Wonder Women Elite Athletes

by Khem Suthiwan

On Wednesday, August 17th, 50 women gathered at Holidaily Brewery in Golden, CO to hear from the best local amateurs across mountain biking, ultimate frisbee, ultra running, running, and triathlon disciplines.  Panelists included “Queen of the Uphill” Kim Dobson (who recently won the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon, re-setting her Ascent record), Junko Kasukawa who just completed the UTMB 170K ultra run in Mont Blanc, Molly Smith, who took second overall female, at the Ironman Steelhead 70.3, Ashley Morgan, set to compete in the US Nationals Frisbee competition, and Heidi Rentz who took second overall female at the Gold Rush 50 mile bike rally in Boulder this past weekend.  The panel was moderated by Boulder local Katy Blakemore Evans who is a pro triathlete and full time teacher.

Asian-inspired bowls were served by Boulder-based The Cyclists Menu and gluten-free beer brewed by Holidaily.  Over $1,600 was raised benefiting World Bicycle Relief.  This amount equates to 10+ bikes for the organization to build and give to men, women and children.

The event was inspired by the notion of women supporting women – who are training and racing everyday amidst the hustle and bustle of a full time job, family, motherhood.  The panelists shared advice around how they maintain balance, get the training in, and what equality means and feels like in their sports. Many of the women agreed that training with men is motivational and often allows them to focus on the training vs. the egos that sometimes come into play when women train together.  Cutoff times for ultra marathons were discussed – they are identical male/female – is that fair?   The question of “what is healthy” came up.  Themes that emerged were balance across all aspects of ones life – and a realization that over time, as an athlete’s journey progresses, the notion of “healthy” shifts.  Finally the question was asked “what would you tell a younger version of yourself just getting into your athletic lives?”  A common theme was the notion of being true to oneself, pursuing your dreams, and daring yourself to go big.

Raffle prizes were provided by Runners Roost, Tribella Multisport, Rudy Project, Blueseventy.

This is the first annual Wonder Women event.

For more information about World Bicycle Relief, visit WorldBicycleRelief.org.