225BatonRouge.com

Liz Harris is many things—a daughter, a wife, a mother, a law-school graduate—and now the 43-year-old mother of three can add triathlete to that list. Harris was one of 350 women who participated in the second Rocketchix Triathlon on July 28.

Created by triathletes Patrick Fellows and Susan Moss Hayden, Rocketchix facilitates physical fitness through race opportunities for women in Louisiana and throughout the Gulf Coast.

“The Gulf Coast leads the country in obesity,” Hayden says. “Pat has been targeting childhood obesity with his Rocketkidz races, and we wanted a way to reach the primary caregivers of children—the mothers. And it really became a way to empower these women.”

This year’s event began with swimming at the LSU Natatorium and continued with cycling and running through campus and along River Road. It was “girl power” at its finest as diverse women from all over the state stood side by side before the start of the race getting a last-minute pep talk from race organizers and referees. Along with their race numbers scribbled legibly on their arms in thick, black ink, participants had their ages written just as boldly on the backs of their legs, with 63-year-olds flanked by 19-year-olds. It was a badge of courage. They didn’t hide behind it. They wore it proudly—each and every one.

In their bathing suits and specially designed tri-suits, many racers had svelte physiques, lean and lithe—exactly what you would expect a triathlete to look like. But most were average women carrying a few extra pounds here and there. They were normal women—women you’d see running errands and driving their children to basketball practice.

Liz Harris (right) grew close to her training group as she prepared for her first triathlon. "These are my ladies, and their energy is infectious."

In fact, it was this diversity of age and body type that convinced Harris to think, “Hey, I can do this too.” A poster reading “From Sofa to Triathlete in 8 Weeks” hung at Woman’s Fitness Center where Harris works out. It was this poster that first enticed her to find out more by attending an informational meeting in February.

“Well, if that doesn’t get your attention, I don’t know what does,” Harris says. “As a middle-aged mom with two children in college, my baby in high school, I was very aware of where I was in my life stage. For this challenge to be thrown down, that I could be something more—a triathlete even. It was just enticing.”

At the meeting Harris saw women 10, 15, 20 years her senior, as well as “juniors” of all sizes. “There were women of size doing it, and I just felt at home there,” Harris says. “It was like a club. They were so supportive, telling us that we could do this.”

So on Feb. 26 she signed up, knowing her body would not be ready for the first Rocketchix race in April, but believing that come July, it would be.

In March, April and May, Harris continued exercising as she had before registering to compete: four to five days a week of aerobic class, yoga or walking with a couple of strength-training sessions.

“Gradually over time I shifted my training focus and intensity to items more tri-specific,” she says. “I attended the swim clinics offered by the Rocketchix partners and signed up for stroke lessons. I began to jog a little with my walk, and later to walk a little with my jog.”

In June she kicked her triathlon training into gear, focusing on the triathlon’s three key elements: swimming, cycling and running. Exercising five or six days a week, she logged approximately seven hours weekly, trying to hit each of the three disciplines twice throughout the week. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays she met with 14 other women for a tri-class led by Mandy Leach, a sports performance coach with CAP Elite. On Tuesdays and Thursdays she focused on a thorough strength-training program with her trainer Melissa Lambremont at Woman’s Fitness Center, who tailored the sessions to help Harris meet her triathlon goal of completion.

“While I still worked on all the major muscle groups, Melissa gave special attention to exercises that strengthened my core muscles and challenged my coordination and balance,” Harris says. “Core strength is helpful in all three events.”

On Saturdays, Harris often participated in group swim lessons offered by Nan Fontenot at Crawfish Aquatics, focusing on stroke technique, head position and breathing. And she did all of this while maintaining an active work and home schedule.

Over a cup of coffee weeks before the event, it was obvious that Harris was a little nervous, explaining that she had to remain focused on her training and that her goal at this stage was simply to complete the 350-meter swim, the 12-mile bike ride and the two-mile run.

At 7 a.m. the morning of the race, that nervousness had vanished and a very confident Liz Harris was up for the challenge. As Leach led her group through some stretching exercises and running drills, Harris and some of the other ladies shared a laugh, flexing their newly formed muscles and proving that no matter what your age, physical fitness and health are attainable goals.

“Her nervousness translates into excitement,” Leach explains. “I have no doubt she’s going to be at the top of her game today. She truly makes the most of everything she does.”

Leach gave the ladies one final pep talk before leading them off to queue up for the swim at 7:30 a.m. Her last reminders to her protégées were to take long strokes in the water, to keep moving and above all to have fun.

Harris dismissed her jitters and answered matter-of-factly when asked how she hoped to finish. “This is my first time, so I’m guaranteed a personal best,” she said, displaying the sunny optimism that seemed to influence everyone around her.

“I’m just so proud of everyone in my group,” she said. “Everybody has worked so hard. I knew none of these people when I started, and now they’re lifelong friends. We’re in this together. These are my ladies, and their energy is infectious. I love being around them.”

The second Rocketchix triathlon attracted hundreds of female competitors.

The race was under way by 7:30 a.m., and Harris was in the pool shortly after, emerging from the Natatorium just before 8 a.m., soaking wet with a huge grin taking over her face as she raced to her transition station to suit up for her bike ride. The second transition, from ride to run, went smoothly. Just before she crossed the finish line, her husband joined her, and the two crossed the line together. Her official time was one hour, 24 minutes and 8 seconds, putting her in fifth place out of 15 women in her age group. For a first-timer, Harris’ time was not only impressive among the women racers in her age group, it surpassed that of racers half her age.

“It’s not something you do overnight,” Harris says. “In our fast-food, quick weight-loss world, a triathlon is endurance, and it’s something that you take a long time to build up to. I love it. It’s really an excuse to exercise and eat healthy and take care of yourself for a long period of time. I’d be surprised if these habits I’ve created don’t stick with me.”

Hayden and Fellows have planned a Rocketchix Splash & Dash (swim and run) for Oct. 27. There will be a women-only category and an open category that includes men. “We’ve gotten a lot of response from the husbands,” Hayden says. “They want to do it too.” There is also a duathlon tentatively planned for February 2008.

“The process has been an incredible journey,” Harris says. “I am so grateful to Susan Hayden Moss and Patrick Fellows. Their passion for triathlon, volunteerism and joie de vivre is contagious and spreading. You should give it a try.”

rocketchix.com