Swimming, biking and running aren’t sports that normally cross paths, but on July 19 athletes will accomplish all three exercises during the eighth annual Shelby YMCA Triathlon/Duathlon, sponsored by OhioHealth MedCentral and Buckeye Dealership.
Participants will have the option of competing in either the triathlon or the duathlon, both events beginning at 8 a.m. on Saturday, July 19. The triathlon includes a 500-meter swim, followed by a 12-mile bike ride and a 3.4-mile run. For those who would rather not swim, the duathlon is a 1-mile run, a 12-mile bike ride then a 3.4-mile run.
“It takes a different type of person to do all three well enough to actually compete,” said Eric Finn, Director of Programs and Membership at the Shelby YMCA.
Triathlon participants have the option of competing in all three legs of the race, or signing up as a team of three and participating in one leg each. Finn explained many teams try to specialize in their assigned event.
“For example, to swim and do it well and finish in a good time, it’s more than you would think,” he said.
Finn himself has been training for the event on July 19, though he noted he would probably run the duathlon. One training event at the YMCA has been “Tri-Day Friday,” where a group of seven or eight people gathers to train for each leg of the triathlon.
“It’s a different thing, swimming 500 meters then jumping on a bike then running – your legs are like Jello after,” said Finn with a laugh. “I tried one day to bike then swim then run, and by that run I was just dead.”
Another athlete participating in Tri-Day Friday is Nikki Fortman, who has run six out of the last seven triathlons at the Shelby YMCA. Fortman started doing the triathlon on a team with her mother and sister, before the three women eventually decided to attempt the event on their own.
“We have a training plan that we were going to try and follow, but mostly we just try and swim, bike and run a lot,” said Fortman. “I started out just running and wanted to try something different. Running gets boring and it takes a toll on your body, adding in the biking and swimming helps to keep you from just pounding on the streets every day. And it works different muscles so it actually helps make you stronger in the run.”
A fellow veteran of the Shelby YMCA triathlon, Jean LaBarge, also decided to start doing triathlons as a way to shake up her routine after she became bored running 5ks.
“I’m always looking for a challenge, and when you have a goal of an event it keeps you motivated,” said LaBarge. “A triathlon, because there’s swimming, biking and running it’s a little more of a challenge and it breaks it up. I found that to be fun.”
All proceeds from the triathlon/duathlon roll back into the Shelby YMCA, and supporting the YMCA was the reason LaBarge did her first-ever triathlon. After that, she was hooked.
“Once you try it, it becomes kind of addicting,” she said. “I wish I had more time to devote to it.”
Though the idea of a 500-meter swim, a 12-mile bike ride and a 3.4-mile run sounds daunting, both Fortman and LaBarge classified the Shelby YMCA triathlon as a “sprint distance.”
“I have so much respect for people that finish Olympic distance, and half and full Ironmans – now that’s a freaking accomplishment,” said Fortman. “The Shelby triathlon is so perfect for people that just want to try a multi sport event because it’s shorter and pretty laid back, and you can get teams together where one person swims, one bikes and one runs. It’s so fun for family and friends to be out there cheering each other on.”
For LaBarge, mental preparedness is the most challenging aspect of a triathlon.
“You have to be prepared to push yourself, and you’re going to be tired and you get off that bike and think gosh, do I really want to go run now,” she said. “Some of the mental piece can be the hardest part.”
However, she said the most rewarding part comes with the cross of the finish line and the accompanying sense of accomplishment. Finn noted the triumph of finishing a triathlon is what draws most athletes to compete.
“It’s the challenge of saying I did it, I put my mind to it, I trained, and I did it,” he said. “Plus at the same time, you’re getting yourself healthy, physically fit, hopefully losing some weight in the process, and just getting yourself in better shape to do more of whatever you want to do.”
“It can be really fun and challenging and rewarding,” said LaBarge. “If I can do it anyone can do it.”
Athletes wishing to participate in the Shelby YMCA Triathlon/Duathlon must be registered by July 11 to be guaranteed a race t-shirt. Registration forms and more information can be found at the Shelby YMCA website.
“You have to be prepared to push yourself, and you’re going to be tired and you get off that bike and think gosh, do I really want to go run now,” she said. “Some of the mental piece can be the hardest part.”
