The Toni Award for Inspiration and Advocacy celebraters YWCA Minneapolis Women’s Triathlon participants whose courage and resilience make a positive impact in the community. Meet our 2025 Toni Award nominees.

After a stroke left her fearing she’d never race again, inspiring athlete Kate Varns returned to the YWCA Minneapolis Women’s Triathlon as an adaptive athlete — earning the Toni Award for Inspiration and Advocacy.

YWCA Minneapolis Women’s Triathlon celebrated the power and diversity of women and those who identify with womanhood at their annual race at Lake Nokomis. In 2025, 1,074 individual participants and 13 relay teams took part in the event.

For 25 years, YWCA Minneapolis has called Lake Street home. We are thrilled to bring bold color and renewed energy to the neighborhood with a vibrant new mural.

Meet Margaret Catambay, born and raised in Rochester, Minnesota. Margaret joined YWCA Minneapolis back in January 1987—long before membership photos were stored on computers! She originally came looking for a place to swim and exercise, and soon found herself immersed in water aerobics classes and the vibrant community that surrounded them.