Ramblin’ Rose!

The Triangle Ramblin’ Rose Triathlon was last week, and we’re just now seeing all the photographs from it – what a blast this was!! It was put on by Endurance Magazine, my all-time favorite magazine – nothing at all to do with the fact that my hubby’s the publisher 🙂 – but this women’s-only sprint triathlon is in its second year and is such an incredibly inspirational event. There was also a great race in Charlotte – both of these races sold out months in advance. I raced it this year again, and my very favorite part is watching everyone else finish – such emotion and pride in so many women, and it’s such a friendly & supportive course. Where else do you pass a racer and hear them yell out, “I love your skort!!” ??? If you are a) a woman and b) ever interested in racing a triathlon, it’s by far the best first-time event that I know of – this year was comprised of 50% first-timers, and there were a lot of Big Smiles at the finish! Thanks to Courtney for taking these photographs! Wonderful support from all the kids…

Courtney grabbed this fun shot of me finishing the race with my daughter 🙂 🙂 🙂

This was an incredible ending to the race. The final finisher – or, as she called herself, “The Last Rambler” – finished so strong, with the entire crew of volunteers flanking her to a truly glorious finish. As my friends and I watched them pass by whooping & hollering, we looked at each other and had to laugh – we both had tears in our eyes. It is just so inspiring to be around 500 women who have spent months training, putting themselves out there despite all the demands on their time and however unsure they might feel about competing – and then swimming, biking, and running their way to that finish line.