Meet the Wonder Women of Annapolis

On a recent Sunday morning, about 15 women showed up bright and early, many of them with coffee cups in hand, as they prepared to embark on a 26-mile bike-ride.  But these women weren't scared off by the distance or by their snooze buttons- they're "Wonder Women."

The women are part of a triatholon training program offered by the City of Annapolis Recreation and Parks Department (ARPD). The program has been offered since January 2009. It was conceptualized by Jennifer Bistrack, ARPR Health & Aquatics Coordinator, and Andrea Williams, one of two coaches who now leads the program.

The class ranges from beginners to the advanced, but most of the women who participate in the program end up completing a triathlon at some point after the program. Despite the varying levels of  expertise, the women all stood together before the ride, offering support and advice.

Sarah Perry, has now done seven triathlons and signed up for eight next year. Perry said the program is a great way to meet other people and fine-tune her skills.

"I had already done 2 (triathlons) when I decided to join the group just for some camaraderie because it gets kind of, I don't wanna say lonely, but a little tedious when you're doing all your workouts by yourself," Perry said.

Laura Ferry is a newcomer to the group. She was out on Sunday for her third ride. Ferry said doing a triathlon has always been on her wish list but she hasn't decided yet if and when she will do one.

Coach Kate Grove, who was leading the ride that morning, said the women rally together and give each other the support they need.

"These are goals that they've had maybe in the back of their head and had seemed like there was no way they could do that. I had one woman say a year before she did her first one 'there's no way I'd ever do a triathlon.' Well she's doing them now. And she came into the class wanting to do that and trained for it," Grove said.

Grove said seeing these women complete their goals is inspiring.

"And you see that, eyes wide-open at the end of these races like 'wow, I just did that. I am a triathlete,' and that is a neat thing..it's almost like a badge of courage. You walk around with that."

Coach Andrea Williams said it's exciting to see how it changes the womens' self-esteem and empowers them.

"I love it when women tell me that they never saw themselves as athletes before and now they see themselves as athletes," Williams said.

The program runs year-round, but changes depending on the training season. This fall it is focused entirely on outdoor riding. They meet at a different location each week before doing a long-distance bike ride.

Grove says the women in the program inspire her, and often surprise themselves.