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TMJ4 STUDIO- Ladies do you want to train for a triathlon? If so you can get involved this weekend. Jill Sommers the trainer for Team Danskin spoke about the kickoff event taking place this weekend. Here is the press release organizers sent to us about the event: Some people have trouble doing two things at the same time, walking and chewing gum just for example. But approximately 100 women in the Milwaukee North Shore area are taking time to do three things at once – swimming, biking, running – and are having a great time while they do it. They are part of the Team Danskin® Training program that provides a supportive and challenging setting for them to learn the skills necessary to start and finish the Danskin® Women’s Triathlon Series in Pleasant Prairie, WI on Sunday, July 8th. What drives these women to participate in this eight-week program? Most have never considered doing a triathlon. Knowing they train with other women who are also doing this for the first time makes it possible and achievable. Some are looking to jump start a fitness program, while others may be looking for a challenge. Whatever the initial reason, ALL of these women like the idea of training with a group of like-minded women for a common goal. Coach Jill says, “The Danskin® Triathlon is a race for ALL women and the training is the perfect avenue for all women to prepare for this race. Women of every shape, size, ability level, age, race, and occupation come together to reach for their goals. For some the goal is to create time in their busy schedules to train, reaching new fitness heights. For some the goal is to do better than their race time from last year. For some the goal is to simply finish the race. But what inevitably happens to many of the participants throughout the eight-week training program is that the women find their inner athlete which does not only define their athletic ability but it also branches into every other aspect of their lives where they have to dig down deep to realize all they are truly capable of achieving. I have always said, "It's not about the race" and this training program has proven that over and over again." Many past participants have started Team Danskin® Training doubting their ability to actually complete the race; however they have ended up finishing it successfully and many become eager to tackle their next triathlon. Others have found that carving out the time to join the program and discovering a healthier lifestyle has brought much-needed balance to their everyday schedule. “I feel like I have my life back,” says Tanya, fund raising consultant, mother of two. “I have a sense of calm and contentment I haven’t felt in a long time,” says Marji, 39,teacher and mother of two. This year, Milwaukee’s Team Danskin® Training will feature four teams – three for Milwaukee North Shore and one for Pewaukee. Each team’s size will average 50 women, ranging in ages from 20 – 84. In 2004, Coach Jill Sommers trained her first group of athletes to complete the Danskin® Triathlon with a team of 15. In 2005 she was hired by Team Danskin® Training to coach a Milwaukee team which totaled 65. In 2006 the teams grew to 110. In 2007 Wisconsin’s Team Danskin® has grown to five teams in Wisconsin (there is a Madison-based team) and who knows how many total athletes? It has included doctors, lawyers, teachers, therapists, moms and executives. Many of them have never done a triathlon or participated in any sport for that matter, but decided that they wanted a new challenge, to rediscover the athlete within them, or simply wanted an alternative to the local gym. The biggest bonus is the team-oriented focus of the training. Suddenly, instead of one training partner, the women find that they have a whole team of them. Most important, they provide an incredible support network for each other during the organized training sessions and when they work out on their own. This experience helps to transform them into triathletes. The eight-week training program is structured to prepare the athletes so that they can complete the three-sport event safely, confidently and, most important, enjoyably. The coaches instruct the team members on important racing skills like open water swim techniques, using a heart rate monitor and how to handle the all-important transition between race segments. Also included are lectures to teach things like changing a flat bicycle tire, how to select proper running shoes, proper nutrition while training, and stretching techniques. Race day itself is something to behold. For the past 18 years, the Danskin® Women’s Triathlon Series has provided an opportunity for thousands of women to compete in their first triathlon or improve on their past performances. Friends and family members line the course early on race day to cheer on the athletes they know and even the ones they don’t. It’s not unusual to walk amongst the crowd of supporters and hear a woman say, “I’d never thought I’d want to do a triathlon, but after watching her, I think I’ll do it next year.” About The Danskin® Women’s Triathlon Series: 2007 marks the 18th season that Danskin® has sponsored this national sprint triathlon series, the largest and longest-running multi-sport Series in the world. This year also marks the 17th consecutive year supporting the fight against breast cancer. Danskin® donates 10% of all entry fees to the Series’ Official Charity, The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Support is also provided to National Association of Team Survivor, which provides free exercise and health education program for women with a past or present diagnosis of cancer. Each race features (approximately) a ½ mile swim, 12 mile bike ride and a 3 mile run. Over 20,000 women participate each year in all 8 races.