NY Woman Starts Triathlon Group For Girls After What She Learned During Training

Theresa Roden competed in her first triathlon in 2005 and was impressed by what she learned about herself during training and racing. She thought the insight she gained was something that would have benefited her when she was growing up. She believes she would have been a different, more confident woman.

Inspired by her experience, she decided to bring the benefits of visualization, affirmations, nutrition and the active lifestyle that the sport of triathlon gave her, to girls 11-14 years old, who could really benefit from it. With a degree in education and a commitment to her dream, Roden launched i-tri in 2010.

She’s been training girls, free of charge, to compete in youth triathlons through her program, I-TRI. She works with students from 12 schools around Sag Harbor, New York. The 11 to 14-year-old girls swim 300 yards, bike seven miles and run one and a half miles in their races. While it might seem daunting, triathlons teach the girls confidence and the feeling of satisfaction that comes with accomplishing tough tasks.

Roden says the girls are so open to learning and the program empowers them and teaches them that they can do anything they set their mind to. Some of the girls are hesitant but all have said once they were involved they realized they were learning to push their own limits and the program has created a camaraderie among the girls.

In addition to the physical training, I-TRI hosts special “empowerment sessions” once a week for each school group. “We do lessons on things like affirmations and visualization and how to appreciate yourself and love yourself,” Roden said. “We do a lesson on real beauty where we hand out geodes and they get to see that beauty is from the inside out. And what matters most is that part of you that nobody can see … the love that you bring into the world.”