Thread: Iron girl triathlon

This year, on August 21st 2011 at Centennial Park, Columbia, Maryland, USA we will see the 6th IRON GIRL COLUMBIA TRIATHLON.
This event goes from strength to strength gaining popularity across the globe as well as raising huge sums of money for a wide variety of charities.
Entry fee to the race is $250, with proceeds going to charities such as The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults, The Lance Armstrong Foundation, Challenged Athletes Foundation, Judy Flannery Memorial, The Arc, The War on ALS, Blossoms of Hope, Team in Training, The Womens Giving Circle, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Team Embrace, Johanna M Nicolay Melanoma Foundation.

Each competitor in the Iron girl triathlon will have to negotiate a 0.62mile swim followed by a staggering 17.5mile bike ride before ending with a 3.4mile run!

Each competitor will have there own reasons for entering. Many will be entering to raise money for there favourite charities whilst others may just be entering for there own personal enjoyment that this challenging race will bring to them. There are also many individuals that are raising funds for loved ones lost. Whatever the reason, it is a fantastic achievement to be on the starting line and an even bigger one to be on the finishing line!
Iron Girls mission has always been to encourage women into a healthier lifestyle whilst giving them the enjoyment to challenge themselves on a competitive platform.
Iron girl hosts 13 events nationwide that do attract alot of attention, understandably why.
Our board gmjbodybuilding.com may sound like it is aimed at just bodybuilders from the title and whilst back in the early 2000's that may have been true, today it is not.
gmj is a community that is built up of Sportsmen and women, some professional, others are amature, but we all do share the same passion for competition. Whether its board member Straad and his powerlifting, Lance and his mma, Monstadwarf and his pro bodybuilding, or Jenny and Mile with there triathlon training, there really is something for everyone here at gmj.
If you are training for the Iron Girl Triathlon then please register and join in the discussion on how your training is going, What are your personal reasons for entering the triathlon?
Our members here are always very willing to help out with diet and nutritional information, training ideas and much more and this information comes to you free for life!
Entering a triathlon such as the Columbia Iron Girl event requires alot of dedication and motivation and we are all here to help you to enjoy your journey which we hope you will share with us.

Triathlon Medal
triathloncolumbiamedal.jpg

Iron Girl Swimmers line up for the start of the race at the 2007 Iron Girl Event.
irongirlswimmers.jpg


To give you an idea of some of the achievements made, i have enclosed an article from the 2007 event which saw 2,300 women enter.
[COLOR=#cc0000]Columbia Celebrates Second Annual RYKA Iron Girl Triathlon[/COLOR]
[SIZE=2]By Jessica Weidensall[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]August 19, 2007[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Columbia, MD[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]For the Washington Running Report[/SIZE]


[SIZE=2][COLOR=#000000]This Sunday, 32-year-old Rebeccah Wassner of New York, NY, led a competitive field of professional and top age group athletes, to claim the title at the second annual RYKA Iron Girl Columbia Triathlon. The sold-out event took women, ranging in age from 12 years old to 77 years old, on a 1K swim, 30K bike and a 5K run through beautiful Centennial Park. The scenic, challenging course, located in Ellicott City, MD, bordered the community of Columbia and the surrounding farmlands of Howard County. Of the more than 2,300 women who registered, there were several athletes who stood out of the crowd with their inspirational stories. Among them were: [/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=2][COLOR=#000000]Melissa Mulreany (54) of Columbia, MD - In 2003 and 2004, Melissa spent most of her time undergoing and/or recovering from treatment for inflammatory breast cancer. Today, Melissa is staying healthy and active by participating in events such as today's triathlon. She crossed the finish line with a time of 2:50:12. [/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=2][COLOR=#000000]Maura Dunnigan (39) of Ellicott City, MD - Maura, a mother of five, created an event team to raise money for the female-focused local charity Women's Giving Circle. Dunnigan completed today's event with a time of 1:47:18. [/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=2][COLOR=#000000]Lori Adams (52) of Bethlehem, PA - Lori, one of the Assistant Editors of the popular Runner's World Magazine and an avid triathlete, finished first in her age group this morning with a time of 1:51:26. Nancy Lineman (32) of College Park, MD - Nancy's uncle was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and she participated in today's race in honor of him. Her goal was to raise $3,000 for the Ulman Cancer Fund, and so far she has raised the 2nd highest amount for UCF to date. Nancy finished today with a time of 2:19:35. [/COLOR][/SIZE]

[SIZE=2][COLOR=#cc0000]Top five [/COLOR][/SIZE]


1 Rebeccah Wassner 32 New York, NY 1:21:08 2 Pip Taylor 27 Lennox Head 1:22:55 3 Laurie Hug 42 Ambler, PA 1:29:32 4 Loren Smith 27 Hyndman, PA 1:30:45 5 Holie Kenney 35 Baltimore, MD 1:32:01


[SIZE=2][COLOR=#000000]In photo, Erica Rubenstein proudly celebrates her finish. [/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=2][COLOR=#000000]"Today we saw many great stories of determination, inspiration and dedication to a goal, as 2337 women registered for the event with the hope of becoming an "Iron Girl" at the end of their journey. The course was challenging and tested the women to their limits. I am proud of each and every participant who did not give up and worked so hard to accomplish the personal goal she set for herself," said Robert Vigorito, Event Director for the RYKA Iron Girl Columbia Triathlon. [/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=2][COLOR=#000000]The Iron Girl event experience provides women of all ages and fitness levels with a competitive platform and added amenities such as performance shirts sized just-for-women, ChampionChip timing, personalized race bibs, custom finisher medals, post-race giveaways, and much more. Iron Girl's charitable partner, the Ulman Cancer Fund, was on- site this morning offering information on racing to benefit young adults living with and recovering from cancer. The Iron Girl brand, with a mission of empowering women toward a healthy lifestyle, offers several distinct components to include an Interactive Web site and Team Iron Girl. The Web site offers resources such as training tips and nutrition information, while Team Iron Girl serves as an online community that gives women the opportunity to communicate and support one another through success stories, monthly newsletters and features on leading an active lifestyle. The latest addition, IronGirlShop.com offers a variety of nutrition/hydration items and jewelry from Iron Girl. [/COLOR][/SIZE]

[SIZE=2][COLOR=#cc0000]Photos Below[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[SIZE=2][COLOR=#000000][LIST=1][*]Molly Freitag (27) in the center shares the joy with fellow triathletes.[*]Britt McCormick (39) is 11th overall sharing the stage with two young admirers.[*]Soraya Veloso (32) enjoys the cycling stage of the triathlon.[*]Brianne Lawson (27) is one of the more than 1700 finishers.[/LIST][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[CENTER]


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[SIZE=2][COLOR=#000000]Editor's note: Among these triatheletes, were a number of the area's elite road racers, Kristen Didomenico (40), Judi Carbary (57), Laurie Dempsey (37), Janelle McIntyre (42), and top ranked grandmaster Alison Suckling.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

Have had a complete break from everything as suffered obsessional burnout. I've done lots of tri's ranging from sprint to ironman in the past, but should have come on to encourage earlier - just my head been wrecked. Even had to turn off television as no motivation at all. Today, I am too heavy to be a competitive triathlete and carry too may injuries. Finally got my shit together to go back to gym and do some low level mtb stuff. If anybody needs training help, will be happy to help - but we are all different. All I know is there's a lot of people who write books which are full of shit and charge a fortune for what they class as training plans. First things first. Get a bike that fits and build up slowly - 3 weeks forward, one week easy. Glad to be back anyway with a semi normal head!