Trio will put training to test in triathlon

It is one of the most common New Year's resolutions and almost a required topic after the holidays — losing weight.

And while a lot of people have that wish, that discussion and maybe even that resolution, three local women turned it into a challenge that has changed their lives — and maybe the lives of women they haven't yet met.

Stephanie Peterson, Rachael Herrscher and Erin Oltmanns were sitting in a staff meeting lamenting how much weight they'd put on during the holidays and after childbirth. Their fourth colleague, who was pregnant at the time, suggested they train together for a triathlon.

"In the back of my mind, I've always wanted to do a triathlon," said Herrscher, who is the 29-year-old mother of two children, ages 3 and 4. The women discussed the possibility and, eventually, a challenge was laid down — get in good enough shape to compete in the Woman of Steel Triathlon in Bountiful on Saturday. The event is a sprint triathlon, which means the distance of each event is shorter than a regular triathlon, and it has nearly doubled in size from 225 last year to almost 400 this year.

"It's been a great reason to motivate us to get up and get out the door," Herrscher said. "I feel the deadline. I feel the impending event that's upon us."

And she has felt the support of her friends through every step and misstep along the way.

"We motivate each other," she said of the women who work together in a business they founded called TodaysMama.com, which offers a networking site for mothers on a wide range of subjects — including exercise. The women have blogged on the site on a regular basis, as well as included other women who have tips and tidbits to share.

"Because we all have to post on the blog, it's kind of like public shame to admit you didn't do it," Herrscher said. "Also, having a coach has really made it easier because you don't want to check in with him and say, 'Well, I ate cookies all week. Does that count?"'

Without the goal of a competition, Peterson said, it would have been too easy to put exercise on the bottom of the priority list.

"You can just tell yourself you'll do better next week, and then six months later, you're in the same position you were when you started," Peterson said. "Having an event to train for pushed me to do more."

Peterson said having a coach has not only been motivating, it's one of the reasons she knows she'll stick with the sport, which, according to their coach Dave A. Pruetz, a USA triathlon certified coach, is the fastest growing sport among women.