Her Story

Because nothing motivates us to stay healthy more than meeting other athletic women who do it all, Her Sports brings you the stories of everyday women just like you. If they can do it, so can you!

Name: Lori Gabbert

Sport(s): adventure racing, triathlon

Age: 43

Occupation: Registered nurse specializing in surgery and cardiology.

Where she lives and plays: Sarasota, Fla. It is a great place to live—even if it rains, which it does a lot in the summer, the sun still comes out every day. I love the warm weather too, I hate the cold!

Marital status: Married for 22 years. My husband Jim and I train and race together, and have a great time together. Other couples are always saying, "There is no way I could race with my wife/husband." But we're just like best friends. We have been together since we were 16, and were high school sweethearts, which I think is pretty special.

Kids: Three children. Erica is 18 and a freshman at Florida State studying business. She just completed four years of crew. Ashley, 16, is a junior in high school. She plays varsity basketball and is currently running for JV cross country. Matthew, 10, is a 5th grader who loves basketball and plays for the YMCA.

Animals: A border collie named Boomer and a duck named Duck

Favorite sport(s): Adventure racing is my first love and then triathlon. I would prefer to paddle any day than go swimming in a cold ocean—you don't have to swim in adventure racing! I also love to watch the Tampa Bay Bucs play on TV.

First love (sport): I have been running since I was 16 just for exercise. My first road race was at age 21.

Favorite place to be active: In my own backyard. We live in the country and have sod fields that surround our property. I just love to run there; it is so peaceful and quiet. I can see deer every day. Sometimes the dog goes, my son will ride his bike alongside me, or I just go by myself with my headphones on, zoning out to the music.

Role model & why: Any woman in adventure racing. The sport is so mentally and physically challenging. When I race I just love it when I or other women can hang with the men, and it is even more fun when you pass them! A couple of weeks ago my husband and I were racing together in a 24-hour adventure race and we came up on these two great looking guys—they were lifeguards (boy did they look great). We passed them, and it was so fun—here they were looking the role of the super studs and we passed them up! And, I'm not too proud to say we ended up crossing the line four hours in front of them!

Ideal active weekend: Going away for the weekend to train for the next race. We train for 24 hours, including paddling, mountain biking and trekking with my teammates. Then we find a shower at some park and eat a huge breakfast at Denny's, afterward. The worst part is driving home; everybody wants to sleep so we have to take turns behind the wheel.

Biggest challenge staying active: Rain! There is a lot of rain and lightning in Sarasota in the summer.

Proudest active moment: Receiving 11th place at the adventure racing nationals in November 2002—a 24-hour adventure race in Sapphire Valley, N.C. Our team did so well and we had a fantastic time!

Best training tip: Stay hydrated—even when you are nauseated from the heat and sleep deprived.

Gear you can't live without: Believe it or not, my cell phone. Bad weather or an accident can come up any time. We have been saved by my phone on a number of occasions.

Favorite pre-workout/race meal: A light meal of chicken or pasta the night before a race, and Mountain Dew before a hard road bike ride.

Sport you'd most like to try: I would like to go caving—to ascend and rappel in the caves and then go exploring them sounds like a lot of fun!

When I'm not training for adventure racing or triathlon,
I'm: Attending the sports activities of my kids, going to the movies with my family or shopping.

What keeps you moving? Simple: I love being active. If I take a day off it is because something personal came up, not because I did not want to exercise.