By Chesney Monroe
Staff Writer
Curtis Schulz, senior nursing major, and Allison Martin, junior biology and pre-physical therapy major, were male and female first place winners in Union’s first Mini Sprint Triathlon, which took place on April 6 on campus.
Triathlon exercises tested athletes in three areas of physical skill: swimming, biking, and running, during which participants competed in a 150-meter swim, a 7-mile bike ride, and, finally, a 5K run.
Overall, seven athletes competed in the mini triathlon.
Organizers limited participation to students, faculty and staff and their spouses.
Heats began at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, with a pre-race meeting at 8 a.m. Contestants finished at about 10 a.m.
Schulz said he started training about a week before the race April 6.
“I already run and swim as often as I can, so the distance wasn’t much of a problem; the only thing was trying to put all three of them together,” Schulz said.
Martin said she was excited about the triathlon from the moment she heard about it on campus but was worried about her own time management.
“My experience in participating at Union’s first mini-triathlon was fantastic,” Martin said. “When the first poster about the event was put on the wall, I thought I wanted to do it, but I didn’t know if I’d have time.
“It my first triathlon ever, and it definitely sparked a new interest in me. I never thought combining swimming, biking, and running would make for such an exciting event.”
Mini-triathlons are a great way for people to get comfortable performing in a broad spectrum of exercise.
Blake Pennington, wellness services director, said he believes in sticking to a balanced workout and that combining the three events into one created “all-inclusive exercise.”
The race featured a distance run that is short enough for training for an early-season race or a warm-up to train for a later-season triathlon.
