Being Outside and Getting Exercise in a Fun Way

Marilyn Ward enters her 4th year of competition with the Miners MTB team

Marilyn Ward was looking for something fun to do after COVID, and decided to try the mountain biking team as a 7th grader at Grass Valley Charter. With support from her coaches and teammates, she soon became a skilled rider, and discovered she loved mountain biking. “You don’t have to have a lot of experience or do it as hard as other people,” she said. “It’s the same sport for girls and boys.  More girls should do it.”

Now a junior at Nevada Union, Marilyn has been mountain biking for five years, four of those years competing with the Miners MTB team. She has definitively found her thing. “I love being outside and getting exercise in a fun way,” she said. “It’s different than anything else.” Last year Marilyn placed in the top 20 in all of her races, frequently in the top 10.  “I learned I have a lot more endurance than I thought,” she said. “I can just do it.”