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Putting her stamp on it
by Carol Terracina Hartman
Comstock's | July 2007 Issue
She's written 22 books and launced six companies, including
Fleet Feet Sports and Heat Zones. She's completed the Ironman
triathlon 16 times and Danskin Women's Triathlon 109 times.
She's won the 100-mile Western States Endurance Run and holds
the world record for the Iditashoo 100-mile snowshoe race in
Alaska.
But now, Sacramento's Sally Edwards is taking the biggest risk
of her career: promoting athletic products bearing her name.
When Edwards asked her business advisers to name any successful
sports gear bearing a woman's name, they couldn't. Knowing the
risk, she launched the Sally Edwards Co. in January.
"I told my business advisers, "If you can't trust that someone-
who for 30 years has raced some of the toughest races- is credible,
knowledgeable and articulate, what will it take to break though
that barrier?"
Edwards, who now serves as director of training for her company,
has avoided putting her name behind any of her companies until
now. "I think that's pretty ego-driven, and I don't want to
entice my ego," she says. Last year, she received three offers
to attach her name to products. She said yes to Saris Cycling
Group, of Madison, Wis., for the PowerTap, a cycle meter that
measures a body's energy output, such as watts and load.
"The heart is my passion, and getting people in touch with theirs
has been my focus," Edwards says. "It's an opportunity for your
heart to talk to you."
Last July, her passion took a slight turn when her brother died
from a massive heart attack. Her goal today: Get America fit.
She's not talking about the heart anymore, but also what the
body takes in, the energy it expends and how stress and emotions
play a role.
To start, the Sally Edwards Co. supports what she calls a "franchise
garage gym." A couple dozen people gather at a house, hook their
bicycles to wind-trainers and ride together for 45 minutes.
This all occurs at 5:30 a.m. so people still have time to get
ready for work.
Edwards hopes people will eventually purchase the PowerTap to
measure the energy they are putting out, but until then, they
have the support and structure of the group. "It's one of the
many different ways each person can help America get fit." |
