Posse Highlight: Mel Norland

This week’s posse highlight is Melissa ‘Mel’ Norland!

​Mel and her family have been frequent volunteers with us for 6 years! She grew up playing ball sports, primarily soccer, but always ran for fitness. She got involved with endurance sports when she met Clem LaCava, the race director and founder of a local ultramarathon, the McDonald Forest 50k. Running that race was one of the best crazy decisions she’s ever made because it introduced her to the very wide world of endurance sports!

While her favorite leg of the triathlon changes year to year, she’s currently loving the swim because she’s the type of person who embraces her fears and weaknesses and does her best to overcome them. When she’s volunteering with us you’ll find her doing pretty much anything that needs to be done, but she loves being out on the paddle board as swim course safety.

When the going gets tough in a race she focuses on keeping moving one stroke/step/pedal stroke at a time. She’s a full time stay at home parent for her two boys and she has two other part time jobs meaning she’s one busy person! Before a race, she likes to have oatmeal with fruit and nuts in it, but after a race she LOVES eggs. By far, her love for the triathlon community and the connection that she feels with the Best in the West Posse shines through when she volunteers with us. Raising her family around such a positive group of like-minded, hard working, and awesome people has been an immensely positive impact on her own life.

If you see Mel before a race, stop and have a chat with her. You will find that your pre-race nerves will be eased and your attitude will swing dramatically in the positive direction!