50 Things About Us

The 2007 Version
1. We're sisters who are two years apart in age.
2. We also have a fabulous third sister- Holly - who is still in high school.
3. She will be competing in her first triathlon this year!
4. Rachel has been competing in triathlons for 5 years.
5. Robyn competed in her first three tris in 2006.
6. We're married to two wonderful men - Dave and Ryan.
7. Dave is also a seasoned endurance, multisport athlete.
8. Ryan is the world's best cheerleader - and inspires us by biking to work most days!
9. He's also the Executive Director of Genesis Home -- the organization we're supporting this season!
10. We were raised by incredible parents who taught us the importance of giving back to our communities.
11. They made us give away part of our allowance every week.
12. Ray is a public health graduate student.
13. Robyn works for a foundation.
14. We've completed two marathons - Country Music in 2002 and Disney in 2003...
15. ...And a handful of half-marathons.
16. We've made it through 26.2 twice by believing we could do it....
17. ... training together (by cell phone when we lived far apart!)...
18 ... and staying committed to putting one foot in front of the other.
19. Some of our friends and family think we're a little crazy!
20. We've found yoga to be beneficial on and off the race course.
21. Ray won her first age group tri award at the 2006 Ramblin' Rose
22. Robyn has yet to make it out of the middle (or back) of the pack!
23. Ray and Dave rode a tandem bike into their wedding reception (Always training....).
24. Robyn and Ryan met in graduate school.
25. Dave built Ray's first road bike as a secret Christmas gift.
26. Robyn just got her first bike from Santa (and a lot of generous family members) this year!
27. The last book Ray read was Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard.
28. The last book Robyn read was The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama.
29. Ray and Rob got felt the call to work in communities after spending several summers volunteering with Mountain T.O.P. in the Tennessee mountains.
30. Ray has had an up close brush with fame at the 2005 Tour de France.
31. Ray taught Robyn to swim -- by having her blow bubbles on the side of the pool like a four-year old (Anyone can learn...)
32. There was a time when neither of us could run for five minutes straight.
33. When we're not training, we love to cook...and eat....and cook....and eat.....and watch Food Network....and eat.
34. When we are training, you can find us at the Downtown Durham YMCA...
35. ....the UNC Wellness Center...
36. ....the Duke Cross Country Course...
37. ...the woods in Carrboro, NC...
38. ....urban streets of the Trinity Park neighborhood...
39. ....and any city we travel to.
40. Peanut butter and coffee are the keys to our training and racing success (or at least it gets us up and keeps us going).
41. Other than Robyn, Ray's favorite training partner is a four-legged Boxer named Laurel.
42. Robyn's first bike accident resulted from an all-too-common, clumsy mis-mount during a newbie tri clinic.
43. Ray's first bike accident resulted in a broken front tooth and root canal in the fourth grade.
44. Robyn once flew to Florida just to meet Ray for a 20 mile training run.
45. Ray joined Rob in Boston this Fall for a mini-training run on parts of the Boston marathon course.
46. We believe in making the ordinary extraordinary...
47. .... in active living as a way of life...
48. .... that we get more than we give...
49. .... that what goes around comes around...
50. ...so we best be good to one another.

A Few 2008 Updates
1. Tri to End Homelessness was selected as the national first place winner in Toyota's Engines of Change contest! Thanks for all of your votes!
2. Ray is in the first year of physical therapy doctoral program and has taken the year off from racing. She can still be found during early morning swims at the Wellness Center, running through the Carrboro woods, and occasionally joining Robyn for a long ride.
3. Robyn is climbing out of the back of the pack and won her age group for the first time during her first 2008 tri and then again three weeks later at a local 5K!
4. Robyn is proud to be a 2008 member of Goody's Team Stayput.
5. In 2007, we learned that extraordinary things happen when you dream big! Stay tuned to see what's possible in 2008!