Why We Train, Part One: Iron Girls Give To Community, Redefine “Girl Power”

The motivations that drive athletes to the starting line are complex. This is as true for a  as it is for a .

Training teams provide resources, support and a link to the community for both new and experienced athletes. Team members commit to fundraising for a cause – often one with personal significance – and participate with the team in at least one event in honor of that cause.

Participation in training teams is on the rise among local groups like the Women’s Giving Circle Team in Howard County.

The Women’s Giving Circle Team is a triathlon training team that raises funds for the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County (WGC). The WGC started with  16 women in 2001 who sought to develop a philanthropic organization that . It was formally founded on February 26, 2002.

Since then, the WGC has raised more than $900,000 in funds from more than 900 donors. Seventy percent of that goes into an endowment for the WGC, 20 percent funds grants, and 10 percent goes to the organization's administration costs.

The WGC has given $185,000 in grants over the last 10 years. Grant recipients in 2010 included the Maryland Leadership Workshop,  , the , FIRN, and Girls on the Run.

"We select a number of nonprofits in the community to support. We don’t want to compete with the good others are doing in the community – we want to support" those programs, explained Megan Bruno, a member of the organization's advisory board and chairwoman of its donor development committee. She describes it as a focus on partnerships.

The WGC Team began informally with a handful of members with a common interest in triathlon, led by Maura Dunnigan. In 2006, 16 women from the WGC's training team completed the  and raised more than $6,000 for the WGC. 

Their experience has gradually attracted other members, including Bruno, whose mother, Yolanda Bruno, was a founding member of the WGC. Bruno has been involved with the organization for the last 10 years.

Participating in Iron Girl in 2009 was a revelation for Bruno. "If you don't go, you don't get it," she said.

Bruno pointed out that training is consistent with the organization's goals, which include promoting health and wellness among women and girls.

And the Iron Girl triathlon, a sprint-distance race held at in August, is an event focused on women. "It seemed like a natural fit," she said.

The Iron Girl race is also an important fundraising event for the WGC. It generates exposure, increases community awareness of the WGC, and creates a goal for members. The WGC received 30 "community" slots from the Columbia Triathlon Association for the 2011 race.

Approximately 2,400 women register for Iron Girl, which requires triathletes to swim 0.62 miles, bike a hilly 17.5 miles, and then run 3.4 miles. The 2011 race sold out in less than 36 hours.

The WGC Team asks that new members – and those who wish to fill remaining community slots – set a fundraising goal of $500. Returning members set a goal of $250.

Bruno emphasizes that this should not seem like an intimidating number.

"Many people raise more than $1,000," she said.

The team sets up fundraising web pages for members in order to make the process easier. Team members can choose to hold their own events and collect donations or a portion of the proceeds. 

Bruno described the fundraising goal as a "good stepping stone for women who haven't raised money before." 

The growing popularity of the WGC Team might confirm this.

In 2010, the number of participants rose to more than 50, most of them new. This year, 75 women (including 35 returning members) have signed up. In the last five years, the WGC Team has raised more than $85,000 for the organization.

Last year, the team formalized training plans and designed "tri-suits," which are one piece suits made of lightweight material that can be worn for all three legs of the triathlon – swimming, biking, and running.

They set up organized runs and bike rides, and created a Yahoo group through which members posted their training plans. 

"It's been pretty amazing how many friendships have been forged" through this system, Bruno said. "It made it fun and it took the pressure off of us. Having everyone step up and be part of the organization has really helped."

Unlike many training teams, the boards and committees that organize and direct the WGC are made up entirely of volunteers – not that finding volunteers is a problem.

In 2010, Bruno, whose day job is in photography, focused on organizing the team with two others. This year, the responsibility has fallen to a five-person subcommittee.

"The interest is tremendous," Bruno said.

The WGC Team also holds monthly events, which include happy hours, meetings, and training-related topics such as training and nutrition and bike safety. They will have three practice swim sessions during pool time donated by the YMCA.

But the WGC Team is a unique opportunity because, as Bruno said, "you're giving to an organization that supports women at an event unique to women."

That sense of support and kinship may be what motivates many of the members of the WGC Team. 

"Iron Girl in itself is a great first time event for people," said Bruno. "There’s no way I would have done it as a first time had it not been part of a relay. People who were first timers last year may not have done it without the team." 

"Doing it for the women in your community is a big deal," she said.

Team members also give back to the triathlon community.

At the Iron Girl "dress rehearsal" on July 30, 2010 – which featured a practice swim – some members of the WGC Team were among the "buddy swimmers" in place to assist those less experienced in the water. 

With their own participants who cover the range from beginner to experienced, Bruno said that all team members are successful in their own way.

"The excitement of that day is really huge, and I just love the fact that we can get 75 people who didn't think they might be philanthropists on the road to philanthropy," she said. "It makes me very happy."