By Jeff Trousdale
Most people would consider a 10K run to be a fairly challenging physical feat in its own right. The same goes for a 1500 meter swim, or even a 40K bike ride. Few can imagine doing all three in a row in as fast a time as possible.
A triathlete's goal is to do exactly that: swim, bike and run, one right after another. While that may seem like a ludicrous proposition to some, to others, it's a way of life.
Ryan Brutocao participated in his first triathlon last summer, an Olympic distance event in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. Brutocao, a senior at UP, made it a life goal about two years ago to finish an Olympic distance triathlon in less than 2 hours and 45 minutes. He succeeded on his first try, finishing in 2:44:51.
"A few years ago I went to a triathlon with my ex-girlfriend, and her dad and mom were doing it," Brutocao said. "Everyone seemed so in shape and so happy, and I decided I wanted to do it too."
When Brutocao finally decided to participate in a triathlon, he only gave himself eight weeks to train. His training got to be so intense that he injured his shoulder about two weeks before the race, forcing him to give up swimming until race day. Still, Brutocao had extra motivation that helped him to keep up his training.
"My ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend were doing it as a team and I wanted to beat them, my dad, and some other people I knew," Brutocao said. "There were nine people altogether that I wanted to beat and I beat every one of them."
UP seniors Tom Mock and Doug Pederson also participated in a triathlon last summer at Hagg Lake in Forest Grove, Oregon. They competed in a sprint triathlon, which consisted of a half-mile swim, a 12.5-mile bike ride, and a 5K run.
According to Pederson, both of them had always wanted to do a triathlon, so they started training about two months before the event. Both of them have also participated in the Portland Marathon and are members of ROTC, so they already had a fitness base to build upon.
Despite their fitness base, both Pederson and Mock said that training for the triathlon was a difficult and time-consuming task.
"Over the summer, all of my training was a part of my lifestyle," Mock said.
Mock, Pederson and Brutocao all said they usually trained six days a week. Sometimes they focused on just one event a day, and other days they did brick training, which is training in more than one event in order to simulate a triathlon.
"My whole lifestyle kind of changed," Brutocao said. "I changed my eating habits and I barely drank at all."
According to Brutocao, the most difficult part of the whole process was simply staying motivated when things got boring. He trained by himself, and said that some days were harder than others. Pederson also said that training could be difficult at times.
"Consistency in training was the most important thing," Pederson said. "It takes two weeks to get out of shape but months to get back into shape."
Both Pederson and Brutocao said they came in first place in their age division in their respective races, while Mock came in fourth place. However, all three competitors said that they had few expectations coming into their races, and they just wanted to do well based on their own abilities.
"I have a piece of paper on my wall with all my goal times," Brutocao said. "My competitiveness is with myself."
Brutocao said he hopes to participate in an Ironman-level triathlon sometime within the next year. An Ironman race consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a marathon distance run. Though it may all sound torturous, Brutocao and the others said that participating in a triathlon was one of the most fun experiences of their lives.
According to Mock, the race itself was a very intense experience, especially the swimming.
"The hardest part was the initial shock," Mock said. "I've never swam with a bunch of people in open water, and there's a lot of adrenaline pumping and people all over you. It was hard to just calm down and breathe."
Pederson said that finishing the race was a rewarding experience, and he recommended that anyone thinking about participating in a triathlon should simply start training.
"Take it slow and do a sprint triathlon or even a duathlon, which is just running and biking, to begin with," Pederson said. "Don't get burned out and just have a lot of fun with it."
For those who think a triathlon would be too hard for them, Pederson said it wasn't even the most physically challenging thing he has done in his life. What was?
"Hot yoga. That was the most intense thing, it was the worst I've ever felt. I just hate the heat."
