Dirt Inspires™ Women’s Trail Half Marathon
Sunday, August 29, 2010
8:30 AM
Nisene Marks State Park, Aptos, CA
About the Organizers
This
event was birthed from an achilles tendon tear, an oddly incessant never
say never drive and an active blog. After my running adventure to the Antarctic
was thwarted due to this severe injury I was looking for ways to steer
my passions. I’ve realized during this down time from running that I don’t
just love to run—I love to run on trails. Slipping away from all man-made
stimuli for a bit of ‘me-time’ in nature produces unparalleled rewards
and lots of Dirty
Inspirations blog posts. Over the years I’ve sought these
experiences in far off lands, but I always come home to my favorite trails
in Santa Cruz County. Now I want to share them with you!
Due to my injury I can’t have this coveted activity right now so I’ve partnered
with Penni Bengtson for this event so we can support other women in the
sport of trail racing for a safe and environmentally friendly trail experience.
Join us for this Women’s Trail Half Marathon – get dirty and get inspired!
—Terri Schneider
Terri Schneider
Renowned adventure racer, triathlete,
and ultrarunner Terri is one of the most experienced female multi-sport
endurance athletes and an inspirational and sought after speaker, author,
coach and consultant. She has raced and adventured in over 65 countries
as a world-class professional triathlete for ten years, an elite international
adventure racer since the sport's inception in the U.S. in 1995 and as
an ultra runner and mountaineer.
She has raced internationally in 7 Eco-Challenge® Expedition Competitions, the Mild Seven Outdoor Quest in China, the ESPN X-Games Adventure Race, the Raid Gauloises in Tibet and Nepal, many 50, 100 mile and multi-day endurance runs, and 22 Ironman Triathlons, finishing in the top 5 three times in the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon World Championships. A couple of recent highlights include: her 2nd place finish at the Racing the Planet, 155 mile, 7-day running stage race across the Gobi Desert in Northern China. Terri was 1st woman and 4th overall competitor in a similar event in the Sahara Desert in Egypt. The last few years Terri has turned her energies to mountaineering and has climbed peaks on 4 continents.
She earned her Masters degree in Sports Psychology with an emphasis on team dynamics and risk taking and her Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Physiology. She is the author of Triathlon Revolution: Training, Technique and Inspiration as well as co-author of Triathlete's Guide to Mental Training. She has contributed to two additional books: Applying Sport Psychology: From Researcher and Consultant to Coach and Athlete and The Thrill of Victory the Agony of My Feet: Tales from the Wild and Wonderful World of Adventure Racing. In addition to her speaking, and writing she offers coaching, online training, and sport psychology consulting for endurance athletes.
Terri lives in Aptos with her retired running dog, Gryphon.
Penni Bengtson
After 25 years in the high tech
industry Penni followed her passion for sport and the outdoors and founded Finish Line
Productions, a sports event production and timing company located
in Santa Cruz, CA. Finish Line is committed to creating events where every
athlete can be challenged and have fun. In addition to offering timing
services for events nationwide, they host running, triathlon, and duathlon
events and training camps including; Santa Cruz Sprint Triathlon, Marine
Discovery Run, Santa Cruz Toy Run, Superkid Triathlon, Superkid Camps,
the Grape Stomp Half Marathon, 10K and 5K.
Penni has spent a lifetime active in sports and outdoor activities including 6 weeks in Nepal in the Everest Base Camp area, multi-day bicycle rides across Europe, and too many back country trips to count. Penni is also an avid scuba diver and award winning underwater photographer. When she's not busy putting together an event she's out trail running, cross country skiing, and training for marathons and Ironman distance triathlons.
She served as president of the Santa Cruz Triathlon Association, is a USA Triathlon Certified Race Director, USAT Certified Official, Level 1 Coach and has her MSc in Neurophysiology. Penni lives in Boulder Creek with her husband Tim and their dog, Whitney.