Women rock at the SheROX triathlon

Buffi Gibbons said she found it a little “disconcerting” when she bumped into people while taking a swim Sunday.

“That’s not something you normally expect,” the Lombard resident said with a smile.

Gibbons was one of more than 1,700 women who swam, biked and ran their way through the annual SheROX Naperville Triathlon Sunday morning. The event began at Centennial Beach in downtown Naperville.

It was Gibbons’ first crack at a triathlon, and she said the experience was a good one.

“I did it because it seemed like a great way to get in shape,” she said. “And it went really well. I think next time will be better, because I know what to expect now.”

The event, formerly a part of the U.S. Women’s Triathlon series, included a .75-kilometer swim, a 22.8-kilometer bike ride and a 5-kilometer run. It is one of nine SheROX events being held this year in the U.S. and Bermuda.

As the name implies, the SheROX triathlons are geared toward women. Barbara McKeever, the SheROX series director, said women-only athletic events encourage people to participate who otherwise wouldn’t.

“This is a great, first-time kind of event,” she said. “The environment is really supportive, there’s lots of camaraderie among the women. I think we need this kind of thing to give women out there a little encouragement to do something healthy.”

McKeever said she was delighted by Sunday’s turnout. A total of 1,746 women registered for the Naperville triathlon, with an age range of 17 years old to over 70.

“This is usually one of our biggest events,” she said. “We always get a lot of support from the community and tons of volunteers.”

That support was on display in the area near the finish line. Spouses, children and other loved ones screamed when their triathletes made it to the end. One child wore a shirt that said “Run, Mommy, Run!”

“There’s something very empowering about training for and then completing a triathlon. It can be addictive,” said Renee Schneidewind, a veteran triathlete and owner of Max Multisport Coaching in Chicago. Her company, which provides athletic training and coaching to women of all skill levels, served as the official training program of SheROX Naperville this year.

Fiona Vautier, a former Naperville resident who just moved to the city, is also an experienced triathlete, but she said she still gets a strong feeling of accomplishment when she finishes one.

“It’s what keeps me coming back,” she said after finishing Sunday.