Some of the 43 Anniston Runners Tri Team members who competed at the Mountain Lakes Triathlon in Guntersville, August 2011.

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I recently received the article below from a fellow runner. While it is a sadly humorous commentary on an athlete gone bad and a really lame attempt to avoid capture, I found myself thinking about all the dumb things I have done during a triathlon. Trying to elude the po-po is not one of them, but the short list includes

1.    Getting my ponytail caught in the handlebar of my tri bike as I lifted my head after slipping on my running shoes for the run leg. Almost ripped the whole rack of bikes onto the ground.

2.       Crashing at the dismount line. Well, not really crashing. It was more like ...stop...wait for it....fall over on my side when my shoe didn’t unclip.

3.       Not stopping to get a rock out of my shoe on the run. I felt it and ignored it. It cut the back of my heel so deeply that blood spurted out of my shoe everytime I hit my foot on the pavement. My kids thought this was really cool after the race.

        So, what's the dumbest thing you've ever done during an event? Share it. Make me feel better. Check out the article: 

       http://bicycling.com/blogs/thehub/2011/07/26/suspect-fails-to-bike-run-and-swim-from-the-law/?cm_mmc=Twitter-_-Bicycling-_-Content-Story-_-tricrime

By Caitlin Giddings

An unlikely triathlete put his well-rounded athleticism to ill use last Friday when he biked, ran, and swam from the pursuit of Wisconsin law enforcement officers. Teenage triple threat Benjamin J. Solchenburger, 18, was accused of stealing a truck, crashing a truck, and stealing a bike in Wausau before his apprehension and subsequent multi-sport chase.

Shirking traditional triathlon order, Solchenburger first took off on the stolen bike. With police in hot pursuit, the young suspect then abandoned the bike for the running portion of his intended tri-sport escape. Eventually, he took to the Wisconsin River and swam across it for the final stretch.

He was promptly arrested on shore and held at the fittingly named Marathon County Jail on charges of vehicle theft, obstructing an officer, and violating the terms of his probation. Solchenburger’s official time has yet to be reported, but it’s suspected he may have set a personal record.

A special thanks to our friends at Runner’s World for tipping us off to the young triathlete.

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YOU'RE INVITED!

Guntersville will be up early on Saturday, August 13 because Team Magic will be putting on one of the more popular triathlons in our area - Mountain Lakes Triathlon.(Race start is 7:30 a.m.)

Taking place at the Guntersville Recreation Center, a very nice venue, the triathlon offers a fun sprint distance course. Spectators can watch triathletes as they swim a short 600 yard swim, pedal a 16.2 rolling bike course, and speed through a fairly flat 3 mile run.

Most local triathletes enjoy this race - mainly because so many other triathletes from the area participating. It's fun to see friends on the course.

So, if you've ever had the thought, "I'd like to do a tri someday." Now is your chance to check it out to see what triathlon is all about....plus, it's just right up the road.

If you come, please note our ANNISTON RUNNERS TRI TEAM suits, and cheer very loud for us! Thanks!

For complete race details, go to:  www.team-magic.com

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We all have excuses as to why we won’t or can’t do something. Generally when I talk about doing triathlons, people will say things like, “I’m just not a strong swimmer,” or “I’m not a great biker,” or “I can’t run very well.”

Granted, in a triathlon you need to be able to do all three sports to a certain extent, but if being “really great” at any of the three was a requirement, I would never have gotten past my first season as a triathlete. Those are just excuses not to attempt the sport.

Triathlons do require commitment and concentration, and all your senses are firing on all cylinders when you line up to start the race. While sight is undoubtedly the most necessary sense, hearing is probably second. Your ability to hear the starting gun, oncoming traffic, warning calls, and such would seem imperative.

So, as you list your excuses NOT to do a triathlon, contemplate this – Anniston Runners Club’s Tri Team has two members who are deaf who compete regularly in triathlons.

When one of them emailed a few weeks ago asking if he could participate in a swim/bike training event (Open water swimming in a lake and a challenging bike ride up Cheaha Mountain), I said, “Of course.”
Then expressed my own concerns by asking how I could keep him safe on the ride.

He assured me he looked back often to check traffic and was used to riding in similar situations and would stay way over on the right side of the road. I was still a little nervous, as I couldn’t imagine riding without being able to hear an oncoming car or a change in the sound of my bike or a warning from another cyclist about approaching dangers. I was voicing my excuses if I were deaf, what I perceived would be a handicap.

Trust me, these two guys have not allowed being deaf to handicap them in any way. This weekend, they will be competing in the Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon, an Olympic Distance event where they will swim almost a mile in the Tennessee River, bike an extremely challenging 42k leg, and run a hot 10k course.  And this is not their only event this season!

So….what’s your excuse?