The Sanford Bemidji labor and delivery team is a tight-knit group. Long hours and overnights on the hospital floor have only strengthened their bond. Now though, a group of 14 — including 11 nurses, two anesthetists and one doctor — is working together on a new project outside the office: a triathlon.
“A group of us started working out together about a year ago,” said registered nurse Kelsey Hartmann. “We just wanted to do something to solidify all of our hard exercise work. So we decided to sign up for this mini triathlon.”
Triathlons can vary in length, but the one these women will compete in consists of a quarter-mile swim, followed by a 14-mile bike ride, and finally a 5K run.
Motivating and supporting each other
What started as an accountability group — sending each other photos of their workouts to prove they were getting their daily exercise — has turned into an exciting journey to race day.
“It was motivation, where sometimes I see them up doing 5:00 a.m. workouts and I’m like, ‘Oh, I suppose I should do something today,’” said registered nurse Bethany Anderson.
“I never worked out at a gym before,” said registered nurse Katie Borland. “We got hooked, and just through early morning conversations motivated me to do something I never thought I would’ve done.”
This group has been through a lot together and they say they have a special relationship.
“I feel very privileged and honored to have this awesome group of girls,” said registered nurse Seher Hovestol. “Some of us started working at the same time. We had kids at the same time. We’re all just growing together more and more each day and I can’t wait to grow with them with this triathlon.”
With stressful careers and demanding home lives, some in the group have found training to be good not just for their physical health, but for their mental health as well.
“Most of us have little kids, and it just felt like kids’ activities and work had totally taken over. So we were like, ‘We’re going to do something for ourselves,’” said Hartmann.
“You can kind of check out of being a mom and a nurse and all the other aspects of your life and just focus on you, and focus on your workout for that half hour, 45 minutes, hour, whatever it is,” said lactation consultant Allie Rude. “It’s just pouring as much as you can into yourself, and then you’ll feel better the rest of the day. You just feel more energized and have a better outlook on the day.”
Racing toward the finish
The end goal is completing the Northwoods Triathlon this August in Nevis, Minnesota. They each plan to compete at their own pace rather than as a group. Ultimately, they say their final times aren’t nearly as important as simply finishing the race. And they believe their experiences at work might even help on the big day.
“Knowing that we can get through a 12-hour shift and then looking at doing this triathlon, it’s like ‘I can do anything for 12 hours.’ I am strong enough to make it through that shift,” said registered nurse Morgan Mach. “It kind of helps motivate me to do the triathlon. We’re all strong making it through what we experience during the shift.”
For one nurse, there’s a bit of extra motivation to cross the finish line.
“I tore my ACL and meniscus like a year and a half ago. So for me finishing is like a big accomplishment,” Anderson said. “I was already doing physical therapy but trying to recover from that knee and having them around has been a huge motivation.”
That throughline — an individual desire to compete, mixed with the group support to finish the race — is what makes this mission, and these coworkers, so special.
“I’m just really excited to give this to myself like as a gift,” said Hartmann. This is something that I dedicated to give to myself, and it’s just going to be so much more fun doing it with all of my friends.”
Whether they’re on the hospital floor or running toward the finish line of a triathlon, this group knows how to work together to accomplish their goals.
Photo courtesy of Allie Rude
Learn more
- Sanford RN’s route to Bemidji race includes run project
- America’s Best Maternity Hospitals include 3 Sanford centers
- Triathlon coach pushes for more than just the finish line
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Posted In Bemidji, Nursing and Nursing Support, People & Culture, Sanford Sports
