Ruth Sawkins was glowing on Sunday morning, and it wasn’t because she just finished swimming 500 yards, biking 15 miles and running 3.1 in the Nature Valley Shark Sprint Triathlon in Rogers. Sawkins is also six months pregnant.
Sunday’s event at Horseshoe Bend Park was part of the seventh annual Sharkfest Triathlon series hosted by Northwest Arkansas Aquatics.
Sawkins, from Joplin, has been competing in triathlons, for years and has continued to do so through each of her three pregnancies.
“I actually beat my pregnant time from two years ago,” she said.
The 30-year-old finished with an impressive time of 1:26:01.9, which was good enough for second in her age group (30-34) and 66th overall of almost 200 participants of men and women.
Sawkins only races with the approval of her doctor, and said she is extremely aware of her body through the entirety of the race.
“I really pay close attention to how I’m feeling,” she said. “I pay close attention to how my belly is feeling. My self talk is very different. It’s very focused on, “How’s the baby doing? How are you feeling?” I bring my intensity and my heart rate way down.”
It’s not easy being in the kind of shape required to compete in triathlons, let alone being pregnant while doing so. But Sawkins said the physical activity helps her recover from her pregnancy and also with morning sickness.
More than the fact that participating in triathlons eases the many hardships of being pregnant, she just plain and simple enjoys them.
“It’s fun to race pregnant,” she said. “There’s no pressure. You can do whatever you want. I usually wear a mask and a cape when I’m racing pregnant because it helps remind me to not take it as seriously and to have fun with it.”
Sawkins said she understands how difficult it is to be pregnant and the tiredness that comes alone with it but encourages women to be active if their doctor allows it.
“I think we’re really doing women a disservice for encouraging them to sit on the couch and rest, because what I have seen from women who rest a lot is that their muscles and ligaments weaken,” Sawkins said. “I know it’s hard to get off the couch when you’re tired because it’s hard for me, but I feel so much better when I do it.”
Walk into an event like a triathlon, and you’ll find plenty of inspiring stories like Sawkins’.
June and J. Pat Newland, each in their late 50s, crossed the finish line hand in hand with huge smiles on their faces.
“My husband could have finished this a lot quicker, but he stuck behind with me,” June Newland said. “We were gonna start together and finish together.”
And then there is Donnie Bunker, whose wife and three kids were waiting for him at the finish line. Bunker, a 33-year-old from Siloam Springs, was the overall winner, finishing with a time of 1:04:11.7.
Bunker has only been competing in triathlons for a little over a year but said he found a niche after having a background in swimming and running.
He also uses it as an opportunity to set a good example for his children. His 4 ½-yearold son just competed in his first kids triathlon last weekend.
“It’s a healthy sport, and it’s a good family sport,” he said.
For Dawn Reddell, the race director of the SharkFest Triathlon series, it’s a sport for everyone.
“We had people who were 70 compete, we had 14- and 15-year-olds, and we had all ages in between,” Reddell said. “We had all walks of life. There were first timers and then people who have participated in many before.”