WHITEFACE TURNS 50 - Adirondack Sports & Fitness

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10 Adirondack Sports & Fitness ATHLETE PROFILE Mary Duprey by Shannon Brescher Shea Speaking to Mary Duprey, most people would not guess that she is a competitive athlete, much less a highly successful one. She rarely talks about her cycling victories or impressive number of wins. But when she reaches the starting line, her competitors don’t even have time to realize how formidable she is before she disappears from sight. But Mary was not always a dominant force. Rather, she was far less active and healthy in her early 20s than she is now. “I used to smoke cigarettes, drink a lot of alcohol,” she said. “Then I decided I needed to get my stuff together.” Cycling attracted her as an activity, so she decided it might be the right thing to get her life in gear. Liking the freedom of the bicycle, she started competing in local time trial events and soon “fell in love with [it].” Participating in these rides awakened Mary’s inner athlete. “I think it’s just the drive that I had,” she said. “If I am going to do something, I’m going to go all out.” As her dedication grew, she quickly became known in the area’s athletic scene. She lives in Rouses Point, near the New York/Canadian border, but participates in events throughout the region. Upon a fellow rider’s recommendation, a leader of a local kayak triathlon team called her one day, and said, “I heard you were a good cyclist. Do you want to be on the team?” Although Mary had never met the caller, she readily accepted the invitation. Mary has participated every year since then in The Great Race triathlon each July, a 3.1-mile run, 12-mile –bike, and 3-mile canoe/kayak event in St. Albans Bay, Vt. � START OF 2006 DUATHLON IN SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO - SECOND PLACE IN WOMENS’ DIVISION. � WITH TORI AND GERRY AT 2007 NYS TIME TRIAL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN STILLWATER – SILVER MEDAL IN WO MENS’ OPEN DIVISION. � 2007 COLCHESTER, VT., TRI-OPTION TRIATHLON – FIRST PLACE IN WOMENS’ KAYAK DIVISION Mary’s reputation has only continued to expand since then, both as a cyclist and kayak triathlete. Testifying to her toughness, fellow athlete Clyde Yarnell of Essex, Vt., commented that not only does she win the women’s events, but regularly beats many of the top men. Describing the men at The Great Race triathlon, he said, “They can compare their times only by how many minutes Mary had beat them by. That’s pretty impressive. ‘Mary’s only beat me by two minutes this year… Mary’s only beat me by one minute this year…’” Mary’s winning has inspired her to tackle new challenges. “She wins a lot, no question. But I think she is probably satisfi ed to compete well,” said Don West of [to be determined], who participates in bicycle time trial races with her. “She won’t just stay home where she knows she can win.” Mary has competed as far away as Puerto Rico, and even brought her bicycle to Ireland on a business trip so that she could train. In September 2007, Mary topped even herself with her result in the Josh Billings RunAground triathlon, a 27-mile bike, fi ve-mile canoe/kayak, and six-mile run event in Lenox, Mass. Even though it was her fi rst time competing individually, she set a new women’s record by over fi ve minutes. “That is a huge time,” Clyde said, emphasizing that it included Age: 48 Family: Husband, Gerry; Step-Daughters, Karen, 36, Shelley, 34; Daughters, Lauren, 25, Tori, 14 Residence: Rouses Point Occupation: Quality Assurance Manager, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Sport: Bicycling; Kayak/Canoe Triathlon (Kayak or Canoe/Bike/Run) all ages. Mary described it as her proudest moment yet, commenting, “I was just really pleased with myself that I was able to do that.” The Josh Billings triathlon is especially challenging as it begins with a mass bicycle start of over 500 cyclists. However, Mary has never been content to fall back on her accomplishments. Don, who met her over 20 years ago, recalled her reluctance to enter bike/run events. “She said, ‘Oh, I can’t run.’ Within a year or two, she just started running,” he said. Now, she often wins her age group for the running portion of multisport events. Similarly, she recently registered for the Tupper Lake Tinman Triathlon, a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, and 13.1mile run event on June 29, 2008, although she doesn’t consider herself a swimmer. “I’m going to learn how to swim in the next fi ve months,” she said. “It excites me. I guess I have a fear of water – so I think I’m doing it just to overcome the fear.” She hopes that once she completes this halfironman she may be able to tackle the Ironman USA Lake Placid triathlon (July 20, 2008) in a future year. Despite her success, Mary rarely speaks about her triumphs. Instead, she is known for her quiet modesty, allowing her victories to speak for her. “What’s the most amazing to see is that she’s such a pleasant person,” Clyde said. “You wouldn’t even know she’s a top-notch athlete. You never know until she gets on the bike and she gets her game face.” Similarly, Don said, “She doesn’t boast... Just does it quietly and lets it go. She’s not in it for recognition.” Rather than touting her accomplishments, Mary works hard to share her dedication to sports with her family. Although she fi rst met her husband, Gerry, through work, it was their running that brought them together. They both worked the second shift, ending at 1am. “When you’re done at one o’clock in the morning, you’re usually not ready to go home and go sleep,” she said. Instead of retreating to bed, some of the employees would go out for very early morning runs. In that group, �� Mary and Gerry connected, running under the streetlights in the quiet night streets. Now, Mary balances her priorities by involving her family in her activities. Much of the time, her family acts as her support crew, which Mary said is “actually sometimes harder than doing the event.” Describing Mary and her husband, Don said, “They’re really a unit… They take up the slack for each other.” For example, Gerry often acts as a timer for the weekly time trials that Mary participates in and organizes. In addition to acting as Mary’s crew and cheering section, her family often takes part in the events. Last August, Mary and Gerry competed in the 17-mile Herc Speed Hiking Competition (with 6,678foot elevation gain/loss) at Sugarbush Resort in Warren, Vt., which Gerry described as “just the toughest thing I’ve ever seen.” To involve, Tori, her teenage daughter, in her activities, Mary bought a tandem bike. Mother, father, and daughter form a team for The Great Race triathlon with Mary kayaking, Gerry running, and Gerry and Tori cycling together. Recently, Mary has built upon her experience in the sporting world to reach out to non-athletes. Seeing her self-described “passion for fi tness,” her employers at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals asked her if she would act as the fi tness center manager. In this position, Mary has organized employee challenges and established an indoor walking path. A natural outgrowth of this job has been Mary’s participation in the American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” outreach program. After an organizational representative helped the center start a walking program, Mary decided to join the Plattsburgh chapter. “Our goal is to bring awareness to women and to men that heart disease is actually the number one killer of women in America,” she said. The group recently held its inaugural Go Red for Women Breakfast, a well-attended educational event and plans to hold another one next year. The cause is especially close to Mary, because she suffers from high blood pressure herself. “It was hard for me to believe I had high blood pressure,” she said. “I actually fought it for a couple of years.” Although she understands how some women wish to ignore the issue, she believes raising awareness of heart disease is essential. “It’s very preventable,” she said. Since the signs of a heart attack differ between men and women, a large part of her campaign focuses on raising awareness of these signals. She said that unlike men, women sometimes experience pain under their tongue or in their stomach. She encourages women to make a healthy diet and fi tness routine priorities in their lives. “It’s a woman’s tendency to take care of everyone else fi rst,” she said. “You need to take the time to take care of yourself.” No matter what the challenge, Mary Duprey has found new ways to harness her zeal for exercise, leading to success as an athlete and inspiration to others. Shannon Brescher Shea (shannonbshea@ gmail.com) is a freelance writer with a focus on environmental issues. She recently graduated with her master’s degree from Oxford University. She enjoys biking, hiking, rock climbing and running. ��
www.AdkSportsFitness.com February 2008 11 P CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING & SNOWSHOEING PEAKED MOUNTAIN: A Short Winter Challenge eaked Mountain Pond has become a very popular fi shing, hiking, and camping destination, and of course it is an outstanding snowshoe destination. This gem of a lake in the shadow of its own rock-covered peak is most attractive. Peaked Mountain is the imposing cone that rises above it. When seen in profi le, it appears to be half spruce, half rock. It is the most distinctive of the rock-scarred mountains northwest of Thirteenth Lake, and it is the only one with a trail. The hike to the pond is a moderately diffi cult winter trek, and a scenic hike in its own right. The steepness of Peaked Mountain makes it more challenging, but not unattainable. Be wary of icy conditions, however. Getting There Access to the lake is by way of Thirteenth Lake Road, which leaves NY 28 0.5 mile west of North River. It heads west and south, beside Thirteenth Brook, through Christian Hill, to a fork 3.5 miles from NY 28. The left, east, road goes to Old Farm Clearing and Garnet Hill Lodge, so take the right fork, Beach Road. It deadends at a parking lot located about 200 yards from Thirteenth Lake. There are four designated campsites (with associated privies) between here and the lake. PERCEPTION • PLATYPUS • PRIMUS • PUR • STOLQUIST • SWIFT • TEVA • WERNER • WILDERNESS • YAKIMA by Bill Ingersoll Reference: Discover the South Central Adirondacks, trails #79-80 The Trail Follow the main trail through the camping area to the shore. Here, winter hikers have two options: striking out across the frozen surface of Thirteenth Lake, or following the red-marked hiking trail to the right—a rugged route that is quite scenic but also quite rugged. Either way, the view up Thirteenth Lake to the mountainous interior of the Siamese Ponds Wilderness is one I can never pass without pausing to enjoy. It makes me wish I was born with four legs and fur, so that I might be permitted to take up permanent residence in a country such as that. If you are crossing the ice, look for the mouth of Peaked Mountain Brook. The hiking trail turns inland at this point, although from the lake you will need to make your own way to it. The trail leads uphill, close to the brook on its north side. Look for the red markers of a newly designated trail leading across the brook at the top of the fi rst cascade, 1 trail mile from the parking area; it leads to Hour Pond and its new lean-to. Continuing beside the brook, the trail climbs steeply at fi rst, then more gently, until at 0.8 mile from the lake you cross the brook on an ice bridge or by hopping rocks. Shortly beyond, you approach the ADK BOOKS • AQUA BOUND • BELL CANOES • BOMBER GEAR • BOREAL DESIGN • CHACO • CURRENT DESIGNS It’s Never Too Soon To Gear Up For A Great Time. Kayaks, Canoes & Paddling Accessories, Outdoor Clothing, Books, Camping Gear and More. Sales, Lessons, Rentals, Tours. 518.644.9366 www.lakegeorgekayak.com Paddle Shop: Main Street Bolton Landing, NY 12814 Not Just Inventory. Answers. Service. Selection. Knowledge. Satisfaction. Your Resource for In-Stock Composite Boats. KELTY • KOKATAT • LIFE IS GOOD • LOTUS • MARMOT • MITCHELL • MSR • NECKY • NRS • OR • PATAGONIA DAGGER • EDDYLINE • EXTRASPORT • FEATHERCRAFT • GAIA • IMPEX • KATADYNE • KAVU • KEEN fi rst vly with views of Slide Mountain across it. The trail stays south of the fi rst vly, and then swings to the north side of the second beaver meadow. This zigzag is not shown on topographic maps, so be on the lookout if you are breaking your own trail through the winter woods. The trail leads around this meadow and back to the south side of the brook, where you continue to the third vly, over which you see Peaked Mountain for the fi rst time. The mountain’s “sudden” appearance is a highlight of the trip. The trail, sparsely marked, winds around huge boulders (one of which is tipped onto another to form a curious shelter) and up into the woods. The trail leads over a ridge to reach the outlet of Peaked Mountain Pond at 3 � ROCK SHELTER. PHOTOS BY BILL INGERSOLL � PEAKED MOUNTAIN FROM PEAKED MOUNTAIN POND. miles. White birches stand out from the hillside above, pointing to the soft grey rock outcrops that lead to the summit of Peaked Mountain. There is a campsite along the south shore with an outstanding view of the mountain. The continuing trail crosses the outlet of Peaked Mountain Pond, heading around the east shore through birch-fi lled woods. At the top of one rocky step, look for a side path leading left to a campsite by the water. The trail next points across a shallow draw at the northeast corner of the pond, where you head straight up the steep fl ank of the mountain in a northerly direction. Peaked Mountain is a short but challenging climb, especially in winter. You will definitely need snowshoes with aggressive crampons, for the way is steep and there will be several ledges to scramble over. In the summer, you will fi nd the tread to be eroded to bedrock in places. After scrambling around a rock ledge and pushing through a narrow tree-lined passage, you emerge on an outcrop with the fi rst view of the pond below. The trail now angles left, away from the cliffs, and zigzags back to the tip of the tiny cone that is the summit of the mountain, 0.8 mile beyond the pond and 660 feet above it. There are views west to the mountains beyond Indian Lake. From the edge of the cliff you look across to Slide Mountain and back along the long chain of vlies the trail follows along Peaked Mountain Brook. Gore Mountain fi lls the southeast horizon, while the High Peaks are visible beyond Ruby, Davis, and Casey mountains to the north. Bill Ingersoll of Barneveld is publisher of the Discover the Adirondacks guidebook series and author of Snowshoe Routes: Adirondacks & Catskills. For more information on this region, consult Discover the Central Adirondacks by Barbara McMartin and Bill Ingersoll. IN THE BATTENKILL VALLEY Guided and supported cycling tour through the Battenkill Valley March 22, 29 & 30. Visit sugar houses by bike or car and enjoy a lunch of endless pancakes at our local maple producers. $30 per rider. Overnight packages available with optional tickets to Hubbard Halls production “Heartbreak House”. For information and package options call or visit our website www.visitbattenkillvalley.com Towns & Villages of the Battenkill Valley 518.677.5945 NAMED BEST IN THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION NAMED BEST XC RESORT FOR FAMILIES OUR 30TH WINTER SEASON! Visit website for snow conditions
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