A Ramblin’ Rose triathlon participant once said, “You sign up alone, but finish as a family.” How true that is! Now in its eighth year, the Ramblin’ Rose Women’s Triathlon family continues to grow by the thousands each year. In addition to welcoming new triathletes to the Ramblin’ Rose family, we also welcome the husbands, sons, fathers, brothers, and other family and friends who come out to support their soon-to-be triathlete on race day. The signs, shirts, and cheers that an athlete’s support crew, like the 26-person-strong Team Eishia, bring to the race help define the magical moment of a Ramblin’ Rose woman becoming a triathlete. You can see Eishia and her entire team on pages 28 and 29 (yes, we needed two pages to show the whole team!). Beatrice Yaxley of Tamara Lackey Photography captured the amazing image, as well as all the other great Ramblin’ Rose images in this issue. Be sure to read the inspirational stories of the awesome women that Beatrice caught in our event-day photo booth.
In addition to all these amazing stories, we feature the stories of Terri Murphy and Hope Childress. Murphy participated in our Charlotte Ramblin’ Rose to celebrate five healthy years since her stroke. For Murphy, who had always been athletic and attended the University of Michigan on a gymnastics scholarship, it was her first triathlon. Not knowing whether she could actually do it was part of her motivation for signing up. Childress also participated in our Charlotte event, not necessarily to celebrate something, but as part of her continuing journey to lead a healthier life. Like many of us, Childress once found herself at a point in her life where she knew she wanted to change – and she did! Losing weight is just part of that story. Childress’ real story is the emotional battle she fought to start becoming the person she wanted to be.
We have some practical tips in this issue, too. Inside-Out Sports’ Melissa Bell and Carolyn Gentry offer some great suggestions in gear selection for women. Their message to women: Don’t overlook men’s gear for some of your triathlon needs. Bell and Gentry talk about their preferences on triathlon and cycling shorts, jerseys, bikes, and even bikes seats when choosing between men’s and women’s options. In fact, both admit to preferring men’s triathlon and cycling shorts over women’s. If you’re ready to buy some new gear for the upcoming triathlon season, be sure to read this article for some options you may not know you had!
For many, hitting the open road on a bicycle to train for your first triathlon can be a bit intimidating. However, once you learn to ride with a group you’ll not just enjoy training more, but also racing. Thomas Henson provides some excellent tips for helping you ride in a group with his article “How to Ride in a Paceline.”
In addition to these tips, we feature our monthly columns on food, training, recovery, and injury prevention. If you find yourself wanting even more training advice and gear recommendations, don’t worry: We also provide a great preview on the new Endurance Magazine Lifestyle Expo coming to Durham on Feb. 2. The Endurance Magazine Lifestyle Expo provides everything you need to prepare for the new season, including seminars and workshops focusing on training, nutrition, and injury prevention. The experts at this event will help you improve your swim stroke, bike fit, and running technique. Advice on preventing injuries and correcting muscle imbalances will help beginners complete their first triathlon and help more experienced triathletes stay healthy in the sport they love. Learn about competitive events for an early season test of your endurance, and don’t miss the vendor expo featuring race directors, certified coaches, local multisport clubs, and retailers and manufacturers of products, gear, and apparel.
