Join the race, volunteer, or cheer on a friend or loved one at the fourth annual Subaru U.S. Women's Triathlon Series in Federal Way, Sunday, September 9.

The popular event brings together women of all skill levels to raise money benefiting the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

The morning race features two segments that cater to both the weekend amateur and the serious triathlete.

The "Sprint" race encompasses a .46-mile swim, a 12.4-mile bike and a 4.1-mile run.

The Super-Sprint distance offers participants a .23-mile swim, 8.07 miles of biking and a run of 2.05 miles.

The race begins at 7 a.m. at the beautiful Steel Lake Park in Federal Way.

More tha 1,000 women are expected to compete in this women's only event.

The city will host a post-race party after the event at Steel Lake Park from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., with food, music and an awards ceremony. The party is open to participants, friends, family and volunteers.

About the cause

The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF) is the official charity of the Subaru U.S. Women's Triathlon Series.

As OCRF looks for a cure for Ovarian Cancer, they assist patient's families with understanding the disease and its treatment.

In addition to raising funds for research, OCRF provides outreach programs and raises public awareness.

Over $650,000 has been raised for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund in the last five years through the triathlon series.

About the athletes

The women participants who take part in the Federal Way Triathlon come from a variety of backgrounds, skill and fitness levels.

Federal Way Sandy Paul offered her story outlining the reasons why she and her sister decided to get in shape and participate.

I'm an old bag. Suffice it to say that I am "up there" in years My sister is 3 1/2 years younger and looks and acts older. We come from a sad family history and she is all I have. I want her to be around for many years to come. For me. I have no one else when my children are doing their own thing. And hers do their own thing, too, so she needs me, too. I tried to interest Oprah and Gayle in this story and there were other stories more compelling. And there are.

I was talking with a friend who had trekked in Nepal. She inspired me to do this triathlon but as it turned out she wouldn't do it WITH me.

I worked on this "presentation" to my sister to do the triathlon with me, to get healthy (she's obese, but not morbidly obese yet).

She's into taking pills and not taking responsibility.

We were in a hotel in Salt Lake City at Thanksgiving 2006. We were visiting her daughter who does triathlons and marathons.

I laid this supersized guilt trip on her about taking control and being in charge and getting healthy enough to do a triathlon by September.

We agreed we'd break no speed records but that we'd at least be in front of the sweep wagons! She bought it!

A few weeks ago, we couldn't ride six miles on a bike.

Now, on a 35 mile bike ride, we begin to complain about tired butts when we have six more miles to go to get back to our cars.

That's huge for us.

Next Saturday we will ride, walk (we will not run, we will walk) and swim.

We both hate swimming, we find out, because we have inner ear issues and always have had.

But we will participate (I almost said compete!) in this triathlon with our sights on climbing Mt. St Helens next year, doing the Seattle to Portland bike challenge some year soon, and just getting out there and doing what we can do the way we can do it to be fit and healthy.

It has turned out that we have fitness Saturdays, and sometimes fit in a Wednesday or Thursday bike ride.

We are totally focused now that we are company for each other and we don't have to meet any speed records (although we WILL have to step it up if we want to do the STP in a weekend!). I am working on getting her into some kind of weight training program in between Saturdays.

We are so looking forward to this challenge.