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          Katherine Legge, Cara Adams try a new kind of racing: Ironman

          • John Oreovicz, Autos, Open-WheelSep 27, 2016, 07:54 PM ET
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            • Motorsports Writer for ESPN.com
            • Covered Indy car racing for 20 years
            • Work published in 12 countries
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          Katherine Legge and Cara Adams are used to being strong female role models in the male-dominated sport of auto racing.

          But last weekend the two friends showed their strength in a different way.

          With the goal of raising $5,000 for the Scott Rigsby Foundation and its efforts to enable individuals with disabilities to live a healthy, active lifestyle by improving access to Prosthetic and Orthotic (P&O) care and resources, Adams and Legge competed in their first triathlon -- the Ironman 70.3 Augusta.

          Legge, an accomplished sports car and IndyCar racer, beat her personal goal of completing the 70.3 miles (actually, 71.3 thanks to a construction detour that added a mile to the bicycle leg that included two steep hills) in less than six hours by clocking in at 5:56:42.

          Adams, a certified gearhead who works on a hot rod Mustang and brews beer in her spare time, was recently promoted to chief engineer and manager of race tire development for Bridgestone Americas. Cheered on by her husband Alexis, who logged more than 20,000 steps on the day, she battled the Georgia heat (it was 91 degrees at the finish) to finish in 7:25.

          So we are official 😎

          A photo posted by Katherine Legge (@katherineracing) on

          Together, they raised $5,120 for the foundation named after Rigsby, who lost his legs in a traffic accident when he was 18. More than 20 years later, Rigsby used training for the 2007 Hawaii Ironman as a motivational tool to get his own life together and inspire others.

          Mission accomplished.