Kelly McPherson's doctor told her she wouldn't live long enough to see her four children grow up. She was overweight, on the verge of diabetes, and plagued by migraines 24 hours a day.

But it wasn't until a woman in the park asked the not-pregnant McPherson when her baby was due that she decided it was time for a change.

Five years later and 50 pounds lighter, McPherson is preparing to tackle the Women of Steel triathlon, her 17th race combining swimming, biking and running, and the only one in Utah open exclusively to women. She'll be joined by 400 other women, more than half of them first-timers.

“I'm still not a skinny little person,” the 35-year-old South Jordan woman said. “But it's not a matter of what looks good. It's more important that I am alive in 20 years. And for the first time in my life, I found something that's got me moving.”

Triathlons have rocketed in popularity over the past decade, transformed from a relatively obscure sport done by what seemed to be extremely fit masochists, to a mainstream event for everyone, including seniors, teens and newly athletic women.

Lots of women. For the past few years, the number of women taking up triathlon in Utah has outpaced new men, according to Chris Bowerbank, managing partner of the Tri Utah race group. Today, about 40 percent of all Utah triathletes are women, he said.

Nationally, women accounted for about 35 percent of all athletes who competed in a triathlon in 2006, according to USA Triathlon, the sport's governing body. Seven of the nation's 25 largest triathlons are women-only events.

Women take up the sport for many reasons: to lose baby weight, reduce stress, recover from a running injury, or cope with a personal problem.

But many stay with it for the same reason: “It is empowering,” said Dianna Wright, a 43-year-old woman from South Jordan and president of the Desert Sharks triathlon club.

“You feel like, 'If I can do that, I can conquer the world. I can do anything.' ”

Finishing a race “just opens a lot of windows for women and kind of shows them that they can't put limits on themselves, and all the great things that they're able to do,” said fellow Desert Shark Charity Vernon.

As McPherson puts it: “You'll want to wear that [race] T-shirt everywhere.”

For many, the Women of Steel race in Bountiful, set for May 19, is a great place to start.

“There's not the male testosterone pressure that some women feel in other races,” Bowerbank said. “It's run by women, for women.”

The “sprint-distance” race begins with a 300-meter swim in a pool, a more comforting venue for newbies than a lake or river; then comes a 10-mile bike ride; and finally a 5K run.

Race winners and those who place in the top three in their age groups will receive flowers and tiaras at the finish.

Better than the crown, though, is the atmosphere women will find at the race and in the sport, according to many competitors.

“It can be pretty intimidating for these ladies to come from not doing a thing to being able to complete their first triathlon,” Vernon said.

But they shouldn't be scared - not even of the heinie-enhancing outfits. In fact, women will find a warm welcome in the sport, she said.

“There's a pretty cool network in the tri community. People are very supportive,” she said. “Once you get there, you realize everybody's in the same boat.”

That's what Erin Oltmann is counting on. She and her colleagues at Utah Mama (creators of a local resource guide for parents found in bookstores and on the Web) started training for the Women of Steel shortly after the New Year, when they all showed up for a staff meeting wearing track pants or pajama bottoms - the only things that fit after the holiday binge.

“I would never have entertained the idea of doing a triathlon all by myself,” said Oltmann, marketing director for the group. She and two other Mamas - co-founders Rachael Herrscher and Stephanie Peterson - will all do their first triathlon together.

The women have worked with a personal trainer to improve their swim technique and learn the tricks of transitioning from one part of the event to the next.

They've been blogging about their challenges and lessons learned (i.e., don't wear underwear under bike shorts, and commit to shave daily) for other women to read. They hope more women will join them in training for next year's event.

Three weeks before this race, Oltmann already has a sense of accomplishment.

“I've never competed in a race. I don't have a background with high school sports. But I've surprised myself with what I've been able to do” - like swimming 1,200 meters in a single session. She's found a passion for biking and swimming.

She still has a few misgivings about race day, and figures she may have to walk part of the 5K run. But she doesn't care.

“I'll be really happy just to be able to finish. For me, it's not about shaving minutes from my time, or competing for prizes. I'll feel very fulfilled to cross the finish line.”

---

* JENNIFER BARRETT can be reached at jbarrett@sltrib.com or 801-257-8611. Send comments about this story to livingeditor@ sltrib.com.

Training plans and tips can be found all over the Internet. Here are a

* www.trifind.com/ut.html: Lists Utah triathlons, including fees and races distances.

* www.triutah.com: Local race producer

* www.trihive.com, www.desert-sharks.com: Local Web sites with races, results, photos, training groups, tips for beginners, and forums for discussing the sport.

Upcoming races billed as good for beginners

* JUNE 9: Shark Attack Triathlon in Honeyville, with 400-yard swim, 3-mile bike ride, and 3.1-mile run. Also features a kids' triathlon,

with 80-yard swim, 3-mile bike and 0.75-mile run. E-mail mcpherson.kelly@gmail.com

* JUNE 9: Pleasant Grove Triathlon in Pleasant Grove, with 500-yard swim, 8.5-mile bike, and 3.1-mile run. Also features a kids' race,

with 250-yard swim, 3-mile bike and 1-mile run. E-mail sjznharris@hotmail.com

* SEPT. 8: Summit Triathlon in Kamas for beginners and kids. Newbies swim 200 yards, bike 6.2 miles and run 1.5 mile. Kids swim 75 yards, bike 3 miles and run 1.5. E-mail ss@ssk12.ut.us.

* CONSULT your physician before starting any new workout program.

* TAKE IT EASY: “Triathlon spreads the stress on your body more evenly, so it's a better way to go than just running,” said Salt Lake sports medicine physician Russ Toronto. But be sure to give yourself a couple of months to get up to running a 5K. “Make sure you increase your distance gradually,” he said, or you're more likely to suffer an injury.

* CONSIDER using a personal trainer, especially for swimming, the most technical part of the race. Erin Oltmann figured you could surf the Internet for some swim tips. “I might as well have been reading a foreign language,” she said. Just one session with her trainer David Pruetz taught her how to breathe better and move in the water. “I can't believe what a difference it made.”

* DON'T be afraid to walk. “You'll see a lot of people doing a walk-run job,” said Charity Vernon, a former collegiate runner. “You have to get over it and realize it's OK to walk if you need to.”

* FORGET about your body shape. People of all shapes and sizes do triathlons, and some of the larger ones will likely be passing the lean-and-mean-looking runners in the pool. “Nobody looks,” Kelly McPherson said.