Triathlon

Well, it took me a couple of years but I was able to realize a long-held goal of participating in a sporting event which pushes the body to be fairly fit. It was neat because it was held on Independence Day. I was able to complete the Righteous Richland Triathlon. This is not a full triathlon, rather a sprint triathlon. Nevertheless, it was a challenge and a lot of fun to participate with over two-hundred others. The course started at the park along the Columbia River where I frequently go to swim for exercise. You can see a course map here. We climbed in the water for a half-mile swim starting the course around 8 a.m. I hustled out of the water about 15 minutes later, up the bank to the bicycle staging area. I tried to dry a little as I went and got on my socks and shoes and shirt, gloves and helmet. Denise, Nate and Justin were there to cheer me on.

---

Will Halter, A friend from my ward was also there participating.

---

I also ran across an old acquaintance from Sunnyside, John Kilian. We hung out a little and reminisced a bit pre and post race.

Back to the story, I climbed on my bike wearing my Speedo and shirt and got going (yes, a Speedo. I NEVER thought I'd wear one but the experts said it was the way to go to make for a quick transition. Thus, avoiding chafing of a wet swimsuit. You'll see it looks like I'm wearing no bottoms but I do have the Speedo on.).

This "sprint" triathlon was unique in that the bicycle section was on mountain bikes. We traversed a 12 mile course, again over familiar territory on single and double track trails through the Chamna Natural Preserve. Chamna is a lush, beatiful area that is about 5 minutes from our house by bike. It is right along the Yakima River and is bordered on the north by Interstate 182. It seems kind of out of place when you think about this area right in the middle of town.

---

This is a satellite image of the Chamna area.

This section was marked out ahead of time and I pre-rode the course 4 times before race day. We got back to the staging area and switched to the 3 mile run. This was my weakest section as I hadn't run in years. Swimming and biking were pretty strong but I didn't even think I could run the whole course, especially because of plantar fasciitis in my right foot. I pushed on and, surprisingly, jogged 95% of the final leg. I crossed the finish line around 1:27:44. Most importantly, I FINISHED! and, I didn't have any next day soreness that I expected. Thanks to all those who provided support!