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.