No woman left behind

Females of all ages put themselves to the test in the Na Wahine Triathlon

One year ago, Donna Brock smoked a pack of cigarettes a day and couldn't run a mile without stopping. "I had always worked out but never could push myself because of that addiction," she said. "You can't run five miles and smoke a pack a day."

Na Wahine Sprint Triathlon When: 6:30 a.m. Sept. 17 Where: Kapiolani Park Try Fitness: 946-0346 www.tryfitnesshawaii.com

Full-time work and parenting her 12-year-old daughter, Karlee, alone made the situation even more daunting. She never thought her desire to complete a triathlon would ever come to fruition.

But now the 48-year-old feels confident about her ability to join more than 200 other women, ages 14 to 75, in the eighth annual Na Wahine Sprint Triathlon next Sunday at Kapiolani Park, where they will swim 500 meters, bike 12 miles and run 3.1 miles in an event that symbolizes much more than an athletic endeavor to many of them.

After smoking for 30 years and struggling for the last 12 to quit, Brock visited a hypnotist and finally was able to stop. "My daughter is so proud of me," Brock said. "She hated it."

To celebrate one year without nicotine, she decided to commit herself to finishing a triathlon, and joined KC Carlberg's Try Fitness triathlon clinic to prepare. "When I started this, I said to Karlee, 'I need you to support me. This is for me.'" Karlee did that -- and more. She even plans to volunteer at an aid station and cheer for her mom during the race.

This undertaking has meant asking for help from friends, who often take the seventh-grader out to dinner while Brock is training with Carlberg's group two nights a week. "As women -- and as single women -- we don't want to ask. We don't want to impose. We want to do it ourselves."

Realizing she couldn't do it alone wasn't easy -- for either one of them. Talking about Karlee makes Brock's voice catch with emotion. "This is such a commitment. When I come to the finish line and she's there, that's going to make all the difference."

Despite the challenges, Brock feels she's setting a good example for her daughter. "As women we are always the caretakers of everyone," she said. "For the first time, Mom is really being selfish. She's doing something for herself." This has helped Brock remain calm and clear in other areas in her life, both as a mother and in her work managing catastrophic personal injuries as a technical specialist for First Insurance.

Along the way, her experience in the water has been the most difficult. "I'm totally petrified about the swim," Brock said. During one of her earlier experiences, she said, "I really thought I was going to drown."

But Carlberg told her, "If you're going to get better, you're going to have to do the work. You can do this." Brock said she never believed Carlberg -- until now. After a series of swim lessons, Brock knows she will get through the first leg of the triathlon in good order.

The support from other women, especially those in the group, has also helped. "It's so cool," Brock said. "There's always a kind word. The whole focus is on helping each other, and it's so powerful."

THIS is the reason Carlberg started the women-only event in 1999 and continues to train about 300 women each year in her cycling, triathlon and fitness clinics. It's obvious she values the last-place finisher just as much as the woman who wins.

"I believe it's important to celebrate everybody's success," Carlberg said. This means stopping the awards ceremony and asking everyone in attendance to stand and cheer for the final finisher, a gesture that brings tears to the eyes of some. "I think there's a need for women to be in an environment where they feel safe and supported," Carlberg said. "Sometimes there lurks inside a lot of women the desire to challenge themselves, but there's also a lot of fear and lack of confidence."

Fashion designer Anne Namba understands. "I think when you add that male element to it, it gets uncomfortable sometimes," said Namba, 50, who completed her first women's triathlon last year. "When you're not looking good or wearing the most flattering clothes, it can be a little inhibiting. My biggest fear when I first started was to put on Spandex in public," she laughed.

But after she surveyed the triathlon training scene -- in a silk dress of her own design -- her concerns faded away. "When I saw different women of all ages and all sizes wearing all types of clothing, I thought, 'Oh, I can do that.'"

Though her busy schedule traveling to fashion shows on the mainland prevented her from training for this year's race, she has managed to continue a fitness routine nonetheless. To follow up on her positive experience last year, she plans to volunteer at next week's event.

"There's a different element in an all-women's race that's particularly helpful to beginners," said Keala Peters, regional marketing manager at Niketown, which has supported the Na Wahine Sprint Triathlon since its inception. "The sport of triathlon can be really intimidating, but once they try one -- particularly a sprint distance in an all-women's field -- they feel more comfortable" and hopefully are more compelled to pursue some level of fitness on their own.

At the end of the day, something has to go, said Peters, also the mother of two young children. And "too often, it's the physical." This is typical for women, who tend to prioritize everything else above their own needs.

This was exactly what Kim Weidie was trying to change when she enrolled in Carlberg's training group. Her husband recently retired from the military and is entering the civilian work force, and her son started his freshman year in high school. But most important, Weidie turned 50 last Monday, and completing a triathlon is exactly how she wanted to mark what she considers a major transition in her life.

"I'm not a jock; I'm not an athletic person," Weidie said. "(Training for this race) has been a huge thing for me."

Initially, she said she felt intimidated because she was among the oldest participants and felt like she "was not good at anything." She couldn't swim the strokes properly, struggled to run and didn't know how to change gears on her bicycle.

But Carlberg quickly changed all of that. "I wasn't ever discouraged because the way she does the training is fabulous," said Weidie, who was honored as the most improved athlete in Carlberg's group. "She makes you feel like you can do it, like no matter what, you're all going to be able to accomplish this."

Her husband of 18 years has helped tremendously, Weidie said. "He's my biggest cheerleader. I could cry just thinking about it."

The results have stretched beyond the physical pursuit. Weidie said she's not as stressed or irritable -- about anything. She's cleaned out closets and eliminated clutter. After working most of the last 14 years as a stay-at-home mom, Weidie recently earned her real estate license and is starting her own business. While she had hoped to drop more weight than the six pounds that have disappeared so far, she realizes that strength is a more noble objective.

"My body has definitely reshaped herself," she said. "I have more self-confidence. I feel empowered. I feel completely challenged, totally out of my comfort zone. I'm rolling into age 50, going 'woo hoo!'"

Added Brock, "It's pretty amazing to see how strong we've all become. Now, no woman will be left behind."