2,000 women expected at Naperville triathlon
Nearly three dozen women from across DuPage County, many of whom had never met, came together a while back with a common goal.
They were from many different walks of life, all sorts of different backgrounds, but they all shared the same dream.
They wanted to try their hands, and their feet, at a triathlon.
And when they arrived at Chicago’s Max Multisport Coaching, they all had their sights set on one race: the June 12 SheROX Naperville Triathlon.
“It’s certainly a lot of training,” said Lisa Rechkemmer, a Winfield woman who will be competing in her first triathlon. “But it’s been a lot of fun. I was really just looking for a new challenge.”
The Naperville SheROX Triathlon, formerly a part of the U.S. Women’s Triathlon Series, includes a .75K swim, a 22.8K bike ride and a 5K run. It begins at 7 a.m. Sunday at Centennial Beach, 500 W. Jackson Ave., and will test each of the competitors in different ways.
Some of the racers are veterans for whom the Naperville competition is a warm-up to more grueling events later in the season. But for a good number of the 2,000 women who will participate, this is their first or second experience at testing their physical limits in new and challenging ways.
“Whether it’s your first time at the event or it’s something you’re coming back to do year after year, it’s a really unique atmosphere and a really great bonding activity for women to come out and enjoy,” said Nicholas Lynch, the organizer of the event for Lifetime Fitness.
To prepare for race day, groups like Max Multisport Coaching, the only all women’s triathlon coaching association in the Chicago area and this year’s official training program of the Naperville SheROX race, offer skills clinics and group training sessions to increase the readiness of first-time triathletes.
“My mission as the business owner is really to help women develop self-confidence as well as get healthy and fit,” said Renee Schneidewind, president and owner of Max Multisport Coaching in Chicago. “And a triathlon is a great way to do that. It also builds great friendships and a lifestyle of fitness.”
The decade-old triathlon previously was sponsored through Capri Events and has been associated with Danskin, Subaru, and Reebok before Lifetime Fitness got involved, Lynch said.
As part of the event, SheROX offers a mentoring program to ensure “participants have a positive event experience, from the time they start training until they cross the finish line on race day,” according to the SheROX website.
“What we see is women of all age groups, literally from 18 up to 60 or greater, who all have this common thing in mind,” Schneidewind said.
Rechkemmer, 45, is one of the rookie triathletes training with Schneidewind and her staff in preparation for the race.
“I’ve been a lifelong athlete but hadn’t done anything competitive in years,” said Rechkemmer, a college athlete who played basketball, volleyball and softball. “I really wanted to get back to competition.”
A local physician, Rechkemmer says the biweekly large-group training sessions help her find time to exercise in her busy schedule and offer opportunities to bond with other participants.
“It’s a good-sized group and a lot of levels of athletes,” Rechkemmer said. “It’s a really big variety, but it really all works together and it’s great to have those times to look forward to.”
Although swimming may be the aspect many participants struggle with most, both the Max Multisport training group and the SheROX brand offer easy introductions for first-timers.
“It’s a great nonthreatening way to be introduced to the sport,” Lynch said.
The Naperville SheROX event is part of the international triathlon series based in Philadelphia, which includes nine events from July to November, and this year partners with the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.
Since its conception the organization and interest in the triathlon has grown exponentially.
“It’s just a whole women’s movement,” Lynch said. “You look at what’s happening in the half-marathon world where the female demographic has taken over participation.”
Walk-up entries are welcome at the Naperville event, Lynch said. Individual participants may register for the triathlon until race day at a cost of $85; relay teams will be charged $140.
In conjunction with the SheROX race, Lifetime Fitness also will host an Outdoor Expo from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 11, on the grounds of Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St. The expo will feature more than 30 vendors from national sponsors to local retailers.
Both Schneidewind and Lynch agree SheROX involves extensive collaboration among countless organizations, all concerned with improving women’s health and fitness.
“It’s a great synergy,” said Schneidewind of the collaboration between different organizations for the race. “It’s such a woman-focused event.”