Mount Pleasant Magazine May/June 2018

60 www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com | www.BestOfMP.com feature S he was overweight and 51 years old when she decided to train for her first triathlon in 2017. She hadn’t swam, ran or biked in years. But when her boss suggested she look into the She Tris event that takes place in I’On every June, she said, “Why not?” And luckily for Mona Kelosman, once she started looking into the race, she was able to sign up for its training program, Tri it for Life. The 12-week session starts in March every year and culminates with the She Tris race in early June. This year, the race will be held on June 9. “When I started training with the Tri it for Life group in 2017, I didn’t really want to, but I knew I needed to. I thought, ‘I’m a grandma; I can’t do this,’” said Kelosman. “I had no idea at that time how it would change my life – for the better.” The She Tris triathlon race and the Tri it for Life training program were designed for women like Kelosman. They are new to the sport, and most of them never thought they could train for all three events, let alone complete a triathlon. One competitor didn’t even know how to swim before training began. But for Angela Klick, founder and race director of She Tris and the Tri it for Life Charleston Chapter founder, women like Kelosman are her passion and exactly the reason she created the event and brought the training program to the area. “I love when someone tells me they don’t think they could ever do this, because I love to prove them wrong when they cross that finish line,” she said with a smile. The training program came first for Klick. She actually started the first Tri it for Life training session in 2015 as a camaraderie group for women to train together for local races. By Theresa Stratford She Tris, She Can and She Will Photos courtesy of Angela Klick.