (though it’s still great to have) and have finished 4 ultra’s.

I’m not sure how to put into words what I like about the ultra distance, other than I like biking and I like taking my bike to new places. I do know why I don’t prefer sprint’s: in my opinion, it’s more effort to arrive, set up, do the race, break down equipment and get it back to my car, than the event is worth to me in joy to do. My personal tipping point is an Olympic distance race if it’s local, a half iron if I can drive to it, and I’ll fly for the ultra course length.

Why do I continue to participate? While I love ice hockey and the way I get to enjoy that with my teammates (stupid banter in the locker room, on the bench, in the bar, achieving more as a team than I can as an individual), I like that in triathlon the outcome is the result of all my individual effort. I like that it is by definition cross training. I like that the landscape changes as the race goes on, and that first out of the water doesn’t mean first across the finish line.

Why don’t I think more women participate? Everyone has finite resources, time, money, motivation. Some of my friends would have to take time away from their kids to partake. Some simply love ice hockey and want to do that, or volleyball instead. If you’ve only got 1 h per day to spend on yourself, triathlon is a hard sport to be involved with, while running is not.

- what prompted you to try triathlon?

I had run marathons, I had done long distance cycling and I didn't know how to swim. My mom died and it was a good distraction/coping technique.


- why do you continue to participate?

It's fun as hell. I love the training, I love the racing, I love the gear, I love the tech. I've met some great people and while I'm very much a lone wolf right now I love catching up with my peeps. I'm not very fast in any of the three sports, but I put them together pretty well.

- which distance event(s) do you like and why?
I've only done sprint and intl distance so far. I really like Intl. The longer it went, the better I felt so I'm looking forward to getting back to that. Half and Ultra are on the long term plan.

- what, in your opinion, is/are reason(s) why other women don’t participate?
When I tell people I do triathlon the first thing they think is "Ironman." WTC has done so much work to co-brand triathlon with Ironman that very few people even know there are shorter distances. It's as if you told people you were a runner and they immediately assumed you were a marathoner. So it's intimidating, it's scary, because they love to show Julie Moss and Sian Welch over and over (how often do they show male pros collapsing [besides Chris Liegh but he's still upright in their videos]) so the image is "Do this and try to kill yourself!" And then there is the issue of mastery. This is my n=1 but I think that women feel they need to exhibit mastery to participate in an activity, they need to look good and be skillful to not be embarrassed to do it in public. I think women often need a safe space to learn in order to get comfortable. I've been a mentor for two women's only tri training groups and in each one there seemed to be a theme of "I didn't think I could do this." Women need a more ingrained belief in their capability to learn and execute the necessary skills and welcoming spaces to learn, fail, fall, learn more and ask stupid questions.


- And, feel free to share anything else you find relevant.
Decoupling triathlon as a concept from "Ironman" is the key to growth. Getting Olympic and sprint races in the public eye, showing people that even without participating, triathlon can be exciting to spectate is vital. Instead of telling people how inspiring and difficult but if you really put your mind to it achieveable! triathlon is, tell them how accessible it is, how you can get ready for a sprint in just a few weeks, just a few hours a week! How you can race one and still have time to hit your favorite brunch spot. We need to break it down the way that 5ks are broken out from Marathoning. If Ultras, and a particular brand of ultras, are the general public's only conception of triathlon, it will never achieve broad reach.

Good points on the images the word triathlon brings up. I guess with the olympics occurring only every 4 years, people may not often see the shorter distance event that's included in the summer games. I seem to recall an explosion of women signing up to play ice hockey after women's hockey was added as an olympic sport, and it didn't hurt that the US team won gold that year (1998). I wonder if USAT can somehow better capitalize on that. Thanks for responding!

---

To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive.

- what prompted you to try triathlon?
The guy I was dating told me/challenged me that I wouldn't do it. Not that I "couldn't", but that I "wouldn't". I grew up swimming competitively so what was typically the hardest part for the triathletes I knew, was the easiest part for me.

- why do you continue to participate?
It's insanely fun, and gives me a hobby where I can stay in shape.

- which distance event(s) do you like and why?
Half Iron is my favorite but I've done everything from mini-sprint to Ironman. The 70.3 distance (and above) requires me to train consistently for a number of months, while sprint and olympic are distances I could knock out without any specialized training. I like the effects of cumulative training, and knowing it will pay off on a specific date in the future.

- what, in your opinion, is/are reason(s) why other women don’t participate?
Laziness, dis-interest, fear of the unknown.

1. Triathlons appeared to be just as challenging as marathons and a good way to keep active.
2. I haven't done a triathlon in over a year due to work but will get back into it soon. I continued to stay involved because I like to move and keep the blood pumping.
3. Half iron is good because it is not as draining as any distance longer.
4. I think women do not partipicate because they are insecure, lazy, have lame excuses for everything and do not want to mess up the hair. Men are the same but women tend to be worse.
In talking to my girlfriends about fitness, many are afraid of the unknown and those who are overweight feel inferior to slender women like myself. They do not want to be the joke of the party yet they do nothing to lose weight or enhance their self esteem. Many of them are insecure and are unaware of it. I tell them if I can get my slow ass out on a bike to have fun, they can get their fat asses to do the same. I commend anyone no matter age, sex, size or weight who get out there to do their thing.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

- what prompted you to try triathlon?
In college I came across an add and it sounded like fun. I was looking for something active to do outside of school and work. I did my first race after a week of joining the club.

- why do you continue to participate?
It's hard to put into words but I just enjoy the sport. I like each discipline (though not all equally) and like to challenge myself physically. Training is now a part of who I am. I enjoy races not only to challenge myself and see how my training is going but also to meet and be around others who enjoy the same thing. I feel I'm a better person because of the sport.

- which distance event(s) do you like and why?
I prefer the half iron distance. It's short enough that I can do a few per year but long enough that I feel challenged. I have done all distances. I also like the iron distance races but won't be participating in one for a few years due to two small children (they don't really allow for recovery :) ). I find the Olympic race is good to work on my speed.

- what, in your opinion, is/are reason(s) why other women don’t participate?
I don't have a good answer or insight into this. I can say for me as a women with young kids, it's difficult to find time to fit in all the basic chores around the house, let alone exercise. I do my training when everyone is sleeping which means my sleep time is cut short.

Thank you for asking, rather than assuming!
Andee

Yeah, I hear ya about being able to knock out the shorter ones without intense training. That really is fun. I think fear of the unknown is why i do triathlons and not adventure races!

Thanks for your response, Andee! This might sound sad, but I was really excited the day it occurred to me that I could do both my laundry and my bike workout at the same time, if I stuck to the trainer and just hopped off to rotate loads. I'm always impressed by those who balance it and their family's too; I could not get by on less sleep, I'm just not that tough.