Women-Only Triathlons: Why We Like Them

By Tara R. McKee

Maggie Sullivan has been called the “Grande Dame of Women’s Triathlons”. She has been at the forefront of women-only triathlons since the very start when she took on and built the Danskin Triathlon series beginning in 1990. Now at the helm of  the aptly named “Xxtra-Mile,” she produces both the Danskin Triathlon Series and the Trek Women Triathlon series. Back in the early days of Danskin Triathlons, the triathlons often had several pro-level women triathletes, but the intent is now firmly on making the sport accessible to women across America.  The distance for both series is  doable, yet challenging: a sprint distance consisting of a half mile swim (.75K), a 12.5 bicycle ride (20K) followed by the 3.1 mile run/walk (5K.)

Maggie Sullivan, director of both theDanskin & Trek Women Triathlon Series

The two series are slightly different in feel, even as there are subtle differences between the events from city-to-city. But the basic intent of the 15 women’s triathlons is to make the sport accessible to women across America, and it is a bit slanted toward the novice.  The age group is a broad one with women who are between the ages of 14-87. The diversity of the participants doesn’t stop there as Maggie points out:   “There are women who have competed in sporting events, women who have never done anything competitive, gals who work out 5 days a week in the gym, as well as gals who have never been in a gym.”

Maggie is often asked, what is it  that brings so many women from so many backgrounds to these races? Do they really want to be athletes?  The participants often voice the reasons they are there lined up at the start line of these triathlons: “It’s about doing something that will improve me;  I want to do something that’s going to be good for me. I want to do something that is going to challenge me and push the boundaries that I may have put on what I can do in my own life.  I want to do something with my friends;  I want to do something with my sisters, with my mom.”

As Maggie sees it, doing a triathlon for so many women goes way beyond the sport.  It becomes something so much more, it is something they once thought they could never do, and now they are doing it. They feel the support of these well-organized triathlons. They know they have the support they need to complete it safely and they will not be left behind, in fact, they will finish! The Danskin/Trek series has learned to offer that type of environment and they don’t differentiate unless they know one participant’s skills aren’t as sharp as the others, in which case they will keep an eye on you. They want it to be a positive experience for everyone.

Over the years she has noted some distinct differences between women’s triathlons and men’s triathlons. In a co-ed race, people will sometimes jump right over another racer during the start of the swim portion and sink them. In the women’s tri series it is common for others to stop and ask, “Are you ok?” Women will often stop to help another change her tire or that type of thing. Maggie adds, “It sounds cliché, but it’s not, when we say that ‘finishing is winning.’ Women are often competitive with themselves, but they are not at the expense of another person who might need a leg up or a hand extended to them. It’s truly remarkable to see!”

Sally Edwards starts the triathletes

Sally Edwards, who is one of the pioneers in the sport of Olympic triathlons and has written many books on triathlons, is now the “Chief Inspirational Officer for the Trek woman Triathlon Series.  She is there to offer her inspiration, expertise and motivation to help all women finish.  During the weekend of Trek Women Triathlon, she will often ask, “How many of you think you might be last to cross the finish line?”

That kind of heart is in both series; the mission is to support women and try to make a difference as they do it with an active lifestyle. They offer support from the beginning with training seminars taught by Sally Edwards, held in the host city several weeks in advance of the triathlon itself. Barriers are broken not only for novices of all types, but for those to who could really use the uplift. Last year, they had a category for women who had lost their jobs in the past year. Maggie’s reasoning was that women who have lost their jobs already have one problem on their hands and they shouldn’t have to choose between doing something that would be very good for them mentally and emotionally and the lack of money. So the entry fee was waived for these women who made up 10% of the entries for each triathlon.

Over the years, the Danskin series was associated with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and now are partnered with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. As Sally and Maggie considered what could make a real difference in the lives of women dealing with cancer, they were in the right place at the right time to help launch the Team Survivor program in 1995 as an offshoot of the Danskin Women’s series. Team Survivor was for women of any age and fitness levels who were in cancer treatment or recovery. It gave them a program and team of their own to train with as they prepared for the triathlon. Team Survivor is open to women who have been diagnosed with any type of cancer and age range from the older woman who has been in remission for two decades to the 28-year old going through it now. Both of the triathlon series have special divisions for Team Survivor members and they often start the race together and support each other the whole way along the course.

As I concluded the interview with Maggie Sullivan, I couldn’t help but feel there is a whole other aspect at the heart of triathlons when they are designed especially for women. The atmosphere is supportive; there is more of a feeling of sisterhood rather than competitiveness. When you know what it feels to cross the finish line after completing your first triathlon, and you have felt that sense of achievement from completing a physical challenge, you want to share that with others. I have seen women finish triathlons and then run back to give support to those who are still on the course. If you take a photo of women at the end as they cross the finish line, exhausted, but exuberant, you have the gist of the reason that Maggie Sullivan continues to enthusiastically do the women’s triathlon series year after year in cities across the US.

We recently completed our list of Women’s Only Triathlons across the USA, including the Trek Women/Danskin Triathlon series. To visit our page, click here and find one to “TRI” near you!