I was harangued into my first triathlon by a “so-called” friend. We both worked in the Omaha regional office for Ford Motor Company and went to the gym, played tennis and hung out a lot.
Greg read about an event just over the border in Iowa called a triathlon. Since I was a pretty good swimmer and runner, he thought, “Hey, you should do this.” Notice he said “you” not “we.”
It was a ridiculous idea because I didn’t even have a bike. My previous bike, a cool brown Schwin Continental, was stolen from my garage. My other pal, Rich, said, “No problem, you can use mine.”
Shit! Out of excuses.
I showed up race morning in my sporty Adidas workout kit and certainly looked the part. As I warmed up on the bike a kid said to his dad “Wow, that guy looks fast!” At least I had one person fooled.
It was a sprint race with a 250 yard swim, 12 mile bike and 5K run. I’m guessing there were 100 of us in total (not just my age-group). I swam strong and was first out the water. The first and last time that would ever happen in my 40+ years in the sport.
The bike was pure torture since I literally didn’t do any training and because all 99 other athletes passed me! You swimmers can relate to this.
Totally exhausted from the swim/bike, I attempted to run. My legs didn’t feel anything like they did when I ran a normal 5K. I’m guessing I made it 2K before I started to walk. Greg, a former Penn Relays athlete, begged me to walk. I ran/walked on my way to the finish line and never did forgive him!
I am adding new athletes to my roster. I use the TriDot platform that assures faster times with less hours of training and fewer injuries. I’ve been using it for two years and have multiple “podiums” as a result.
Enroll in a “premium” package by 3/1/25 and you’ll also get:
- 2025 race plan.
- Video swim analysis.
- Kona training camp 10/14 – 10/21/25 (optional – air, hotel, meals extra)
Coach Ron Saetermoe
Phone: 949.795.1900
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