RST Athlete’s Story – Brigitta

This year I will cross something off my bucket list – completing a Sprint Triathlon! It is the Reston Sprint Triathlon, and it will take place on Sunday, June 3rd! I am about to turn 55 years old, and this will be my first sprint triathlon. I am up for the challenge! Plus, as you’ll see below, it benefits our community!

About 10 – 15 years ago I became fascinated with triathlons. I had only seen them on TV, and it was probably an Ironman!  That seemed like an unobtainable goal to me, but then I found out about sprint triathlons! That seemed like a goal that I could work towards. You have to understand that 10 – 15 years ago I was overweight, and I barely exercised. How would I ever fit in exercising? Or eating nutritiously? 

It seemed that my time was spent raising my children, taking care of my elderly parents, and running my two businesses. I realize that these are excuses, but that’s where I was for the past many years. Fast forward to five years ago and a life changing divorce. I started to feel more motivated to exercise. I had a personal trainer that helped me get to the point where I started jogging and then running 5Ks. I participated in a 5K for five months in a row. Winter hit, and I stopped running the 5Ks. Motivation waned in the last few years. I practiced yoga (and meditation) and walking and hiking. But that sprint triathlon was always in the back of my mind. 

In 2017, I lost 20 pounds on my own. I did not use any particular diet plan. I reached deep inside of me for self-discipline in my nutrition. As the pounds started coming off, I again found a personal trainer in a friend of mine, Pilar Lorca who has her own personal training company called Fitness4Everybody.  I started to feel stronger, even as I continued to lose weight.

Many years ago I had signed-up to receive emails from the Reston Sprint Triathlon organization. When I saw an email reminder to register come in early January, I was inspired to register! I have five months to train, and I am very excited!  It just goes to show that anything is possible! 

When I saw that there was a fundraising opportunity attached to the registration that will benefit the non-profit Cornerstones, I decided to join in and enhance my experience beyond my personal achievement.  Thanks to my friends and family, I have already raised over $200 toward my $1000 goal.  I’m a true believer in giving back to the community. There are incentives tied to the fundraiser, but even if there weren’t, I would still want to help raise funds for Cornerstones. 

You can make a donation to my fundraiser here:

Wish me luck and steady training!  See you on 6/3/18!

Brigitta S. Toruño

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Welcome Taralyn Tharp Kohler

Please welcome to CORE Foundation our new acting Executive Director, Taralyn Tharp Kohler. Taralyn is thrilled to join The CORE Foundation’s leadership team, and shares the belief in the model of social change by giving others a hand up not just a hand out. Taralyn was attracted to CORE Foundation’s social entrepreneur structure which varies from many 501(c)3s which focus on only one “cause.” Instead, CORE Foundation supports many causes locally, and pools together administrative and business resources while offering coaching and mentoring. This allows the causes to focus on generating donor revenue and making a difference effectively. By seeding leadership and skills locally, Taralyn feels that we can make for a stronger sustainable community for generations to come.

CORE Foundation excels in fundraising through events like triathlon and golf tournaments which also mirror Taralyn’s personal passion for sports. Ironically, Taralyn was introduced to CORE Foundation when she participated as an athlete in the 2016 Reston Sprint Triathlon (RST) which was also her first triathlon. RST is the largest triathlon in Northern Virginia, bringing together over 1000 athletes, and has a unique community feel. A portion of each athlete’s race fee is seeded back into the underserved community in Northern Virginia.

Taralyn looks forward to introducing some exciting new programs to CORE Foundation and RST this year that stress the ideas of helping your neighbor and making a difference through sports. These include the opportunity to fundraise and “Race for Free” earning back your race fee as an incentive for fundraising as well as the opportunity to purchase custom RST / CORE Foundation tri tops and tri shorts to further spread awareness of neighbors helping neighbors.

Taralyn is well seasoned in business development, strategy, sales and marketing.  After graduating from the University of Maryland College Park, Taralyn entered into the field of telecommunications. Early in her career, Taralyn was selected for MCI’s Coaching & Leadership Program fast-tracking her into management. An innovative network design which solved a client’s problem resulted in her team’s success story being featured in MCI’s annual report and industry publications: Network World, Call Center Digest, & Converge Network. Under her leadership, her team built the relationship with TWI which resulted in MCI’s acquiring ICF launching a new product line of digital media. Having an interest in being an impactful mentor then led her to seek certification in Executive Leadership Coaching at Georgetown and then shifted her career focus into helping others.
 
Having worked with charities since childhood, Taralyn is a natural thought leader and philanthropist.  Her intense passion for social good led her to launch “Move Your Mission,” a boutique consulting firm.  “Move Your Mission” does exactly what the name states helping organizations find new and creative ways to execute their vision and achieve sustainability while doing good.  Taralyn specializes in taking clients to a higher level than they dreamed possible.  Her concepts have been published in Grant Watch, Virginia Women’s Magazine, and Loudoun Women’s Magazine.
 
Outside of her professional work, she serves on the Steering Committee of “In The Bag,” the American Red Cross National Capital Region’s largest all-volunteer run fundraiser, which raises more than $140,000 annually in a one-day event. Taralyn is also part of the National Charity League and the Young Men’s Service League, where she volunteers with her teenage children, leaving a legacy of giving back and fostering leadership in our youth.  For her efforts in serving our community, she has been awarded the Presidential Volunteer Service Award in 2016 and 2017 for achieving more than 500 hours of community service.
 
Taralyn is honored to be a member of the Capital Speakers Club of Washington where she elected President of her class.  She enjoys public speaking for the organizations that she champions.
 
For fun, Taralyn represents causes that she is passionate about through triathlon and is a fitness enthusiast.  She just crossed the finish line of her first Ironman 70.3 and plans to train for more 70.3 distance races in 2018.  She’s proud to have been selected to serve on the 2018 Ambassador Teams for Tritats and Field Work Nutrition Company. Taralyn resides in Fairfax with her two teenage children, and her husband James.
Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Taralyn, and in wishing her the best of luck in her new position with CORE Foundation.
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Twelfth Annual Reston Sprint Triathlon

RST 2018 Registration Page

Be sure to register now, while you still can…

Only about 100 spots left for this race.

 

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