Swim, bike, run: Jennette’s Pier’s Jenny Ash gears up for competition

Published 9:13 am Saturday, November 6, 2021

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Submitted by Jennette’s Pier

With the pandemic getting smaller in the rearview mirror, facility rentals at Jennette’s Pier are gaining momentum under the direction of Jenny Ash, who came onboard last spring.

Most days she keeps busy fielding calls, giving tours and answering questions from giddy brides and anxious mothers. Bookings have jumped up with spring and fall for next year gaining speed.

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The allure of an oceanfront wedding and reception keeps Oceanview Hall booked nearly year-round. Ash keeps pace with her new role like the seasoned runner she is.

The job varies greatly from her past post as executive director of Outer Banks Sporting Events, the organization that runs the Outer Banks Marathon, triathlon and additional races.

Even though she’s switched gears, Ash remains passionate about her life-long quest to be physically fit and excel in triathlons. She heads south this week for the Florida Ironman in Panama City held Saturday, November 6. It features 3,800 competitors, Ash noted.

This tri event entails swimming out and around the quarter-mile long Russell-Fields Pier twice in the emerald-green waters of the Gulf of Mexico to reach 2.4 miles total before heading out on a 112-mile flat land bike ride and then a grueling 26.2-mile run, raced in that order.

Ash has practiced for months – early mornings, evenings and on weekends. She has a nice Quintana Roo bike and a new tri suit to wear. Previously, she’s also competed in triathlons located in North Carolina, Lake Placid and Boulder.

“This isn’t the hardest I’ve done because its flat,” she said. “Unless its windy.”

Ash and her husband Steve did the half Ironman on the same Panama City course back on May 15. Saturday’s race is twice as long, so Ash has trained twice as hard and often with countless workouts at the Outer Banks Family YMCA, swims at Westside Athletic Club and outings with Outer Banks Running Club.

“I have to trust my training,” she said. “You gotta know what you did leading up to it.

“It’s a significant investment of time and money,” Ash continued. “But I love it; the commitment, the community and doing all three disciplines, swim, bike and run.”

For more information about Oceanview Hall at Jennette’s Pier, visit www.jennettespier.net or call 252-255-1501, ext. 204.

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