Triathlon tests athletes
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Athletes take part in the spin portion of the triathlon Saturday at Iron Horse Sports and Fitness Center. (Photo by Walt Johnson)
By Walt Johnson
FORT CARSON, Colo. — The Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (DFMWR) aquatics division hosted its annual triathlon Saturday, at Iron Horse Sports and Fitness Center.
Shannon Sanchez, DFMWR aquatics manager, was beaming with pride as a record number of athletes took part in the triathlon that included a 20-minute swim in the Iron Horse gym indoor pool, a 20-minute spin in the facility's spinning room and a 20-minute treadmill sprint.
Athletes competed in eight-person, 30-minute heats testing their ability and competence in swimming biking and running with only a 10-minute break between each event.
The triathlon not only served as a test for the athletes it also served as a warmup for Sophia Almedina who is preparing to participate in an off-road triathlon in the summer.
"I thought this would be a good warmup for an off-road triathlon I am planning to do," Almedina said. "That one will be outdoors, and off-road so it will be a little different than this because you're mountain biking for example, and there is an open water swim where the water will be a little colder than it was in the indoor pool here."
Josefina Taijeron, manager, McKibben Physical Fitness Center, used the event to challenge her beyond her comfort zone. Taijeron is a Spartan race certified trainer who is used to challenging events. She knew she would be able to do the biking and treadmill, but the swimming portion was a challenge for her. She set a goal for the swimming portion of the event and exceeded it.
"I am not a water baby (swimmer), and I knew that would be a great challenge for me," Taijeron said. "My goal was to swim two laps, and I would have considered it an accomplishment because I am not a swimmer at all. I ended up doing 10 laps so I was very pleased with myself."
Clay Couitt, an Air Force Reservist, took part in the triathlon because it looked like it could be a fun event to sign up for.
"I wasn't wrong about taking part in this triathlon because this was a lot more fun than
I had anticipated," Couitt said. "It was a blast and very well organized. The transition points were very easy, and the staff was great — as far as keeping you going in the right direction and keeping you motivated. (Lorraine Thorson, intramural sports director and spin instructor) was really great — she had me working really hard to the point where I wasn't sure if I was really ready for the treadmill test."
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DFMWR, Directorate of Family and Morale, Iron Horse Sports and Fitness Center, spin, sprint, swim, triathlon, Welfare and Recreation