The Joy of Triathlons

DON’T SKIP THIS ARTICLE!  No, this is not about Ironman, those uber athletes and their uber achievements, or even our upcoming 70.3 half-Ironman race. Instead, like Seinfeld’s “festivus for the rest of us,” I'm focusing on triathlons that are more realistic for most of us — sprint and Olympic distance triathlons.

Sprint triathlons are super fun and great for those trying a tri for the first time, because they are short with just a half-mile of swimming, 12 miles biking and a 3-mile run. Olympic distance triathlons are twice the distance (1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run).  

The format for triathlons is always the same no matter the distance. First is the swim portion, followed by a transition to the bike (known as T1) where participants take off their wetsuits and goggles, don bike helmets and shoes and head out on the bike course. After completing the bike portion is T2 where you rack your bike, grab your running shoes and complete the race on foot.

The very first Cd'A Triathlon was in 1984 and won by John Tindall, whom I mentioned (coincidentally enough) in my last article. I started doing the Olympic distance race 30 years ago and have done it almost every year since — shout out to those who remember biking up Mica and doing the run on Tubbs Hill! 

Although I’ve had some great moments, like barely beating my high school buddy, Skip Slavin, by outsprinting him in the last 100 yards of the race, I have yet to finish ahead of one person in particular: Kip Taylor. Every year, Kip and I are in the same age bracket for the Olympic distance and every year he finishes ahead of me. Every. Single. Year.

So, I decided to find out what makes him so darn fast. I sat down with Kip after a chilly swim together at Sanders Beach on a recent Sunday morning. The water was 53 degrees (the same as the air temperature), so I got my cold plunge for the week as well as a workout.  

Kip is a physical therapist who moved here in 2007 and didn’t do his first triathlon until 2010. He actually grew up windsurfing and catamaran sailing. Although he has done some full Ironman races (and has even qualified for Kona), his favorite triathlon distances are the 70.3 and Olympic. He’s self-coached, which as a PT is “half the enjoyment — trying to figure out how on earth do I get better in three different things all at the same time without injuring myself and without burning myself out, plus having family time.”  

Although he does some training on his own, Kip joined masters swimming last year because “part of the fun to me is training with other people.” He quipped, “I usually try not to swim on my own but inevitably I do end up swimming on my own — just don’t tell my wife.”

When I asked about getting faster in triathlons, I expected to hear about detailed training logs and some pro tips to shorten my transitions. So, I was surprised when he said, “The most important part is enjoying what you’re doing.” When I pressed Kip about this, he explained, “I don’t think people are going to get better if they’re solely motivated by time or performance; at some point that’s going to lead to burnout.”  

Instead, Kip insists that success comes from joy “whether that's enjoyment coming from doing it with other people, meeting other people or your inner self and self-improvement.” As I cheer for Kip on the 70.3 course this weekend and continue my own exercise journey, I’m going to try and embrace Kip’s philosophy that “you have to find enjoyment.”

THE GOOD: We have some amazing shorter-distance triathlon races in our area and a fantastic triathlon club to help you learn more about triathlons and so you don’t have to train alone. You can learn more about the CDA Tri Team at www.cdatriteam.com.

THE BAD: Doing triathlons means learning three different sports, which can be daunting. But a positive mindset helps, or as Kip puts it, “I like trying new things. I embrace change.”  

THE NITTY GRITTY: It’s not too late to start training for our local sprint and Olympic distance triathlons! The Hayden Sprint Triathlon is July 13, and the Cd'A Triathlon is Aug. 10, which features both sprint and Olympic distances. Registration for both can be found online.  

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Dr. Emry is a family physician and partner at Ironwood Family Practice in Coeur d’Alene. Exercise Explorer MD will appear every other week in The Press and Dr. Emry can be contacted via email exercisexplorermd@gmail.com. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY-ND 4.0 license.