News
Wondrasek qualifies for XTERRA championship
Scott Wagar
08/28/2012
One of Bottineau’s own will be participating in the 2012 XTERRA World Championship in Maui, Hawaii, and doing so at the age of 29.
Robyn Wondrasek, a 2001 Bottineau High School graduate, has qualified for the XTERRA World Championship and will be making the trip to Hawaii to participate in the event on Oct. 28.
Qualifying for this event is no easy task, as this sport takes extreme to a new level where only the best amateurs and professionals are invited to take the challenge to be called a champion.
“XTERRA is the world’s premier off-road triathlon,” Wondrasek said. “It combines a 1.5-kilometer (1-mile) rough water swim, a 29.5-kilometer (18.3-miles) mountain bike course and a 9.8-kilometer (6.1-miles) trail run best described as a tropical roller-coaster ride through pineapple fields and forests.”
Wondrasek, who is a teacher and makes her home in Saipan of the Northern Mariana Island, started training for XTERRA in January and qualified for the World Championship in March.
“After years away from my active childhood, I started becoming active again in 2010 after moving to Saipan and finding a supportive and nurturing sport community in a beautiful location that allows for year-round outdoor enjoyment,” Wondrasek said. “Over the past year, I began rough water swimming and mountain biking, completed my first half marathon, and finished first in my age bracket at the XTERRA Saipan allowing me to qualify for XTERRA World.”
Wondrasek is dedicated to the sport of extreme triathlon and trains twice a day in the biking and running portion of the event, and swims every other day while preparing for the championship in Maui.
Although Wondrasek has qualified for the world champion, she is facing one more extreme obstacle in her dream to compete, finances.
Wondrasek said she is looking for personal and business donations to assist her in making this dream come true.
“I’m currently collecting donations to defray the costs of the event and I’m asking for your support. By making a monetary donation for this event, you’d be making a contribution that will help make it possible for me to compete in this,” Wondrasek said. “Any amount is appreciated.”
Individuals, who are interested in assisting Wondrasek or knowing more about the event and sport, can go to Wondrasek’s blog at www.runrobynrunsaipan.blogspot.com/.
For Wondresek, her dream of competing in the 2012 XTERRA World Championship is more than just a dream, it’s a goal with no returns or doubts.
“I have really enjoyed training with a lot of my friends and I have never regretted working out,’ Wondrasek said. “However, I will have regrets if I don’t do this event, because living life without knowing what could have happened isn’t living.”
Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning means you’re willing to go longer, work harder, and give more than anyone else.”
These words are the pinnacle of Wondrasek and there is no doubt she will be successful in the 2012 XTERRA World Championship in so many different ways. Wondrasek has trained hard and long for her dream to come true.