Anniston Runners Tri Team logo

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This Community Blogging thing is new and all the rage, from what I’m hearing. So, when the Star asked me to facilitate a blog about triathloning (Is that even a word? My spell check is saying, “no.”), I was more than happy to oblige, especially since I am the Triathlon/Multi-Sports Director for one of the more popular community groups around, Anniston Runners Club.

Talking about my favorite sport is easy. Getting others excited about doing a tri is easy. Heck, doing a tri is easy…with a little training. There’s where the community aspect of triathlons comes in. There are a bunch of triathletes and multi-sports enthusiasts in our area, and the great thing is, we all love to nurture and encourage budding triathletes.

Anniston Runners Club has a growing Tri Team, but let me assure you, you don’t have to be an Ironman-level competitor to be on this team; you just need to be a member of Anniston Runners Club (www.annistonrunners.com) and say, “Hey, I’d like to be on the Tri Team!” There are no tryouts, no prerequisites, no mandatory practices, no impermissible text messages or free game tickets or illegal contact from a coach,…just a desire to be a part of the local tri-community. (I’m milking this “community” thing.)

What’s involved with doing a tri? You need to be able to swim, ride a bike, and run/walk. The distance is up to you, as there are so many triathlons to choose within a short drive from our area. If you’re not adept at one of the legs of the event, you can be on a relay team!

Now that I have your interest, how do you get started? You can respond to this blog, email me, or check the tri page of Anniston Runners Club (www.arctriteam.com), and read a little bit about triathlons. Plus, the website has a great calendar of events.

There is a tri in Chattanooga next weekend. One in Nashville in two weeks. One in Guntersville in August. One in Huntsville late in August. You get my drift…these are easy drives.

Probably the most popular local tri (Besides Buster Britton Tri at Oak Mountain, but sorry, you missed it last month. Put it on the calendar for next year.) is the Guntersville Mountain Lakes Triathlon. The sprint triathlon (600 yard swim/16.2 mile bike/3 mile run) taking place on Saturday, August 13 is a favorite with locals because you can drive up that morning and not spend the money on a hotel the night before.

Also making Mountain Lakes popular is that it’s put on by Team Magic, known for organized, well-managed events. And the course is relatively easy. A short swim in a clean lake, a rolling bike course (No major hills at all.), and a nice, easy run along the lake path.

You have 6 weeks to train, but less time to think about doing it as it fills up quickly. Sign up today, start training tomorrow! You’ll be a part of the growing community of triathletes. (Just had to get one more community-oriented plug in there!)

Questions?

Transitioning from swim to bike.

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Swim start, Black Warrior River, Tuscaloosa.

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Bike leg.

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Finish line!

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In the last few year the country has experienced a huge running boom, even bigger than the one in the 1980s. Our area has seen evidence of this boom with the phenomenal growth of the Anniston Runners Club's signature race, the Woodstock 5k, held the first Saturday in August each year. Woodstock had 79 runners in 2005, but has exploded to almost 1400 at last year's event.

But maybe a 5K road race has gotten a little too tame for you, and you're looking for more of a challenge. You're in good company. Triathlons/Multi-Sports events are the fastest growing types of fitness challenges.

If you can keep yourself afloat for 400 yards or more, stay upright on a bike for 16 miles or more, and put one foot in front of the other for 3 miles or more...then you can do a triathlon.

There are all different distances to choose. Sprint distances consist of anywhere from a 400-600 yard swim, in a pool, lake, or river, a 16-20 mile bike leg, and the final portion is the run, which is usually a 5k (3.1 miles).

Olympic or Intermediate distances consist of a 1k swim (.6 miles), 30 mile bike, and 10k run (6.2 miles).

The Ironman (IM) distances are 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and full marathon run (26.2 miles). And of course there is the "Half IM," which is half the IM distance.

There are a multitude of triathlons and other multi-sports events within an easy drive of our area, and we have a large number of experienced, as well as nascent triathletes, who support each other by training together and swapping stories and race reports.

So, have you ever considered doing a triathlon?