To the editor:

I would like to pass on my gratitude to Mary Kaminski for all of her efforts in organizing the first annual Verna Mize Mini-Triathlon. A lot of thought, planning and communication goes into starting an event like this, and it was clearly a labor of love for Mary, who was everywhere at once making sure the event went smoothly, and educating everyone on the works of Verna Mize, the inspiration for the event. Kudos are also due to Mike Axford and all of the other race day volunteers, for putting on a great event.

My daughter Lila had never done an endurance event before, but with a little prodding from friends, she trained hard and completed the race. She took a spill on her bike and skinned herself up, so she didn’t have as fast of a time as she’d hoped, but Mary went out of her way to recognize her with the, “SISU award” for her persistence. The race was a big achievement for her, and great source of pride. She wants to run more races now, and can’t wait to run this race again next year.

Thanks for a great event, and we look forward to watching the race grow in the future.