"I'd run nine marathons and done some biking before, but this was a whole different realm for me," said Peterson, whose children are 3 and almost 2 years old. "I wasn't a very good swimmer, and I kind of panicked about the swimming. Which is funny because now it's one of the most comfortable things."

Pruetz taught them a swimming drill called, the catch-up drill that allowed them to figure out how swimmers need to breathe when swimming longer distances.

"Everybody always freaks out about the swimming," said Pruetz, an Ironman triathlete himself who now runs a company called InTraining. "Unless they were on the swim team in high school, it's difficult. It's a full-body exercise, and the breathing and the unknown in the open water can be scary."

In addition to adjusting to sports that may be new, triathletes have to learn to move from one sport to the next, and that can be much harder and intimidating than it sounds.

"It's very technical putting it all together," he said. For example, the transition from bike to run is called a brick because "after you bike your legs feel like bricks." So Pruetz trains his clients on how to practice for that feeling, which does eventually subside. His clients range from "couch potatoes" to elite athletes.

"I wanted to grow the sport, and the best way I knew how was to train people in the sport," he said. "Some people have no idea where to start, and some people just want me to push them harder than they push themselves."

The women have had to get creative about finding time to exercise, and Herrscher said the best way to make it a priority is to involve your family.

"Monday nights we go swimming as a family and I spend the first 45 minutes swimming laps," she said. "And then I go on the slides for an hour. Sometimes we go running together. ... Our goal is just to be out as a family."

She also bought a sprint bike off of the Internet, and when all else fails, she puts the kids to bed and rides later at night.

"There are a lot of quick, easy things you can do at home," she said. "You just have to make it a priority. And overall, I have more energy. It's recharged my desire to be involved in athletics."

Each of the women will feel a sense of accomplishment when they finish Saturday's race.

"I don't think I'll place first," Herrscher said. "I think I'll finish, and that's an achievement for me."

The benefits have been many, including a comfort level with their bodies they didn't have before training. Peterson said while it's difficult to find time when juggling a job, children and other responsibilities, the workouts are always invigorating.