tenney triathlon

marta suggested in a previous post that there would be more information coming about the triathlon i took part it last weekend.  i thought that meant she was going to blog about it, but alas, she has not.  so, i am left  to personally regale you of my recent athletic feats.

anyway, it turns out that the tenney-lapham neighborhood has a small, informal triathlon every fourth of july.  due to peer pressure from my neighbor, the triathlon's organizer, i decided to take part.  i haven't ever done a triathlon before, and probably haven't swum more than one length of a pool in 15 years, but it's a pretty laid back event so i decided to give it a try.

here are all the competitors, wading into lake mendota, at the tenney park beach.  there were only eight of us, but i believe this was the biggest turnout in the events four year history.

and we're off!  we swam southwest from tenney beach along the shore for about 300 meters (or so i'm told). the turnaround point was someone's floating trampoline.  we each had to climb the trampoline and jump off before heading back to the beach.

here i am on my return trip.  luckily, i could touch the whole way, so i could periodically put a foot down and catch my breath a bit.

after the swim we took off by bicycle destined for the mendota mental health facility, via maple bluff (around 9 miles round trip).

upon returning to tenney beach, we then set off by foot along the yahara river.  we had to touch lake monona and then return to tenney beach to finish (about 2 miles).

technically, i won.  however, the two competitors who were handily ahead of me for the entire race, stopped at several locations, during the run, in search of donuts.  this set them back quite a while.  although i did cross the finish line first, it may have to go in the record books with an asterisk.  here are the finishers with their medals proudly donned.

it was a super event that i will definitely do again the next time i'm in madison for the fourth.