When you think of a triathlon, what comes to mind? You might picture an IRONMAN, an event that includes a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run. There are also half IRONMAN races (half the distance of a full IRONMAN), Olympic (~1-mile swim, ~24-mile bike, ~6.2-mile run) and Sprint (~1/3-mile swim, ~15-mile bike, 3.1-mile run) distances.

I have been competing in sprint races for nearly 20 years, and have sprinkled in a few Olympic distances, as well. For all but one race, I’ve had a sibling by my side. All four of us used to compete in our younger days, which built great camaraderie.

When I tell people I do triathlons, they’re amazed, and usually comment back “I could never do that” – which is certainly inaccurate. That’s why I write this today, to share that you don’t have to be perfect to be involved in one of these races.  

You may be surprised to hear my race history has not been all smooth sailing. I got a start in my hometown on a team, where I headed up the swimming portion of a relay. I distinctly remember how great of a swimmer I thought I was prior to that race, as well as how much I hyperventilated during my 15-minute debut, a very slow struggle to keep my head above water and how close I came to throwing up all the water I had swallowed after passing the baton to the biker. Frankly, it was awful.

But how many times do you ace your first attempt at something?

So… the next year, I was just brave (or forgetful?) enough to sign up as an individual to compete in the entire race. That race, I recall mounting a bike I had never ridden and taking it for a (very hilly) 14-mile ride. Thankfully, there were no wipeouts to report.

Since then, there were years I found myself on the shore having not swam since the prior year, barely biked, or hardly ran leading up to the race. I’ve had races with terrible side aches. Forgotten water bottles. Wardrobe malfunctions. And even an instance where I left my entire front wheel at home, a solid 2.5-hours away from the race. By sheer luck, I was able to borrow one from my sister-in-law at the extreme last minute that miraculously fit.

While these are less than ideal scenarios and far from great plans, I’ve survived to write about it! I’ve learned a lot (admittedly, the hard way) and continue to compete, learning along the way and improving when I put good work into training.

So, when I tell people I compete in triathlons, I think they misunderstand. When I encourage them to think about trying one, they rarely give it thought – convinced they “could never.” But the feasibility is far closer than they think.

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“Sometimes we become so focused on the finish line, that we fail to find joy in the journey. ”

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

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If you can part with perfectionism, and are willing to push yourself, you belong in one of these races. As fun as it is to compete and experience the emotions of a race (motivation, anticipation, nervousness, excitement, panic, fun, relief), and improve your time over the prior year, those aren’t the things I love most about these races.

It’s the people a race brings in. The crowd, the atmosphere.

You must be at one of these races to understand the energy. Anyone who hasn’t been to one of these events – as a spectator or participant – likely has the wrong image of the happenings. You might picture expensive, lightweight gear. You might picture lean, fit bodies, and you might picture 25–35-year-olds “in their prime” getting warmed up at the start line. You also might picture that nobody is nervous, everyone is very well trained, and they all turn a cold shoulder to the “competitor” beside them.

There is a lot of this. But widen your scope a bit, and you find an assortment of people (men and women) at all walks of life – kids, grandparents, large, small, fit, flabby, nervous, calm – showing up at the start line with differing goals: to finish, to start, to PR, to not drown.

The contrast is enlightening and incredible.

Here are a few examples of things I’ve seen:

• People using mountain bikes or cruisers (and once I saw a bicycle built for two!)
• Teenagers (or even younger) competing
• Discussions with strangers about nerves at the start – seems we all experience that!
• Encouragement from “competition”
• A lot of skin. And a lot of spandex – no matter the shape, size or gender
• Extreme intensity at the finish
• People with their helmets on backward
• People wearing lifejackets in the swim
• Bikers stopping to toss a spare tube to a “competitor” who popped a tire
• An 80-year-old woman finishing a triathlon
• A man who lost 300 pounds and started participating in triathlons
• Olympic swimmers struggling within 100 feet of the start

My goals over the years have changed. I used to want to be the fastest. Then I focused on improving my own time. Placing and earning a medal is always a badge of honor, too.

But as I vocalized during the most recent race, I’ve decided I always want to be fit enough to do these races and, ideally, get others to realize they can do it, too.

Interested? Talk to me!

Shootin’ the Wit is a sporadic blog about every day life that should never, ever be taken too seriously.