MADELEINE BRAND, host:
And Julie Draper joins me on the line now from Colorado Springs.
Juliet, first of all, you competed on Saturday in the Firefighter Combat Challenge in Las Vegas.
Ms. JULIET DRAPER (Record-Holder, Firefighter Combat Challenge): I did. I did.
BRAND: And what happened?
Ms. DRAPER: We were - we had a great time and I won. I'm really, really...
BRAND: Congratulations.
Ms. DRAPER: ...grateful. Yeah, thank you very much. I tell you what, my competitor, Anita Horsley gave me a run for my money. And it was a nail biter the entire time. We were neck-and-neck. And - but, fortunately, I had enough wherewithal to slow down and not make any mistakes and pull it out.
BRAND: And, as we just heard in that profile, you are trying to beat your own record now. You're competing against yourself.
Ms. DRAPER: I was competing against myself. And, you know, seems this year that we kind of accomplished our goals in reverse order. I was hoping to, you know, earlier this year, do the - just barely under two-minutes. But we blew the whole two-minute thing out of the water with a minute and 48 seconds. And then, in our preliminary trial here this week on Thursday, we got a minute and 55 seconds. And our win was actually two-minutes flat. So it was kind of in reverse order, but it's just as sweet still.
You know, couldn't have done it without my spouse, Pam Jones, and all her great training and nutrition, and all that good stuff. So, you know, I'll be looking forward to taking a break.
BRAND: And, as we heard at the end of that piece, you're retiring. Why?
Ms. DRAPER: Absolutely. You know, I tell you what, Madeleine. I really enjoy lifting weights, and power lifting, and Olympic lifting. And as I get older, I'll be 40 in April, I can't just do everything all at the same time and still, you know, maintain the kind of levels that I want. So next year, it's time to get back into the gym and back to the weight room, and do what I love to do the most, which is lift.
BRAND: And fight fires.
Ms. DRAPER: And fight fire, of course.
BRAND: Now, firehouses are still overwhelmingly male.
Ms. DRAPER: Mm-hmm.
BRAND: I'm just wondering, do you get respect when you walk into a firehouse?
Ms. DRAPER: Oh, absolutely. And, you know, I think one of the biggest things that people are concerned about is whether their fellow firefighter can rescue them. And it is abundantly clear for my compatriots that, you know, I'm fully capable of rescuing them. At the end of running up to the top of the tower and dragging all my gear, you know, I can still drag 175-pound dummy, and get it all done in less than two-minutes. So, I think that's taken me a long way in my career.
BRAND: Firefighter Combat Challenge winner, Juliet Draper. Thank you for joining us.
Ms. DRAPER: Thank you, Madeleine.
BRAND: For photos and a video of Juliet Draper in action, please visit our Website, npr.org. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.