Interview with Iron Girl's Sarah Frey

We’ve all heard of the Ironman but what the heck is an Iron GIRL? Hint: it’s not Tony Stark’s daughter in a third installment of the “Iron Man” movie series. It’s a series of increasingly popular races – from sprint triathlons to half marathons – with one goal: female empowerment.

            “The best part of an all-female triathlon is that a girl comes in first,” said Sarah Frey, the athlete services and marketing coordinator for Iron Girl. “If people were to get passed in the race, they are always being encouraged, even by the people who pass them.”

            Iron Girl was started in 2004 and had just two events. Since then, it has grown to 14 events all over the country – from California to Minnesota to Florida to New York. When asked about the rapid growth of Iron Girl, Frey attributed it to the overall positivity of the Iron Girl race experience.

            “There’s no intimidation factor here,” said Frey. “This is the kind of event that’s fun for everyone who does it. Even if a woman decides the sport isn’t for her, she has a good time at our race.”

            While it would seem that an event that fosters a good time rather than intense competition would be geared towards novice racers, Frey said that it is usually a 50/50 split between beginners and experienced triathletes. Experienced triathletes often use it as racing practice or to introduce their friends to the sport in a less competitive atmosphere.

            “Because it’s a premiere event, it is geared more towards beginners,” said Frey. “However, the experienced racers use it as a break in their season because, while it’s still a race, it doesn’t have that cutthroat atmosphere. The environment appeals to everyone.”

            Experienced athletes concerned about whether the atmosphere is competitive enough need not worry.

            “With athletes, whatever the level, there will always be elements of competition,” said Frey. She explains how it is different from co-ed races: at an Iron Girl event that she participated in, a woman passed her and said good luck. This woman went on to win the race. Frey said that the woman wasn’t trying any less hard than she would have in a co-ed race, but at Iron Girl, she took the time to wish her competitors well.

While Iron Girl appeals to all experience levels and ages, Frey said that is the 30-34 and 35-39 age groups that are the most popular, with the average age of participants at 34.

            “Triathlon is becoming a more popular sport,” said Frey. “Women are starting later.”

            When asked for one reason why a novice triathlete should pick an Iron Girl event for their first race, Frey laughed.

            “I can’t give you one reason, because it’s the whole package,” Frey said. “Iron Girl takes care of everything. It’s the perfect kind of event to start a triathlon career .”

            And it certainly seems like they do. Racers have a good deal to look forward to when they sign up for an Iron Girl race. Leading up to the race, participants receive “countdown emails” with advice for race preparation. Iron Girl also offers free seminars from coaches as well as coached sessions for a price. The race directors send a race guide which explains how every aspect of the race is going to work. The day before the race, there is a pre-race clinic which is open to all participants. There’s also an expo with gear, nutrition and clothing all for your training and racing needs. Post race, Iron Girl offers participants a catered breakfast. (Of course, all of this premiere treatment means a higher price tag – entry fees range from $85-105 – but it’s completely worth it.)

            Iron Girl also has a special group for cancer survivors called “Team Courage”. Women with cancer or in remission from cancer can fill out a form on the website to share their story. Iron Girl then gives these women a complimentary race entry as well as a special bib to show that they are part of the team. Their stories are then shared with other participants on race day.

            “What makes Team Courage different is that women can sign up year after year,” said Frey. “It’s not a one shot deal. We believe that these women are inspirational to others and that their stories should be told.”

            As for women just getting into triathlon, Frey isn’t short on advice.

            “Focus on your weakness,” said Frey. “It’s a hard thing to do, but it will make you feel far more comfortable on race day. Also, meet others locally to train. It’s 99% easier to show up for training sessions if you know other people are counting on you.”

            The future of Iron Girl looks bright. Although they don’t plan on lengthening the triathlons to a full length Ironman anytime soon, (“We tried Olympic distance a few years ago, but we didn’t see the growth,” said Frey. “It just isn’t as appealing as a sprint”), they are definitely expanding their reach. The August 7^th sprint triathlon in Syracuse sold out weeks ago. Living a healthy lifestyle is important for women, and participating in an Iron Girl event can provide exactly the right motivation to get started and stay focused.

For a race in your area, check out www.irongirl.org. (Sorry guys, it’s girls only! However, feel free to come support the lady in your life with a “My girlfriend/sister/mom/grandma is faster than your girlfriend/sister/mom/grandma” t-shirt.) If you have questions for Sarah, feel free to email her at sarah.frey@irongirl.com.

Next time, check back for tips on training on vacation, a review of your favorite products for quick energy, and the top ten myths of getting recruited to row in college.

Double Trouble: The Other "Princess of Poughkeepsie" Tackles the Jersey Shore

Double Trouble Triathlon: July 9, 2011

The boardwalk at Seaside Heights

There is usually one main factor that determines whether I can go to any specific race: is the race close to where I live or do I know someone that lives close to the race course? I signed up for this race in Seaside Heights, NJ because my friend, Marissa, lives about 25 minutes from the shore. Another thing that drew me to race was how different it was. The name of the race, Double Trouble, comes from the fact that triathletes had to do the course (.2 mile swim, 5 mile bike and 1.5 mile run) twice. I thought that was super cool and signed right up. Beaching with my bff and racing a different kind of triathlon seemed like a great way to spend the weekend.

I arrived at Marissa’s house on Friday to find that no one was home. After going for a quick bike ride around their lovely development, Marissa’s sister, Samantha, texted me instructions to get into their house. Unfortunately, I don’t follow directions well and didn’t turn their house alarm off all the way. That led to an extensive conversation with the nice lady at the alarm company where I did my best to convince her I was not actually a criminal and she didn’t need to send the police. Whoops!

Marissa and I then drove to pick up my packet in the pouring rain. I think there is something about me driving to a race that makes it rain…it has happened every single race this summer! I was race #13, which meant that I was placed in a rack closest to the run/swim entrance/exit of transition. This was good because it would give me a few seconds advantage when I was transitioning from the first run to my second swim. 

Pre-race deliciousness made by Marissa's mom: penne w/ veggies, salad and garlic bread

Marissa and I woke up at 4:45 in order to get ready and drive 45 minutes to Seaside Heights, most (in)famously known as the setting of the MTV reality TV show, Jersey Shore. The race started at 6:45 a.m. There were some pre-race explanations of the course, which was I thought was fairly straightforward.

Setting up transition

Swim start!

The swim start was a running start into the ocean. We had to swim out to one buoy, then parallel with shore to another buoy, then swim to shore and run out to transition. I had never done a race swim in an ocean before and the first swim was definitely a little nerve wracking. The waves weren’t huge, probably four feet high, but for someone used to swimming in a pool by myself, they seemed huge. I was lucky to get a good spot at the front of the pack and ran quickly enough to the ocean so that I wasn’t super crowded. Like all races, the turns around the buoy were crowded, but I was ready for that. Even though the swim did not feel as strong as my swims normally feel, I came out of the water ahead of a large number of women and a majority of the men. 

Running to the water

At least we scared away all the sharks....

Exit from swim #1

The race directors had nicely placed a kiddie pool in between the boardwalk and transition so that swimmers running from the beach could jump in and wash their feet off. I thought this was awesome because I was that five-year-old who threw fits when sand got in my shoes. I ditched my swim cap, threw on my helmet, sunglasses and bike shoes and ran with the bike out of transition.

Bike #1

Biking is by far my worst leg of the triathlon. I am still getting over my fear of biking on the same road as cars so I only bike in the morning, which usually conflicts with rowing. Needless to say, biking doesn’t happen nearly as much as it should for me. But five miles, even at race pace, is not impossible. My cardio was completely fine, it was just my legs that hurt a lot. I got passed by a few women and a lot of men on the bike. The bike course was a completely flat out and back. It was cool to ride along the beach and the view was a nice distraction from my screaming leg muscles.

T2: Bike to Run

As I pulled into transition, I heard someone else cheering for me. My old roommate, Jamie, had driven all the way from Cape May to Seaside to watch my race! Between her and Marissa, I felt like I had my own fan club. Having someone cheering for me really means so much to me, and I think it’s something that, as a member of a very supportive team, I almost took for granted. 

Heading out of T2 with my cap and goggles

As I transitioned from the bike to the run, I had a sudden idea: I grabbed my swim cap and goggles and shoved them in my tank top. The race director had said that people had to come back to transition in between the run and the second swim, but if I ran into transition with my cap already on, I could save some time. 

The run course start

My temptation...could I resist??

The run took place on the boardwalk, so I got to pass many of the Jersey Shore (the TV Show) landmarks. There was the Shore Store, where the cast worked in Season 1. There was the beach where Snooki got arrested for public intoxication. There were the rides where my boss at Hudson Valley Magazine director saw Snooki and Deena go on the dizzy swings…three times in a row. And then there were TWO Dunkin’ Donuts. Since the run was an out and back, I passed each Dunkin’ twice. And since I did the run twice, I passed coffee a total of EIGHT times without getting any. I almost contemplated DNF-ing so that I could enjoy my favorite, medium iced coffee with milk and sugar, but sheer willpower (and the thought of bagels at the finish line) kept me going.

I ran into transition from the run with my swim cap on my head, kicked off my sneakers and ran out. The run to the water was probably about 150 meters and involved climbing up and down some slippery stairs to the boardwalk and back down to the beach. I thought the volunteers here did a really good job of telling people to slow down, especially since triathletes will try to cut time any way possible. We must be a frustrating group to keep safe. 

Exit from swim #2

My second swim was uneventful, and it was nice to give my legs a little break. The waves were definitely bigger at this point. It was a little nerve wracking to not even be able to see the buoys at some points, but I knew that swimming was my strongest leg and I was never in any kind of danger (except from inhaling seaweed, perhaps). The coolest part of the swim was that, once I was headed into shore, I used the waves to my advantage and body surfed my way in. 

T4: swim to bike

Heading out of transition to the bike mount area

Going back to the bike was hard, as my legs definitely did not want to cooperate. But I knew it was time to “drop the hammer” and try to make up some time. Doing the course the second time around was nice because I remembered some of the landmarks, which made it mentally easier. After all, it was only five miles.

Running out of T5

  

Run #2...almost there

 My second run was similar. Once I got on the course, I knew I had less than 12 minutes of racing left. At that point, there were tourists as well as people from the other race, Everybody Tris, on the course so it was a little harder to navigate. As soon as I passed the run turnaround, I was passed by a guy who had been tailing me for a little while. I decided that I needed to hang with him, so I picked up the pace and ran with him. He would pull away, and then I would pull back. About .2 away from the finish, he really picked it up but he couldn’t shake me yet. I sprinted my heart out and we crossed the finish within a second of each other. In other sports, a competitor might be upset that I used his pace to help myself, but we high-fived and congratulated each other as soon as we crossed the line. 

All smiles as it's finally over

Posing at the finish line with my medal

Marissa and Jamie were waiting for a sweaty hug at the finish line. We grabbed some bagels and bananas and waited for the awards to start. I think my only complaint about this race was with the awards. The race director basically just guessed who had placed Top 5, and most of those people had already left the venue. At that time, I wasn’t sure how I had placed and I would have been a bit upset if I had placed and hadn’t gotten recognized. However, I was 6^thoverall (and 1^st in my age group) so no complaints here. And after I had gotten changed and Marissa and I were ready to hit the beach, I thanked the race director for a great event and he invited us for beers….at 8:30 a.m. Completely understandable, since he and his crew had probably been up since 3 a.m. setting up. 

Taking apart my transition area with Jamie's help

Overall I thought this was a really good race. The course was well marked and the volunteers were well trained, so I felt safe the entire time. The course was in a neat town. It was fast course and beautifully flat. The concept of doing the course twice was really interesting and I think it played to my strengths. Even though everyone in charge kept saying that it was a low-budget operation and a first year event, it didn’t feel like it was lacking anything. I thought they did a very good job and I would definitely recommend this to someone who is looking for a different kind of race or looking to turn a race weekend into a vacation weekend too. After the race, I spent the day on the beach getting rid of my unisuit tan! What’s not to love?

Post race snack...and I finally got my ice coffee!

Post race and beach meal....pizza at Pete and Elda's

Marissa's cat, Tigerlily, watching me write my race report the morning after the race

 

I’d like to thank Marissa and her family for giving me a place to sleep and food to eat for two days and, along with Jamie, their moral support and enthusiasm about my racing. A race is way more fun when you have a cheering section, and Marissa and Jamie have been to three of the four triathlons in my triathlon career. That is dedication on their part and I really, really appreciate it.

Coming soon: video from Putnam Tri’n’Du, interviews with race directors of the SheRox, IronGirl and Danskin triathlon series, and my race report from the Hudson Valley Triathlon in Kingston! Don't hesitate to email or comment with any questions, suggestions or problems! Happy racing!

Updates!

Hello readers,

I'd like to thank everyone who has been reading my blog. In the first month of its life, Training in Transition has had over 1,000 page views! Although I'm sure about 500 of those are probably my mom, thanks to everyone else too. (Love you, Mom).

Unfortunately I have had some technical difficulties getting up my race report from the Double Trouble triathlon, so to keep you all from getting impatient, I do have some other cool updates for the future of the blog.

Coming soon I will have a series of interviews with members of the staff from the IronGirl, TrekWomen,and SheRox triathlon series about the growth of all-female triathlons and what that means for the sport.

To wrap up the summer, look for race reports from Double Trouble and the Hudson Valley Triathlon, in Kingston, NY. I will also have articles about training on vacation and the issues that come with conflicts between training and the college lifestyle.

Also, Hudson Valley-ites, I had my first article (about the new hospital in Orange County) published in the August issue of Hudson Valley Magazine! Look for that on newsstands soon.

This Saturday, I will be at City of Water Day in Liberty State Park, helping coordinate kayak tours. Then on Sunday I will be volunteering for Bikeway at the Putnam Tri'n'Du in Carmel, NY. Come say hi! (I'll be the blonde one bouncing around enthusiastically).

Don't hesitate to let me know what you think! If you're too shy to comment, feel free to email me large amounts of praise.(I suppose suggestions, problems and constructive criticisms are also welcome...anything to improve!).

Thanks for all your support!

Tory

Independence Day Regatta: Fireworks and Rowing, Now That's Patriotism

July 1-3: Independence Day Regatta

Independence Day Regatta is one of the biggest summer regattas and despite eight years in the sport, I had actually never been before. Although I was signed up for a triathlon that day, I asked to defer my registration fee so that I could attend IDR.

Because the classification rules for the Schuylkill Navy are different from the rules for US Rowing, I had to row in the intermediate instead of novice single. This meant that I had to race my first 2k in the single. My heat was at 5:18pm on Friday so I left for Philly in the morning after de-rigging, packing up and washing my boat. After a little traffic and about five bathroom stops, I made it to Philly around 1pm. This left a good amount of time for rigging, socializing and a quick nap under a tree. 

 One of the things about rowing the single that is still taking some getting used to is how much it is all about you. This seems obvious to anyone who knows about rowing but I don’t think that I realized what it was really like until I started racing by myself. When rowing for a team, there’s always someone to launch you or carry your oars or travel with you or check your equipment or high-five you on the dock. When rowing an unaffiliated single, you need to be able handle everything yourself. As much as I really enjoy rowing the single, that is the one thing that makes it very different. Rowing by myself is very enjoyable, it’s doing everything else alone that threw me for a loop at first.

My race in the heat was not the greatest. Since there were 21 boats in the Intermediate 1x category, three boats in each of the four heats moved on to semis. I was in Lane 1, and had been warned about the turn. However, I still took it badly. I ended up with my starboard oars on the buoy line instead of my port oars, the way I was supposed to and actually ended up off the course before the marshal waved me back on. I definitely lost some time because of that. Fortunately for me, I got lucky with a slower heat and qualified anyway. A lot of that race was a learning experience for me. I was trying to learn how to handle the length of a 2k in a single and couldn’t really think about anything other than crossing the finish line with a place good enough to qualify. I finished third and got to move onto the semis, on Sunday morning.

Dinner on Friday was spaghetti and meatballs at Angellino's

Friday night I stayed with a friend of Sean’s old roommate and Marist crew alumnus, Andrew, who lives in Philly with his fiancée and Penn AC junior team coach, Rebecca.  Andrew’s friend, Steph, used to compete in Ironman races so one of the highlights of my stay with her was getting to see real Ironman medals. The other highlights were her two dogs, Tracker and Betty. I spent most of my stay with her playing with my new furry friends.

Breakfast was a cinnamon raisin bagel on Saturday morning at RyBread 

Since I had all of Saturday to hang out and not race, I got to see a good deal of the city of Philly as well as a lot more racing. I think that most of the people who were rowing for a team rowed in multiple events, something I did not envy on such a hot day. On Saturday night, I stayed with my parents, who had come to see me race.  That night, we saw an amazing display of fireworks from the hotel window. Philly definitely goes all out to celebrate 4^th of July: these fireworks were awesome.

Video of Sean's heat, taken by Andrew from his bike

My friend from high school, Andy, walked onto the Bucknell Men's Crew team and is rowing for NYAC this summer. For more video from Saturday's races, click here.

Chicken and whole wheat penne with pesto at Maggiano's with my parents

On Sunday, I was happy to race in the morning. I think that one of the reasons my race in my heat was so bad was because I was exhausted from traveling and spending a day in the heat. Obviously, a good rower should be ready to race in any conditions, so that’s no excuse for a bad race. Needless to say, on Sunday I was glad to be racing at a time where I felt I was strongest.

My race was at 8:36 a.m., but things were a little behind so I didn’t actually end up lining up until 9ish. Everyone in the warm up area was a little tense, but we all got some laughs when the girl from St. Catherine’s (Canada) asked “Do you think they’re behind, eh?” It seems weird to be friendly with your competitors before racing, but the best rower is going to win anyway, not the nicest (or meanest) person.

On this race course, the start is staggered because of the turn. Because I was in Lane 1, it seemed like I started ahead of everyone, though things were evened once we went through the bridge. Despite this false sense of being ahead, I felt that my start was very strong, as were my first power strokes. A couple of the girls shot off the line but I was able to hang with the main pack for about 600 meters. I made a middle move of 15 strokes at the St. Joe’s boathouse, where I could hear my mum cheering for me. (One of the best things about not having a coxswain is that you can actually hear the spectators!) At that point, all the rowers but one were ahead of me. Through the 3^rd 500, I tried to focus on lengthening out my stroke and relaxing my hands, two things I had worked on in practice.

Photos taken by the paparazzi, aka my mother

Once I hit the island, I knew that I probably didn’t have a chance of qualifying but I was going to sprint anyway. I wanted to show the people in the grandstand that I wasn’t completely defeated. I took the hardest power 25 that I think I’ve ever taken in my life before I heard the buzzer signaling that I had crossed the line…in 5^th place. I hadn’t qualified, but I was very happy with my race. Throughout the weekend, I had successfully doubled my racing experience in the single. I had also learned from my mistakes in the heat and had a better semi because of that. Despite reservations earlier in the weekend about whether giving up my spot in the triathlon was the right thing to do, I am very glad I went to IDR instead. 

Results of the races can be found here. 

Rowing back to the dock

Another thing that I liked about the race was that the organizers sent a survey afterwards. This showed me that they really cared about making it a good race for everyone. Even though it’s been around since 1880, they are still working to improve it and that impressed me. I also met the race organizer, Clete, who was very friendly and genuinely cared about my racing experience. The only thing that I wish had been different was the time between heats, semis, and finals. Having 36 hours between heats and semis, and then less than 2 hours between semis and finals seems uneven to me. But since I didn't actually make finals, I was unaffected.

 

Intermediate Women's 1x Final on Sunday morning....wish I had been in the race, but it was exciting to watch too

Thanks to my parents, for coming to watch me race, to Steph, for giving me a place to stay, to Andrew, for cheering loudly, and to Mulvey and Sean, for their amazing ability to keep my ego in check while still giving me moral support.

Check back next week for updates on my first triathlon of the season!