Dirt in your skirt blog

Dirt in Your Ambassadors – Heather Cammarata

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Margaret Schlachter

Over the next two weeks we will be introducing you to the 2013 Dirt in Your Skirt Athlete Ambassadors. We received over 50 applications and narrowed it down to a team of eight amazing women. It was incredibly challenging and every applicant men and women would have been a great representation for Dirt in Your Skirt.

We want to thank everyone who took the time to apply and the stories we read over the last month were amazing. However, at the end of the day we had to narrow it down. Thank you again for your interest in Dirt in Your Skirt and I hope you warmly welcome the 2013 Dirt in Your Skirt Ambassadors with much enthusiasm. It only makes sense to introduce the this ambassador first as she was actually the first application I received only hours after opening the applications.

Heather Cammarata

Age: 40

Height: 5’3″

Hometown: Ledgewood, NJ

Sports of Choice: Obstacle Course Racing, Trail Running, CrossFit, and Road Running

Sponsors: Swiftwick Socks, Higher Strength Nutrition

About Heather in her own words: “I work at ZS Fitness in Long Valley New Jersey. I am studying to become a personal trainer. I am 40, married and have two awesome athletic girls ages 8 and 13. I love crossfit, running, and working out. I am addicted to obstacle course racing. Placed 21st overall female in the 2012 Spartan Points Series.”

Heather has been around the obstacle racing world for a little while and this past year she finished 14th in the women’s elite heat at the Reebok Spartan Race in PA. The race that brought in the top women in the sport. Heather is fearless, in her own words she gives, “110% in whatever [she] set[s] her mind to do.” She is a woman who broke down gender barriers in her local gym when she joined the functional fitness classes which were populated only by men at the time. She had the courage to be the first woman in the class. Other women saw her taking the class and decided they wanted to join. In Heather’s words, “I have shown them that it is ok for us chicks to get a little dirty and sweaty, and workout just as hard as the guys do.” She told us that now that same class that not long ago was without any women now the women often outnumber the men. The women in the class are not only keeping up with some of the men but in some cases the men need to keep up with the women.

In her free time Heather coaches her town recreation track program and the cross country team as well. She hopes to start a local running club in the next year to get more people out and help other people realize how great it can be to get off the couch and move.

This year Heather plans to take on Civilian Military Combine in PA, Reebok Spartan Races in NY, PA, VA, NJ, and the Ultra Beast in Vermont. She also is tackling the Warrior Dash in NJ and Run with the Devil a twelve hour race in the dead of summer. She also recently was in NYC for the Reebok Spartan Race showcase.

We are excited to have Heather on the team and can’t wait to see what she accomplishes this year!