Title: Triathlon in D.C.
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Blog Entry: Greetings from Central Florida! The competition continues between Sister Mary Aggressive (wife Carol) and myself! Our most recent event was the Nation’s Triathlon in Washington, D.C. The race is partnered with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It was a beautiful course, starting with a swim in the Potomac, bike ride on the parkways and a run through the District. The weather was warm, sunny and little wind on race day and the water temperature dictated wetsuits. There were 2,400 participants, including the Mayor of D.C., Adrian Fenty, who is one terrific athlete! Regretfully, Carol was in Boston on family business, and didn’t arrive until the night before, so opted not to compete. I competed for both of us. It being Washington, there were quite a few active military and veterans competing. There were several competitions among these groups within the race. One of those was a competition between the service academy teams. Before the race, I spotted some of the members of the Navy team, introduced myself as a member of the Class of ’64, and offered them any points I might receive if it would “Help the Team”! They were class of 2010, thanked me for my offer and we wished each other luck! Gee, I hope I made a difference! Now for the start! It was a wave start, and the men 50+ were near the end. It as at these times, you get some great comments. Two fellow senior citizens were standing next to me; one turned to the other and said “We are not too far behind the young women start, why don’t we hurry and catch up to them." His friend gave him a skeptical look and responded, “Then what do we do?”! In summary, it was well organized, an historic and scenic course, super participants, great spectators and a fun time! When else will you ever get to swim in the Potomac! Now for my heroes Allen and Herb: I’ve known Allen for many years and used to compete with him in various athletic events when we were neighbors in Kansas. We had not seen each other in four years, In that time he was diagnosed and treated for lymphoma. He had kept me abreast of his progress, and knowing the competitor he is, was not surprised the angst he was giving his doctors to get back to working out and competing. Oh yes, he is a doctor, so that didn’t help matters either! We recently found out that he would also be in D.C. for this triathlon and competing on a relay with his daughter and her friend. It was so great seeing him that morning, the Allen I remembered, sarcastic as ever and raring to go! As we were waiting for the start, I was introduced to Herb, a relative of Allen’s, who was competing also. I did the old check out the back of the calf to see his age, and yes, at 69, he was in my age group! Then a few more pointed questions, delving into his athletic background to see how much competition he might be! I found out that this was Herb’s first ever triathlon and that he had never worn a wetsuit until the day before, when he practiced in the Potomac. You would think someone who had never done one would be extremely nervous, especially an Olympic distance, with 2,400 competitors. The most concerned I saw him was when he was trying to put his wetsuit on. Other than that, he acted as if triathlons were an everyday occurrence. The two crowning moments of the day were seeing Carol, daughter, grandchildren and father-in-law, and the looks of accomplishment and satisfaction on Allen and Herb at the finish. Guess what Masters athletes, if Allen and Herb can do it, so can you! Our next Competition is this weekend when I take on Sister Mary Aggressive in the Army Ten-Miler in D.C.!
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