Inspirational Triathlon Racing International (i-tri)

i-tri started in 2010 with 10 girls from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds, girls with low self-esteem, social issues, family issues, girls who did not believe that they could succeed and yet… they did! We gave them a huge goal- complete a triathlon- many did not know how to swim or ride a bike- most hated running,  ALL of them doubted that they would be able to do it. The program combined self-esteem workshops- mindfulness, affirmations and visualization with fitness experiences and triathlon training. On race day ALL 10 girls crossed the finish line! All had overcome fear and self-doubt, had pushed their minds, bodies and spirits to new heights and KNEW that they were worth all of the effort! The way they viewed themselves had changed and the way they were viewed by families, friends and the community changed as well. Months later that group got together and came up with a vision for the future of i-tri- they wanted any girl who could benefit from this experience to have the chance.  Winning the Elevate Prize would bring us closer to that goal as we plan for expansion!  This year we will welcome our 1000th girl across the FINISH LINE!

I NEVER considered myself an athlete, despised gym class my entire school career, but at 35 I decided to TRI and complete a triathlon. As I began to ‘train,’ I discovered so much about myself, each week I became stronger and faster and more confident. I began to change and these changes were not only visible on the outside–the most dramatic changes were happening INSIDE! I came to realize that real training is as much an internal process as it is a physical one–and I crossed that finish line a totally different person!

Several years after completing that first triathlon, I began to think: If I had learned all of this when I was 12 instead of 35, what a different experience I would have had in life. My own daughter was 12 at the time and so I approached her school with the idea of taking a group of girls who did not believe that they could accomplish a goal as big as a triathlon and giving them all of the training, equipment, support and love necessary to achieve that goal! 11 years later, we are now in 12 schools and aspire to be a national and international program! 

90%+ of girls elementary school “believe in themselves.” Entering high school, that number drops to 29%. According to Sarah Norris, PhD., “a drop in self-esteem and declining academic achievement accompany this important life stage,” (middle-school years.)  The self-esteem drop, combined with increasing peer pressure often leads to declining academic performance and higher risk of engaging in damaging behaviors.

i-tri trains middle school girls to complete a triathlon as a metaphor for life’s journey, ensuring that girls feel empowered to take on the responsibilities and opportunities of life and leadership. 

i-tri’s empowerment program provides mental, emotional, and physical tools necessary for middle-school girls to feel good about themselves. Participants learn to overcome hurdles, enabling them to succeed in middle school and beyond. i-tri’s fundamental principal is self-efficacy. 

i-tri girls from underserved communities face issues of poverty, growing drug use, and higher dropout rates. 50% live with housing and food insecurity and are eligible for free/reduced lunch. These communities have a growing immigrant population, many of whom live in fear of a parent being deported. Despite these challenges, during the 2020 season, 98% of i-tri girls experienced growth in one or more SEL categories: Positive Identity, Social Capital, and Social Skills.

i-tri’s unique approach to empowerment places equal emphasis on the SEL (Social Emotional Learning) growth of our girls as on their physical fitness growth.

i-tri has been recognized by educators, administrators, and social service agencies as a prevention system that achieves marked changes in mental health.

Our program has three components:

•Empowerment focuses on the Social Emotional well-being of the girls, teaching them how to visualize their goals and find their light.

•Fitness includes diverse types of exercise experiences during which the girls learn how to love their strong and powerful bodies no matter what they look like.

•Triathlon Training teaches swimming, biking and running while discovering that compassion, grace and science can be used to accomplish the most difficult of goals.

We teach our girls to support one another, creating family and community. We teach our girls leadership and communication skills. You can always spot an i-tri girl-standing straight, embracing people she didn’t relate to before, willing to try something before she says she can’t do it. 

i-tri is free of charge to every girl. We provide the girls with all the equipment, coaching, training, and transportation necessary ensure success, regardless of economic or family circumstance.

i-tri serves girls from underserved communities: 54% Latina, 24% White, 14% Black, and 8% Asian and Native American.  

Most of our girls come to us unable to ride a bike or swim, and almost all of them hate running. Nonetheless, 100%  cross the finish line.  Our girls' goal is the completion of the triathlon. Successfully completing this means the girls have set a seemingly impossible goal for themselves and, having been given the physical, mental, and emotional tools necessary, have achieved this. In this achievement is the lesson that they can overcome any hurdle.

i-tri isn't training future triathletes, but empowering the next generation of strong female students, career women, and leaders. With this goal, we are proud to have seen a sexual assault survivor stand with the founder of the #MeToo Movement to share her experience.  We have seen a non-swimmer become a lifeguard.  We have seen a domestic abuse survivor empower not only herself but inspire her mother to stand against their abuser.   

As an evidence-based program, we continue to evaluate our program and systems, ensuring we are using the best practices in existence and developing new best practices that we share with other empowerment programs around the world.