ASP Triathlon Pushes Students to Test Their Limits

By HANNAH CUNNINGHAM

The Advanced Studies Program (ASP) students enrolled in the triathlon training group throughout the program’s recreation sessions will finally get the chance to prove themselves tomorrow (Thursday, July 28) by taking part in the on-campus triathlon.   

This is the first summer triathlon training, which includes swimming, biking, and running, has been offered as a sport at the ASP for students who want something more rigorous than badminton or more structured than personal fitness. As Ecology student and triathlon trainee Kate Stover said, “I wanted to get in great shape while I’m here and stay active, but I’ve never trained specifically for any type of event before, so trying something new was another thing that got me interested.”

This desire for activity is the biggest portion of getting your body ready for the triathlon, and as Stover said, “it’s so much harder than [expected]. Doing all three sports uses every muscle but in all different ways, it really takes a lot of out of you.” While Biomedical Ethics student and fellow triathlon trainee Kyle Macey did the same workouts as Stover, he stated that “the training has been easier than (he) expected for swimming and biking, but running has been a challenge.”

These contradictory statements introduce the idea of whether girls and boys should be training together. Triathlon trainer, Ecology intern, and Wing House intern, Cianna Wyshnytzky said that “this is where strength in individual events should be compared. We have stronger students in each event (cross country runners and swimmers, for example), although the strength of our students is not dictated by their sexes.”

As for preparing the trainees, Wyshnytzky said that “given the different strengths of our students, workouts have been somewhat difficult to plan, but we have found a great way to tailor to all abilities.” Some days are devoted to an individual event, whereas others are conjoined days, combining two or three of the events.

Stover talked about the combination of the three events and said, “my favorite element is definitely swimming. When I was younger I swam competitively and being in the water is one of my favorite things to do. I find it so relaxing and it doesn’t make me as tired as the other two.” Macey agreed in saying “my favorite portion is the swimming, because I’m a varsity swimmer at my high school, so I have a lot of experience.”

Stover and Macey disagreed on their least favorite part of the triathlon. Stover said that “biking is probably (his) least favorite… biking (is) really hard for an extended period of time (and it) gets really uncomfortable, especially because it’s the part right after swimming so you jump on the bike soaking wet.” On the contrary, Macey stated, “I dislike the running section. I am fine with the cardio, but after a while my legs feel like lead.”

Hopefully Stover and Macey, along with the other Triathlon competitors, will not be uncomfortable or lead-legged during the race. This race, as Wyshnytzky described is either “a Sprint or Super Sprint distance, which are two internationally standardized races. Sprint distance includes a 750 m swim, 20 km bike, and 5 km run, whereas the shorter Super Spring distance includes a 400 m swim, 10 km bike, and 2.5 km run.”

Good luck to all of those who are competing in the triathlon; may the best man – or woman – win.