Name:  Jessica Niekrasz

Family: Frank, Jack and Chief

Reside. Riverside

When did you start? My first race was Subaru in June of 2006 ... this will be my 5th season

Why you joined the club?  Brett made me.  No actually, once I found out how great the sport was, I wanted to meet other people with the same interest.  To most of the world, what we do is considered insanity in motion.  While you can do the training yourself, it's so nice to share the experience with others.  I can't count the number of times I've drawn strength from someone else when I've wanted to slow down. 

What do you get out of competing and training?  I like to the focus and clarity of mind that training brings--you know, when you find "the zone" and suddenly a 4 hour training ride is over like THAT.  The completion of short term goals is also really satisfying. 

Do you have a favorite out of all activities?  It depends on the day which of the three is my favorite.  With swimming, I like the feeling of gliding through the water, the strength of a good pull.  As for running and biking, it's about being in nature--looking around and appreciating the view.  There's one meadow we roll past that is chock full of birds that I look forward to seeing every week.  There was also one time I stopped to watch a showdown between a hawk and a squirrel.  You don't get to see that kind of stuff driving around in a car.