Who's Doing the TRY and Why? DeeAnna Haynes

Posted with permission of Vincennes Sun Commercial
Published: VINCENNES SUN COMMERCIAL
Thursday, May 13, 2010 3:59 PM EDT

DeeAnna Haynes, a physical therapist assistant at Angel River Health & Rehabilitation in Evansville, finds one of the toughest parts about the TRYathlon is the time required to dedicate to training. She’s thankful her family and friends are so supportive of her commitment to training and desire to remain physically fit.

Haynes enjoys competing in local 5K runs, and several in her “work family” are also involved in exercise. One co-worker, who participates in triathlons and mini-marathons, inspired Haynes to very successfully run her first half-marathon last fall.

This is Haynes’ second time to participate in the SIS TRY, and she’s hopeful her daughter, Haley Ivers, will join her this year. After following the first two years’ events through the media, Haynes thought the TRYathlon might be something she’d like to do. Her first step was joining the YMCA training courses consisting of approximately 100 participants.

It was at that first training session, as she looked around and found women of all backgrounds, sizes, and ages, when she thought to herself, “Yeah, I can do this.” She formed some really good friendships from the experience and has fun running with those same ladies today. Haynes states, “I am doing the SIS TRY again this year, because I had such a good time last year.”

One of Haynes’ most memorable TRY moments was her approach to the finish line. With her family cheering her on, she felt overwhelmed with a variety of emotions, mostly pride, as she crossed the line. She not only finished; she did very well.

Even though Haynes opted to train on her own and with friends this year, she believes she owes her motivation and physical fitness today to last year’s TRY training classes. Her advice to each of you, “If you think you can’t, you can. Just TRY it!”

The TRY is for women 16-years-old and up and will consist of a 1⁄4-mile swim in the Rainbow Beach pool, a 9-mile bike ride and a 3-mile run. Women may register to do the entire TRY or as part of a team. Registration forms can be printed from www.knoxcountyfoundation.org at the TRYathlon sidebar or can be picked up at the Knox County Public Library, the Vincennes YMCA or the Knox County Community Foundation office on the third floor of Old National Bank at Third and Busseron Streets. For additional information, contact Kathy Rinsch at 886-0093 or kathy@knoxcountyfoundation.org.