Events and Competitions

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Profile: Karen Mullarkey-Barringer, 31

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Contest: International Federation of BodyBuilders pro figure, where Mullarkey-Barringer will make her debut as a professional figure competitor.

Residence: The Assumption High School graduate lives in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Family: Husband Patrick Barringer, whom she wed on September 8th. "Everybody" in Mullarkey-Barringer's family lives in Louisville, including her parents Mike and Donna Mullarkey and two older brothers, Jim Mullarkey and Pat Mullarkey. "Oh, I miss it!" she said.

Occupation: Commercial code inspector for the city of Tempe, Ariz.

Fit to figure: Mullarkey-Barringer was an athletic teenager who was always involved in sports that required a lot of running. "I stayed pretty lean. I think I was like 105 pounds at my lightest in high school," she said. She went to Kent State University on a field hockey scholarship. After college, she began working out with her friend and fellow Arizona resident Lynn Widdowson. "People used to ask us what we were training for, and we'd say we didn't know but we were training for something," Mullarkey-Barringer said. In July 2004, the women connected with trainer Ernie Villegas. "We hit it hard," she said. In November 2004, Mullarkey-Barringer stepped on stage in a contest in Phoenix and placed third in her class. "I got hooked," she said. Mullarkey-Barringer also got motivated. She'll compete this week at 5-feet-2 1/2 and 112 pounds.

Going pro: Mullarkey-Barringer has competed nine times since mid-2004. This past July -- three years after her first competition -- she took second place in her class at the 2007 Team Universe and New York City Pro Figure competition and earned her pro card. This week she will compete for the first time as a professional, standing on stage alongside women from all over the world, including athletes she's long admired. "It's amazing when I saw that (popular figure pro) Elaine Goodlad was competing," she said.

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Fan base: "I can't believe I'm making my pro debut in Kentucky, my hometown. I've never competed with fans," she said. "I've sent e-mails out to everybody. I've got people coming that I haven't seen for some time."

Goals: Mullarkey-Barringer's main focus is on this weekend, but then she'll start working to qualify for the IFBB's 2008 Figure Olympia contest, which pits the best of the best against one another. Louisville resident Jenny Lynn won the Figure Olympia title in September after walking away with it in 2006. Mullarkey-Barringer is striving to do the same. "I told people two years ago I wanted to earn my pro card, and I earned my pro card," Mullarkey-Barringer said. "It's just making a goal and accomplishing it."

Diet: In the morning, Mullarkey-Barringer eats four egg whites and 1/2 cup of oatmeal with berries. Her next meal is a snack of 4 ounces of chicken and a tablespoon of peanut butter. Lunch consists of 6 to 8 ounces of chicken, turkey or fish, a cup of green veggies and 1/2 cup of yams. Later, she repeats the snack meal but includes 1/2 cup of yams. Dinner is chicken, fish or turkey and veggies or salad. "Don't forget water, water, water," she said.

Workout: Off season, Mullarkey-Barringer usually gets in the gym to weight train three to four days a week and splits up the body parts for weight. She does cardio at least four days a week for at least 45 minutes. She likes the stair stepper and her trainer's boot camp fitness class.

Motivation: "I've always been a competitor. When I was growing up, I was constantly trying to keep up with the guys. It's just been in my blood to compete," Mullarkey-Barringer said. "You're so proud of what you accomplish. You can look back and say, 'You know what? I'm so proud.' "

Wise words: "It's just amazing to see what you can do if you believe in yourself. If you just follow the right guide, do your homework, do your cardio, do your lifting, follow your diet--anyone can do it."

-- Angie Fenton, The Courier-Journal