Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens - Kristine Svehla-Brown
I competed in my first 1/2-Iron distance triathlon. The event was in Lake Stevens, Washington held on August 15th. A 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run. It was an epic day. It just so happens to have been one of the hottest days of the year at 95 degrees! It being my first race at this distance, together with the hot temps, I was happy to have crossed the finish line that day. Now that I've had a bit of time to recover... I'm already planning on doing another 70.3 race with my older brother next year. Crazy? Yeah.
41 Story Rappel off Rainier Tower - Jodi Picatti
On August 14th I went Over The Edge in support of Special Olympics Washington. What is going "Over the Edge"? Well, it was rappelling off of Rainier Tower, which is 514 feet tall. What a rush it was to step over the edge of the roof and begin my descent. I received great advice from and practiced with the volunteers that day, but nothing prepared my body for the rush of adrenaline I received. It lasted well into the evening! My decent took about 12 minutes. I probably wouldn't do it again, but I'm glad I did it! Special Olympics Washington is an amazing organization that my sister Janine was a participant with for many years while we were growing up. If you haven't see the joy that competing brings these athletes first-hand, you're missing out! This event raised over $180k for Special Olympics of Washington. Being able to rappel off of Rainier Tower and support a good cause at the same time was a dream come true.
