iron girl triathlon 2009

For two local women, this weekend's Iron Girl triathlon is more than just a grueling day of swimming, biking and running. It's also as a stabilizing force in their lives in terms of health and spirit.

The AFLAC Iron Girl Syracuse Women's Triathlon, which will take place Sunday just outside of Syracuse, will proceed the Children's Oncology Group in its fight against childhood cancer.

Tamara Miller, 51, of Greenfield Center and Sheri Monroe, 33, of Clifton Park, who work together in AFLAC's Albany offices, have been training for months.

Miller first became interested in the event in mid-February after losing 30 pounds during an intra-office contest similar to NBC's "The Biggest Loser." After coming in second in the competition by only two-tenths of a pound, she set a goal to lose 10 more pounds and saw the triathlon as a means to that end.

"I've got nothing to lose but more weight," Miller said.

Miller, who describes herself as "extremely competitive," will try to finish the entire triathlon: an 800-meter swim, a 30k bike race and a 5k run. Miller has joined the YMCA, where she swims twice a week, and she has been running and biking four times a week.

Miller suffers from sleep apnea, a condition that obstructs breathing during sleep, and credits her training with improving her sleeping and eating habits and giving her more energy. Miller also attributes training to alleviating some of the negative aspects of her life, aside from physical health.

"I gained perspective," Miller said. "It was really an attitude change for me."

Monroe, a single mother of two, originally was skeptical of her ability to complete the event, but after a presentation about the Iron Girl series and its benefits, she was convinced.

"There was no way I couldn't test myself to see if I could do it," Monroe said.

Monroe, who will participate in a three-person relay team as the leg of the 10K bike race, has an unusual training regimen.

Monroe has two children, which can make it difficult to find time to train. But Monroe has trained with her children, often biking along side her 4-year-old with her 1-year-old in tow. Monroe said that her 4-year-old is particularly excited about the event because "Mommy's going to be in a race." In addition, Monroe has made time to bike 18 miles regularly at Saratoga National Park "so once I get to Syracuse, I can get to the finish line."

Although the Iron Girl triathlon is a competition, Monroe and Miller spoke glowingly about the spectacular support system among the women they have been training with and will later compete against.

"It's not about beating anyone, It's about achieving your best," Monroe said.

Both also talked about camaraderie as a motivation to continue to push themselves through the rigorous training that goes with the event itself.

As Miller put it, "It's something I always think about when I want to stop running or get out of the pool or put the brakes on the bike."

Phil Neuffer can be reached at 454-5377 or by email at pneuffer@timesunion.com.