MELISSA DEHNER (Kansas City, KS):

Hometown: Fairway, Kansas

Education: University of Kansas - 1997; BFA in Visual Communications
                   dual major Illustration and Graphic Design

Occupation: Business owner - HoneyBee Creative, LLC design studio (Graphic Designer and Illustrator)

Discipline: strengths:
          Mountain biking - endurance and technical riding/racing
          Cyclocross racing
          Running - on and off-road duathlons

FormerTeams: Dirt Rag Artsy Fartsy Five 24 hr mountain bike race team 2007

Category: Cat 4 Women Cyclocross, Sport Women Mountain Bike

Years Racing: 3

2009 Objectives: Main objective for 2009 - continue to really just enjoy getting out and keeping active by racing and training. Continue with mountain bike races, both sprint and endurance - maybe try a 12hr solo race (and finally purchase a good light system for my bike!) and continue participating in on and off-road duathlons, and cyclocross racing.

Favorite race: Cyclocross racing is a blast, but so is the Heartland Mountain Bike series. I tend to like the longer endurance races because you can really think out what your plan is going to be for the whole day and strategize over a long period of time when anything can happen at any time during the race. I also do better starting off moderate and ramping it up after a good solid lap or two. I’m definitely more of a tortoise rather than a hare….slow and steady finishes the race!

Admirable Athlete:  Picabo Street, Tony Hawk, Venus and Serena Williams. I like athletes who keep their game strong of course, but also live their life in a positive way and have a lot of fun doing what they do (and, well, I am a designer so their fun personal style is a definite inspiration to me too!)

Unique information or story about you: I spent 6 years as a child in Littleton, Colorado and started skiing when I was 3 years old and loved being outside as much as possible. I also started drawing the mountain sunsets at that same age and never quit drawing. I have had many wonderful dogs through out my life starting with a dog named Dusty my family adopted when I was two years old. Right now, my newest furry pal is a three-legged ball of energy named Sage Therese Dehner and can out-run most dogs at any dog park. She is one of my biggest inspirations today because she never gives up and doesn't seem to give one ounce of care that she's missing a leg!!

Most embarrassing (race) moment: Durning a 6 hour solo mtn bike race I was sprinting toward the finish line happy to have completed the race after 6 hours and 50 minutes of off-road racing, though I did know I was coming in 4th out of 4. However, as I was making my big sprint finish, I see over to the right about 50 feet away, everyone cheering for the 1st - 3rd place women finishers of my category, and saw they were only awarding 1st - 3rd places.......there they were, all cleaned up and recovered, changed out of their kits, up on the podium accepting their medals and prizes, and here I came in (without notice to anyone except the last person at the check-in table), sweating like crazy almost an hour later, and the only one in my category to finish but not be recognized. Kinda felt that one in the stomach!

Top Results:

2008
2nd place, Rapture in Misery 6hr , Independence, MO (6hr solo women)
3rd place, Heartland MTN Bike Series, Shawnee Mission 3hr  - Shawnee, KS (3 hr solo women)
3rd place, Spoke Pony Showdown 6hr mtn bike race - Independence, MO (6hr solo women)
4th place, Heartland MTN Bike Series, Robidoux Roundup - St. Joseph, MO (sport women)
4th place, Heartland MTN Bike Series, Truman's Big Love (sport women)
5th place, Boss Cross 1, Tiffany Springs, MO (women cat 4)
5th place, Diamond Blackfan CX Challenge, Lenexa, KS (women cat 4)
7th place, Chris Cross CX race, Lawrence, KS (women cat 4)

2007
2nd place, Midwest Meltdown duathlon, Kansas City KS (age group; 52nd o/a)
3rd overall, Heartland MTN Bike Series (sport women)
4th place, Chris Cross CX - Lawrence, KS (women cat 4)
4th place, Rapture in Misery 6hr solo MTB race, Landahl Park, Independence MO (6hr solo women)
4th place, Heartland MTN Bike Series -- Crank 'n' Cruise, Trenton MO (sport women)
4th place, God's Country off-road duathlon, Lawrence, KS (age group)
5th place, Heartland MTN Bike Spoke Pony Showdown - Independence, MO (3hr solo women)
5th place, Heartland MTB Championship Series (race #1), Perry Lake, KS (sport)