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Long autumn bike rides might be my favorite thing about going to school in New Hampshire. Vibrant colors, vitality in the air. On a few solo rides this fall, the glory of it all inspired me to sing songs from “The Sound of Music” under my breath. Summer morning open water swims in the Upper Valley are similarly spectacular. Fog rising, glassy solitude. I swam beside a loon once in August, popping my head above the water just in time to watch its webbed feet plunge beneath the surface.

In December, I spent hours chugging away on my bike trainer, admiring my cats’ litter boxes and the underside of the basement stairs. I swam beside retired folks at the Y. Throughout the winter, I have shuffled through icy slush on cold nights, wearing enough reflective gear to look like a small vehicle.

Why am I spending 12+ hours/week training for a summer sport?

The simple answer: I am in tri team’s Long Course goal group this winter and spring, training for a 70.3 triathlon (Half Ironman). Winter is for base training, which involves high volume, low intensity training that is often indoors.

The more interesting question: why did we all choose to register for these races? What keeps us swimming in pools, biking on trainers, and running in ski gear? What drives our craziness?

At its best, triathlon promotes holistic health. This is obvious to me when I see the sun set over Post Pond or brave Jericho Hill alongside my teammates. But the winter months are reminding me that understanding my ‘reasons why’ requires thought and self-reflection. There is nothing inherently good about triathlon. At its worst, an individual sport like this one can promote unhealthy self-absorption, toxic comparison, even narcissism. If we don’t understand our ‘why,’ we’re little more than TrainingPeaks-driven drones. In the process of writing this post, I have unpacked my intentions and organized them into three buckets: training the body, sharpening the mind, and bolstering community.

Training the Body

Triathlon trains your body to love movement. It accustoms you to physical exertion until it is expected and comfortable. In a society that encourages scrutiny and sculpting of the body, triathlon training teaches us that our bodies are agents and not objects (check out Emma R’s post, “The Mirror Doesn’t Matter”). It can be a reminder to treat our bodies with kindness, not because we should lead healthy lifestyles, but because it genuinely feels good to prioritize self-care.

Training the body is satisfying. It’s easy to track your progress, both by numerical measurements and by how it feels to swim, bike, and run. In my own experience, making progress inspires gratitude. It makes it easier for me to be grateful for my health and my strength, proud of the way my body responds to challenges instead of critical of the way it looks standing in front of a mirror.

Sharpening the Mind

Mental toughness is what gets you out the door for a run on a dreary day and what pushes you a little harder through a long interval on the trainer. The mental toughness that we develop now will push us to the finish line on race day. Each day, as we train our bodies, we train our minds.

That said, this winter I have realized that sharpening the mind during training requires discipline. It is easy to spend an entire two-hour ride distracting myself by watching TV, listening to pop music, letting my mind wander. Sometimes, that escape is just what I need. But so much escape, after about a month of long course training, began to feel like a waste of time.

I have started to approach my training sessions as opportunities to learn. I experiment with mindfulness meditation on my bike, tuning into the sensations in my body and my breath, noticing thoughts pass in and out of my brain. This moment-by-moment awareness makes me feel more present as I go through my days, and it will help me push through on race day.

I have also been more intentional about what I listen to and watch on the trainer, choosing interesting podcasts, sermons, and documentaries over mindless television. While this learning doesn’t necessarily cultivate the kind of mental toughness that will get me across the finish line, it has helped me make the most of my time and feel less like a caged hamster on a wheel.

Bolstering Community

For me and many others on the Dartmouth tri team, the triathlon community is central to our love of the sport. Training alone can be isolating, but training with others fosters deep friendships. This winter alone, I have had interesting conversations with teammates about the refugee crisis, engineering in third world countries, problems with the mental health care system, the ideal work-life balance, how to protect others without being overbearing, how to make the world’s best granola. What else is there to do on these long runs and rides? In my view, training side-by-side is the world’s most platonic form of physical intimacy. Something about parallel strides and elevated heart rates seems to spark connection, and honesty is often met with a uniquely visceral empathy.

The spirit of this team is one of encouragement and inclusivity. I think I registered for this Half IronMan because I wanted more of that spirit in my days. My motivation has plummeted on weeks when I can’t make many practices. Training can be tough, but together, we try not to take ourselves too seriously. There is laughter at practice. We care about what’s going on in each others’ lives.

—

You don’t need to train for a Long Course triathlon to gain these physical, mental, and social benefits. You don’t need to do triathlons at all. In some circumstances, high-volume training has the potential to detract from overall quality of life. But training with healthy intentions in the context of a positive community has brought me strength and satisfaction, discipline and joy. I think many of my teammates would say the same.

Sbr,

Sonia

About the Author

Sonia is a ’19 studying Psychology and Spanish. She loves talking with kids about feelings, singing in the car, and drinking spicy hot chocolate after winter runs.

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Staring as the timer elapsed to zero, I awkwardly spun around and fell face-first into the water of Bowdoin’s large pool. It was the start of my 9th triathlon (how have I possibly done that many?!), and I was still shaky with nerves as I started splashing my way across the pool. As usual, though, the nerves started to fade as I fell into my usual stroke rhythm and continued on – although I can’t ever claim a fast swim time, I can at least be proud that I didn’t run into anyone throughout the strange snake-swim!

Tuesday swim practices this spring have been devoted to the snake-swim, which consists of starting at one end of the pool, swimming down and back in one lane, switching lanes, swimming down and back in that one, and continuing on across the pool. Weird, right? Not only do I struggle with swimming, but I especially struggle when I start to get dizzy from alternating the direction I turn every time I reach the wall. Snake-swimming was definitely not a favorite pastime of mine, but the team snaked together every Tuesday night in preparation for the race, so I couldn’t miss the bonding opportunity.

I want to give a shoutout to Brett Seeley-Hacker ’18 (a varsity swimmer turned triathlete) who kindly gave A+ demonstrations of flipping around at each wall and swimming under the lane line – although I never managed to do it gracefully as he did. Even in the race, nervously splashing around as always, I smacked my knuckles a few times on the lane lines and even hit my head when trying to go under it. Not a great start to my last collegiate tri – maybe I shouldn’t have skipped that one Tuesday night swim for trivia at the Skinny Pancake…

As I half-slipped half-stepped up the ladder, out of the pool of snakes, and into the sunshine, I felt relief just as I always do – that I survived the hardest part of the tri. Next, I got to bike across the basically-flat course, through gorgeous fields and waterfront views – and saw a few of our amazing, fast-swimming 21s along the way! I saw a few more Dartmouth Tri people on the run course too, which was a beautiful route through the woods. And finally, finishing the race with plenty of teammates cheering me on was a perfect way to end it – sunburn and all.

We had 40 Dartmouth triathletes racing that day – about half of them doing their first triathlon. We were by far the largest group there, and the eccentric announcer had a lot of fun making sure to emphasize that ANOTHER Dartmouth kid was finishing up and that ANOTHER Dartmouth athlete had made the podium (we even listened to the announcer’s CD on the way home – that may have been a little too much of him). My talented teammates inspire me every race – from the few that place at every race they compete in, to the ones that just completed their first race and managed to make it through every transition without forgetting something – everyone motivates me to push a little harder and swim, bike, or run a little faster.

Doing a tri is no small feat, and it takes plenty of planning and encouragement to get through it – that’s what the Dartmouth Tri Team is for. They are the best group of people I’ve found to not only work out with, but to spend time with – whether we’re training, snake-swimming, studying, eating ice cream, or celebrating after a race day, they are the people I’ll remember most from my college experience. I’m so thankful for the community that is Dartmouth Tri, and I can only hope to find a group that is half as supportive once I graduate this June.
Of course, even though I’ll be graduating, that doesn’t mean I’ll stop checking up on the Tri Team – I can’t wait to see how far the team goes in the coming years. There’s no one with whom I’d rather wake up at 4:30am, dance to pump-up songs in the dark while unloading bikes, eat wildly large quantities of Amato’s pasta, or listen to strange announcer’s CDs on long van rides – the tri team is where it’s at.

GBG and SBR,

Abigail

About the Author

Abigail (’18) is a tri team exec from Poulsbo, WA studying Biomedical Engineering and preparing to apply to dental school. She loves backcountry skiing, drinking great coffee, and spending time with her family in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

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A three-part story by Valentina, Katie, and Abiah

The Training: Valentina

Katie, Abiah and I are in the tiny bathroom of a motor shop attached to the gas station in Lyme, NH. We are stifling yelps and holding back tears as we clumsily peel off our bike shoes and sopping socks with our numb fingers. We hop in place and fling our arms around as we try to get the blood circulating again after 2 hours in the freezing rain, wind, and barely 40-degree weather. We have been up since 5am to have breakfast before an hour-long swim. It’s our first Big Weekend, the training days that most simulated the actual race in distance and time. We still have another hour of biking and a few miles to run according to our TrainingPeaks plan, but all we can think about is whether we are going to brave the next few minutes and get back on the bike. By this point in the day, we have already thought of everyone we could possibly call to pick us up, cried, turned blue, desperately longed for our warm beds and showers back in the dorms, and thought way too many times about quitting. Nevertheless, once our toes turned pink again, we put our bike shoes and helmets back on, and got back on the bikes to finish the workout.

It was this day that we not only earned major credit in the triathlon world (at least in the books of our coaches), but also proved to ourselves how serious we were about training for the IronMan 70.3. It all began after the CHaD half marathon in October 2016 when we met as the 70.3 group with our coach Jim in the comfy couches of the gym lobby to get our TrainingPeaks accounts (platform for triathletes to plan workouts and build training plans) and learn about Zone 2 training. The first months of our training were fairly monotonous; we had to learn the art of working out with a heart rate cap for a really long time. For Abiah, this meant being satisfied without a high energy and intensity workout despite the stress of her last term at Dartmouth. For Katie, this meant spending nearly every early morning in the pool before her internship. For me, this meant running several times a week at a pace that she could probably walk faster than. Bit by bit, the 10 to 15-hour long training weeks filled with biking on the trainer, running in the snow, and swimming indoors passed and we saw progress in the things that challenged us most. Katie almost finished the West Wing (five and a half seasons watched exclusively on the trainer), I trained the dog to run up to 8 miles with me (Felix started at 0 miles running), and Abiah enjoyed being able to eat much, much more. Despite being in constant communication via TrainingPeaks comments and Skype with our coach Jim, we all really looked forward to being back on campus to be able to spend the long hours together.

Our spring training looked very different from the winter. We now also juggled team practices with our own training schedules, and had to work around spending time with friends, classes, studying, tri team logistics, and the many other things that make up our day to day at Dartmouth. Nonetheless, the balancing act we took on was very worthwhile. Our spring was filled with wonderful time outside exploring the area and finally actually sbr-ing (swimming, biking and running- in that order). Some highlights from our spring training are:

  • Alpacas, cows, horses, sheep, goats, chicken, rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels, birds of all types, dogs, cats, turkeys, foxes, loons, porcupines… we saw so many animals!
  • Beautiful spring flowers and endless blue skies with our to-do lists more than thirty miles away
  • Loops around the lakes in the area, especially Lake Morey and Lake Fairlee
  • Realizing we were more than 50 miles into our bike ride and feeling great… there were many moments when it hit us that we were getting faster and training was working!
  • Endless back and forths on Route 10/ Lyme Road and Route 5, the “five and dime” loop
  • Hills: we loved those days where Jim just wrote in our TrainingPeaks “Go ride hills, lots of them!” … the Upper Valley is a perfect place to train!
  • Post Pond open water swims… especially at 5:30am and having the smell of breakfast cooking at the inn by the water waft across
  • Seeing the TrainingPeaks boxes turn green after a completed workout
  • Long runs in the snow and running nearly any and every road in the Hanover area
  • Discovering that endurance/ Zone 2 training sessions were perfect workouts to talk with someone on the phone or listen to podcasts
  • Wetsuit practices in the pool with our teammates (with buoys made of water polo balls)
  • Figuring out nutrition on the bike: learning how to open wrappers, eat, and pedal all at once… discovering yummy sports waffles and regretting bringing PB&J sandwiches
  • Finally understanding how wonderful bike shirts with pockets are
  • Having other teammates join us for parts of our longer workouts (thanks Catherine!) or biking to the Organic Farm as a big group or finding new routes in Etna (hey Arielle!)
  • Syncing up from so much time spent together that we were able to know what the other person was thinking before they said anything
  • 6am Eliot Swims with other triathletes in the community
  • Early mornings and learning how to best fit doubles, food, and school in one day
  • Katie’s new tri bike that allowed her to fly (or get as close to it as possible!)
  • Sprinting for the first time in months in the Season Opener duathlon

As much fun as it was, there were some moments in the term that were pretty tough. Abiah was in her senior spring with lots of plans, and Katie and I both had extremely difficult course loads, so there were days were making training a priority was nearly or actually impossible. By the end of the spring term, Abiah put in many more hours training by herself because schedules didn’t always work out. I never was able to get the amount of rest or sleep that my body needed to properly recover. And Katie would have to work on group projects at 5am during the digestion time between breakfast and a morning workout. About a month before the race, I had a bike accident while we were on a bike ride all together. Fortunately nothing serious came of it and I only hurt my arm, had a bad road burn on my leg, and gave my bike a few boo-boos. It was still challenging though to figure out how to return to training (with bandages & ibuprofen) while giving my body time to recover. The tiredness I felt at that point in the term paralleled the way we had to do force ourselves to study and work despite the growing exhaustion we felt after Big Weekends and high volume weeks. It was hard to be training as much as we did and have schedules filled with an intense load of classes and things that wouldn’t give.

There were also some workouts that really challenged us. We had workouts in the extreme cold (like that first Big Weekend “adventure”) and in the brutal heat that left us all sunburnt, dehydrated and defeated after long miserable runs. At one point Abiah even had to head indoors to the treadmill to finish a Big Weekend run. Learning how to properly fuel for longer and longer workouts was also difficult and I learned what it is like to bonk/ hit the wall.

But it was especially all of these not-so-great parts of our training that made anything seem achievable during this nearly nine-month long training journey. We went through the good and the bad together. Having each other to laugh, talk, complain, and ask questions to made finding the resolve within us to stick to the training plan and do the workouts so much easier. We trusted Jim completely as we followed his training plans and built up our fitness day by day. It became really fun to learn the tri world lingo and more about ourselves, share our adventures with our other teammates, or do crazy things like doing more distance and working out for longer than even the IronMan 70.3 we were training for. Really, I think these months of pursuing a dream goal became a way for us to find a sense of empowerment in an emotional, physical and mental sense of well-being. I know for a fact that I couldn’t have crossed those 70.3+ miles without the endless support from Jim, Katie, Abiah and the rest of my teammates and coaches who just understood what was going on in my head during these months of training the way no one else was able to.

The Race: Katie

Although almost seven months of consistent training had prepared us physically for Patriot, we were nervous. Actually, nervous is an understatement. We spent race week obsessively texting each other about what to pack, what to eat, and what it would be like to cross the finish line (or whether we even wanted to cross the starting line). It didn’t help that our workouts were getting shorter and shorter, and we were facing athletic-induced endorphins withdrawal. I owe a big thank you to anyone had the misfortune of interacting with me during that time and still came to watch the race (thanks Connor!).

Even our workout sessions the day before, which took place on parts of the actual race course, did nothing to calm us down. Coach Jim had instructed us to do a 15-minute swim, a 20-minute bike, and a 15-minute run with some faster-paced pick-ups during each leg. Easy, right? Not exactly. We biked first, and almost immediately got stuck in a torrential downpour on slippery, unfamiliar roads. By the time we got back, we were freezing and completely soaked. On our run, the rain picked up so much that we could barely see. We somehow made it back to the car, texted Jim about our predicament, and followed his advice to bail on the swim and get warm. By then, we felt even more worried about the race than we had before. What if there were storms on Saturday? What if they canceled the swim? What if we got blisters from our wet sneakers, or fell during the bike? Rather than feeling calm and confident, we had a whole new list of worries.

We spent the evening trying to dry out our shoes with the hotel’s coin-operated dryers and newspaper, packing and repacking our transition bags, pumping up bike tires, eating pasta, foam rolling, and trying (and failing) to relax so we could get some sleep. The mood was tense and the conversation topic never strayed far from what was on our minds: “Can you believe it’s tomorrow?” At 4 am the next morning when our alarms went off and we were shoveling down oatmeal, bananas, and peanut butter, it was the same thing: “Can you believe it’s today???”

Race morning was a blur of too many things to do and too little time. Ironically, we found ourselves thinking less about the race itself than we had all week because we were so busy getting our last-minute prep in. We warmed up on the bike (and guess what? It poured again!), stopped at the porta potties, warmed up jogging, stopped again at the porta potties, got body-marked, set up our gear in the transition area, put on wetsuits, took a selfie, warmed up in the water, and stopped one more time at the porta potties. Before we knew it, we were wearing fuchsia swim caps, lined up with our age group, wading into the water two at a time, and we were off!

I wish I give a more exciting recap of the race itself, but I’m happy to report that it’s not a very interesting story. Somehow, everything went right. The rain held off, we felt strong, and guess what? We made it to the end in one piece! The swim was a little chaotic with lots of feet in our faces and splashing around the buoys, but we stuck to the plan of not going out too fast and settling into a “speedy but sustainable” rhythm that we could maintain for 2100 yards. T1 was fun, as we got some help from the official wetsuit strippers—several super strong volunteers who helped us racers by pulling off our tight wetsuits much faster than we could on our own. The 56-mile bike was an awesome two-loop course with beautiful scenery and not too many hills, and we got to put our fueling-while-riding skills to the test as we made it through energy bars, electrolyte drinks, and other quick carbs that would keep us going until the end. Coming out of T2 and into the final leg (a 13.1-mile run), we were all getting tired, stiff, and beyond sick of CLIF’s “razz” flavored energy gels, but we pushed on with the end in sight. After getting up and over a steep hill at mile 12.5, we turned into the race site entryway, crossed a footbridge, and smiled across the finish line.

We may have gone into Patriot not knowing exactly what it would be like. Now that we’ve finished, it’s pretty clear that racing a Half Ironman is the only real way to find out what it feels like to race a Half Ironman. “Exciting” doesn’t cover it, and “exhilarating” feels like a cliché. It’s a weird mix of feeling awesome and feeling like your heart might explode. Don’t forget to add the relief and pride that follow, plus the extreme chafing, GI turbulence, and muscle soreness that lasts for days. Maybe we can’t put that race feeling into words, but one thing’s for sure--we know we want to feel it again. Until next year, Patriot. We’ve got some records to break.

The Aftermath: Abiah

When I crossed the finish line, my legs clenched up into what felt like 100 charley horses and my heart rate was nearing 190. My mind was groggy, perhaps from the dehydration or the 3000 calorie deficit, or maybe from the euphoria of finally being done. Some wonderful angel (read: race volunteer) handed me a water bottle, ice-cold towel, and finisher’s medal before I hobbled over to the ice bath to dunk my feet in. Almost immediately, I had loving family and friends coming to me with excited faces and hugs, embracing my grime and sweat from the past 5 hours and 45 minutes. (Of course Katie had been waiting for OVER AN HOUR at the finish line; be sure to check out this blog next year when she’s elite). I wondered if I could’ve come even close to the finish line without I couldn't believe I had finished, and was so happy that the months of training were officially over.

For the next hour, I went through cycles of icing, stretching, begging my family for massages, and eating anything and everything so long as it didn't resemble Gu or make me nauseous. We all watched in amazement as Katie took the podium for our age group and was the first non-professional in female overall rankings. Then followed the picture taking, because pics or it didn’t happen. It took three people to gather all my things, now strewn all over transition, and get me to waddle to the car.

I was so relieved to return to the AirBnb that I had left that morning at 4:30 am. I thought I was done with physical pain for the day, but I was wrong. What could be more painful than completing half ironman? (No, not a full ironman). Taking a shower when you have chafe literally all over your body, from your wetsuit, your heart rate monitor, your ankle timing chip, your bike helmet strap, your ill-fitting tri shorts, and from any tiny, repetitive movement. After a long nap, I pored over race results and scrolled through races photos. It took me less than 24 hours to sign up for my next race. Why is it that we continue to pay money for this special kind of pain? I blame it on the post-race high.

The adjustment back to normal life has been strange. My body still expects me to feed it over 2500 calories a day. While only working out an hour or two a day has given me much more free time, a 6 mile run is no longer enough to give me the endorphins I need to be a functioning human. I’m sure that the transition out of college and into the real world will be even weirder.

Through the 6 months of training, nearly 6 grueling hours of racing, and 6(+/-2) days of post-race reflection, I’ve come to realize just how lucky we are. We are fortunate to have healthy and strong bodies, the free time to train, coaches to guide the process, amazing teammates to do it with, and friends and family that cheered us on the whole way. My time with the Dartmouth Triathlon Team may be over, but I know the friends and memories I made (plus my love/hate relationship with swimming, biking, and running) will last the rest of my life.

sbr

Valentina, Katie, Abiah

About the Authors

Valentina Sedlacek is an '18 on the tri team studying Spanish and Anthropology modified with Global Health, and is pre-med. She loves berries and exploring the Upper Valley in the sun swimming, biking, or hiking with friends, her family, and two dogs.

Katie Clayton ('18) is a tri team captain studying Government and French. She loves cooking, the color purple, Maine wild bluberries, and summer.

Abiah Pritchard is a '17 captain who recently graduated with a degree in Biology. She will move to Boston this year before beginning a career in healthcare. She loves golden retrievers and dark chocolate.

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Fog lay like a heavy quilt over Buzzard’s Bay, blurring the line between water and sky. Through the mist, we watched the swells crash with patterned irregularity. I swallowed hard. I’d never done an open water swim before, and certainly not in the ocean. I told myself the waves would calm down by the time our race went off.

I was wrong. Fast-forward two hours, through packet-pickup, transition set-up, and warm up; we stood at the starting line. All of the women, anonymous behind goggles and under our identical yellow caps, watched as the men’s race was lifted into a wall of bodies at the mercy of the gray sea. I said a silent prayer of thanks that the course had been shortened. Just make it around the buoy and you’re golden.

“Alright ladies,” the announcer said into the microphone, “remember: what do you do when a wave comes?”

“Duck dive!” we responded in unison. I felt less like I was standing among competitors than fellow soldiers about to enter battle.

“Right. And we have our wonderful lifeguards out there for you so if you need to stop and take a breather, use them. Are we ready?”

As I’ll ever be.

The horn sounded and we charged into the waves. I ran as far as I could and then dove under the first wave as it pounded the herd of us. Thankful for the warmth and buoyancy of my wetsuit, I swam for all I was worth. It was to no avail. For every three strokes forward, a wave would yank me back at least two. The women around me seemed to be making similar progress. As I came up from under the fifth big wave, beginning to feel serious doubt about my ability to make it through the swim, I spotted the buoy. I had my light at the end of the tunnel.

Around the bobbing orange ball, trying not to go under as the other swimmers pushed over me. This is it! Home stretch! Just make it back to shore an-CRASH.

I fought the urge to gasp as the gray-green water went dark and my feet were swept up over my head. I was a rag in a washing machine. Air. I had no idea which way was up.

As the wave rolled over, the weak light of the sky started coming through and I broke the surface after what felt like an eternity. Two heads emerged next to me, gasping, and behind the goggles I made out two pairs of wide terrified eyes. They hadn’t seen it coming either. I looked behind me at the huge waves rolling towards us. Ghlskhsoaishkjnasdk.

We set off towards shore, now remembering to look over our shoulders so we could dive under the waves as they overtook us. Finally, I felt sand and immediately righted my body, trying to find purchase. My toes clawed at the bottom as I struggled through the water, but I’ve never been so grateful to feel firm ground under my feet.

I came up next to Valentina as we ran to the transition area, bare feet slapping the pavement. “Yeah Ken!” she laughed with a huge smile on her face. The bike passed in a blur, but each teammate who passed me (which was quite a few) encouraged me on. This is unlike any race I’ve ever done. It’s like it’s actually supposed to be…fun. We whipped past old stone walls and scraggly forest and I took a moment to appreciate how beautifully crazy it all was — how lucky I was to be there. My heart pounded with exhilarated joy, all the way through the finish, as teammates cheered me in.

As we sat around enjoying post-race ice cream, I stopped to reflect on how I came to be a part of this team my senior year of college. For as long as I can remember, some of my best friends have been triathletes. Maybe that says more about me that it does about them, but if you’ve ever met the Dartmouth Triathlon Team community, you’d probably understand. I’ve never encountered a more genuine, compassionate, fun group of humans. I thought about the way Jim supports each athlete — whether their goal is the first-place prize or simply crossing the finish line — with the same amount of selfless energy; how he voluntarily drove all the way to Buzzard’s Bay the day after competing in his own triathlon in Maine; the way Brandt spent all of his pre-race time replacing two flat bike tires that popped during warm-up; the patience that every single athlete had with all of us newbies; Fiona’s dab as she ran into the finish…I have nothing to offer any of them, but they welcomed me anyway. And I will never be able to thank them enough for that.

SBR,

Ken

About the Author

Kennedy is an ’18, new to the Triathlon team, who studies Biology and Anthropology. She loves climbing trees, eating watermelon, and going on spontaneous adventures.

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With the team's transition to new leadership at the start of the spring term, we elect new captains and appoint new team members to our Exec Board. This year, we are proud to add eight team members to our team of execs, working to manage team functions ranging from gear allocation to team finances to alumni relations. While the start of every term provides us with an opportunity to introduce all of our execs to the team, we figured the best way we could accomplish this given the current circumstances was by interviewing them.

Abbi Fischer '23

What is your name, year, and pronouns?

Abbi Fischer '23, she/her

Why did you decide to join the Exec Board?

I wanted to be involved in planning for events and shaping the future direction of Dartmouth Triathlon! I've really loved being a part of the team and wanted to contribute.

What is your favorite quality in a triathlete/teammate?

My favorite quality in a teammate is a sense of adventure! Hanover has so many great places to bike and run, and I love exploring different routes and trails. I really appreciate when teammates are excited about exploring new routes (because rip road is boring)!

What is your favorite triathlon memory, or which triathlon experience are you most looking forward to?

I am really looking forward to my first race with the team! I loved our end of term time trials my freshman year, and I'm so excited to finally race with the team.

What is your favorite pump-up song?

It's a tie between All Night Longer and Fergalicious 😉

What is your second favorite leg and why?

Biking! This is a hard one, but I think that running is my favorite, with biking being a close second. I'm pretty new to cycling, and I still slightly terrified on busy roads. I like being able to ride inside though, especially during the winter.

What color of (running) shoe makes you the fastest?

PINK! There's no other answer.

Evelyn Hatem '24

What is your name, year, and pronouns?

Evelyn Hatem '24 she/her

Why did you decide to join the Exec Board?

Tri team felt like a first home for me on campus and I wanted to help spread the joy of the tri team community to more people.

What is your favorite quality in a triathlete/teammate?

Creative cheering abilities

What is your favorite triathlon memory, or which triathlon experience are you most looking forward to?

24-hr relay!

What is your favorite pump-up song?

Countdown (Homecoming Live version) by Beyonce

What is your second favorite leg and why?

Bike, though maybe bike will surpass run someday (once I learn how to not tip over using clipless pedals)

What color of (running) shoe makes you the fastest?

white; makes me run so fast the mud doesn't have time to get them dirty

Katie Fearon '23

What is your name, year, and pronouns?

Katie Fearon, 2023, she/her/hers

Why did you decide to join the Exec Board?

I love the tri club!! Having been part of the Dartmouth triathlon team for almost two years now, I’ve found the team to be central to my Dartmouth experience. I wanted to be part of the leadership team of a group that has been significant to my time at Dartmouth. When I joined the team freshman fall, I immediately felt welcomed and part of a supportive community. I decided to join the exec board because I wanted to continue being a part of a team that fosters a strong sense of camaraderie and community and give back to a community that has meant so much to me.

What is your favorite quality in a triathlete/teammate?

Dedicated, grounded, and able to laugh at themselves (sorry I know that's three, but I couldn't choose one!)

What is your favorite triathlon memory, or which triathlon experience are you most looking forward to?

My favorite triathlon memory is wake-ups 19F! I'm looking forward to completing a real race with the team!

What is your favorite pump-up song?

Shower by Becky G (trips song!) and I love it by Icona Pop

What is your second favorite leg and why?

The bike! It's logistically more challenging than going for a run since you need a bike, but easier than going for a swim since no pool is required. Also you can go fast downhill which is always fun 🙂

What color of (running) shoe makes you the fastest? bright blue/teal

Katie Walther '24

What is your name, year, and pronouns?

Katie Walther, 24, pronouns she/hers

Why did you decide to join the Exec Board?

I've really enjoyed my experiences with Tri Team previously so far and wanted to get more involved with the team

What is your favorite quality in a triathlete/teammate?

The ability to make others laugh even during the hardest workouts!

What is your favorite triathlon memory, or which triathlon experience are you most looking forward to?

My favorite memory so far has been running the Halloween 24 hr relay

What is your favorite pump-up song?

Whoa Whoa Whoa by Watsky

What is your second favorite leg and why?

My second favorite leg is definitely the bike, because I love swimming, and running hurts.

What color of (running) shoe makes you the fastest?

Neon green

Sarah Hutchinson '22-turned-'23

What is your name, year, and pronouns?

Sarah Hutchinson, she/her/hers, '22 turned '23

Why did you decide to join the Exec Board?

I joined the Exec Board because the team is an important community for me, and triathlon has become a central part of my identity on and off campus. I value the camaraderie of the team and the satisfaction of training for and competing in our indoor triathlons, and I’m looking forward to USTA competition when it becomes safe! I wanted to further cultivate the supportive, encouraging, and athletic team environment, and help shape the future of the team that has meant so much to me.

What is your favorite quality in a triathlete/teammate?

I love that our teammates are supportive and adventurous. It makes for good memories and an inspiring community.

What is your favorite triathlon memory, or which triathlon experience are you most looking forward to?

We had an indoor triathlon on my birthday my first year, and that was pretty fun. I also haven't done a real triathlon yet, so I'm super excited for when I can do that!

What is your favorite pump-up song?

Can't Hold Us by Macklemore

What is your second favorite leg and why?

Swimming! I've been a runner since I was 10, so that will always be #1, but swimming has grown on me a lot since my first Tri swim practice, after which I was avoided swimming for a month. I like how calming it can be (listening to my bubbles), I like that it challenges your whole body, and I love open water swims.

What color of (running) shoe makes you the fastest?

A nice mint green

Vaishnavi Katragadda '24

What is your name, year, and pronouns?

Vaishnavi Katragadda, '24, she/her/hers

Why did you decide to join the Exec Board?

I wanted to be a part of the group that helps run the team that's become so central to my life at Dartmouth, even in a mostly virtual setting. I also love planning and organizing events, so I’m thrilled to (hopefully) be organizing in-person triathlons soon!

What is your favorite quality in a triathlete/teammate?

Humor! The harder we're laughing, the easier the workouts.

What is your favorite triathlon memory, or which triathlon experience are you most looking forward to?

I’m looking forward to team dinners when I get back on campus!

What is your favorite pump-up song?

“I Love It” by Icona Pop

What is your second favorite leg and why?

Biking. I don’t enjoy biking enough for it to be my favorite, but it’s still enjoyable and offers a reprieve on downhill segments.

What color of (running) shoe makes you the fastest?

I’m gonna say pink, because I ran my fastest cross country season/had the fewest injuries running in those shoes.

Valentina "Tina" Fernandez '24

What is your name, year, and pronouns?

Valentina ("Tina"), '24, she/her/hers

Why did you decide to join the Exec Board?

The amazingly kind people that make up Tri-Team!!!

What is your favorite quality in a triathlete/teammate?

Positive energy!!

What is your favorite triathlon memory, or which triathlon experience are you most looking forward to?

Favorite memory: Dogford loop with Colin, Katie, and Wells!

What is your favorite pump-up song?

Century by Tiesto and Calvin Harris

What is your second favorite leg and why?

Cycling is definitely my favorite, but also the one i have least experience with. running would be my second favorite because the feeling of runner's high after a good run is simply unparalleled. a good run boosts my mood for the whole day!

What color of (running) shoe makes you the fastest?

NEON YELLOW

Wells Willett '24

What is your name, year, and pronouns?

Wells Willett, '24, he/him/his

Why did you decide to join the Exec Board?

I joined the Exec Board because I want to become more involved in the team! (And because I want to start a tandem bike relay)

What is your favorite quality in a triathlete/teammate?

Enthusiasm!

What is your favorite triathlon memory, or which triathlon experience are you most looking forward to?

I am looking forward to any races with the Tri team!

What is your favorite pump-up song?

Hakuna Matata

What is your second favorite leg and why?

My second favorite leg is my right leg. And the run leg, because I love to bike and I sink in water.

What color of (running) shoe makes you the fastest?

Black

We're very excited to welcome these eight wonderful people to our Exec Board, and can't wait to see what we accomplish over the next year as a Board!

SBR,

The Exec Board

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Every fall, the Dartmouth Triathlon Team welcomes a new wave of students to our practices, and they are introduced to our team's leadership (both captains and some execs) at a beginning-of-term meeting. Although this year differed from last year in our ability to hold the meeting in person and the term has gotten off to a more blistering start than it feels like it ever has, we still decided to interview our captains - Jackie Thompson '22, Joe Gyorda '22, and Thomas Clark '22 - to get to know them a bit better.

The 2021-22 Dartmouth Triathlon Captains. Left: Jackie Thompson '22, Center: Joe Gyorda '22, RIght: Thomas Clark '22.

Q: What is your name and year? What are your pronouns? Where are you from and what are you studying at Dartmouth?

Jackie: I’m Jackie Thompson, and I’m a ’22! I use she/her/hers pronouns and I’m a double major in Engineering and Economics.

Joe: Joe Gyorda (He/Him/His) - I'm a '22 from Hampton Falls, NH majoring in Data Science and minoring in Computer Science and African & African American Studies

Thomas: Thomas Clark '22, he/him, from Mountain View, CA, and I am studying computer Engineering with a minor in CS

Q: When did you join the Dartmouth Triathlon Team, and how has being on the team been an impactful part of your Dartmouth experience?

Jackie: I joined the team my freshman fall and it has been the single most impactful part of my time at Dartmouth. As soon as I arrived here, there were upperclassmen who believed in me and took the time to give me advice that made me a better athlete. They also made a real effort to get to know me as a person and make me feel at home, which was such a relief at the beginning of college. On top of that, Triathlon has been a great physical and mental release, giving me stability during stressful moments.

Joe: I joined the Triathlon Team at the beginning of my freshman fall. I was looking for a fresh start after playing soccer and running track for four years in high school, and I was immediately greeted with a warm and welcoming community of athletes of all backgrounds. The Tri Team was one of the first communities I found at Dartmouth and has been one of the strongest during my time here. Our teammates and coaches have inspired me to push myself harder and in different ways -- as an athlete, as a student, and as a person. I am thankful to have found such a well-balanced and kind group of people, and I look forward to promoting the Tri Team community during my time as captain!

Thomas: I joined the triathlon team my freshman fall and have been an active member ever since. I joined because I missed the community that existed in my high school cross country team, and triathlon's community seemed the closest to that group that Dartmouth offered. I was right. Being on this team has been a core part of my Dartmouth experience, many of my closest friends and best memories have come on long bike rides or silly runs with the team. More than anything, having the team be a strong, stable community week in and week out has created an incredible support system to maintain physical and mental health. 

Q: Outside of being part of our outstanding captain roster this year, what other roles have you filled as Tri Team leaders in previous years?

Jackie: During my first term as an exec, my sophomore Spring, my official title was gear chair. But since we didn’t do an order that term, I ended up taking on the task of planning our first virtual banquet to honor the graduating 20s and putting together gifts for them! Then, my sophomore Summer, I served as social media chair, managing the team Instagram and Facebook pages, publicizing member accomplishments, and trying to foster connections from afar. In my junior fall, I took on the new position of welcome chair, helping the 24s adjust to campus and feel at home on the team in a mostly virtual environment. Finally, during my junior winter, my last term before becoming a captain, I went back to my initial role of gear chair, organizing a BSN store for the team and another for alumni and families!

Joe: I've served as an Exec since 19S, starting as a race planner and moving into the gear and equipment chair roles. I've also spent a term in charge of the team's finances.

Thomas: I spent the previous year serving in two exec roles: race planning in the spring and strength chair throughout the summer and fall. Before that I was the unofficial snack exec, responsible for providing a weekly buffet on wednesday nights for team dinner.

Q: Outside of practicing with the Tri Team, what else can we find you doing on campus?

Jackie: Outside of Triathlon, I serve on the exec board for Network for Women in Sports, an organization aimed at making meaningful connections among women on different teams and helping one another leverage the skills we learn through athletics for professional success. I’m also the Director of Social Media for Kappa Delta Sorority, and I’m in a reading group with the Political Economy Project. Finally, I do some volunteer work in the Center for Social Impact mentoring Upper Valley FGLI youth as they go through the college applications/decision process.

Joe: I am an active member at AQ, Dartmouth's Catholic Community. I've also been involved with the Math Society and Sports Analytics Clubs at Dartmouth, along with The Dartmouth Apologia. I do research in mental health data science in a lab at Geisel. You can occasionally find me playing pickup soccer or basketball around campus, or falling off my bike on my way to FOCO for the third time that day.

Thomas: I am the leader of a youth-education program through the center of social impact called growing change. I can also be found at my greek house. Most of the time, though, I am sitting in the library working and chatting with my friends.

Q: What is your go-to piece of flair and why?

Jackie: I’m all about versatility, so my classic flair item is my silver shorts. They can be worn in any weather (ideally with leggings underneath in the winter, unless you’re feeling really bold) and match with everything!

Joe: I have an orange t-shirt that I got from a road race in high school that says "Loco" on it that has a good energy.

Thomas: Shark-themed split shorts. They are bright and colorful and remind me of great memories from home.

Q: Triathlons may be our specialty, but our team also has a great track record at other multisport disciplines (see Catherine's incredible two-part saga on her alternative multisport adventure). Besides the standard SBR, what multisport combination would you be interested in participating in?

Jackie: If performance was not part of the equation, I would love to do a wake surf/paddleboard adventure. I’ve always loved paddle boarding and recently learned how to wake surf, and although I can’t really stay up once I let go of the rope, I still think they’re a great time. (Can you tell I miss water sports already??)

Joe: Outside of Tri, I am a big fan of recreational team sports like soccer, basketball, and ultimate frisbee—if I'm not training for Tri, I'll probably be doing one of these in my free time!

Thomas: I would be interested in some combination of basketball, ping-pong, and pool as they are three sports that I have a ton of fun playing independently and would love to see how they coalesce.

Q: What is one piece of advice you would give to any aspiring triathlete?

Jackie: Triathlon can seem incredibly intimidating from the outside! Even as a lifelong runner/swimmer, the prospect of training for three sports at the same time was daunting to me freshman year. But the one thing I’ve noticed that all triathletes have in common isn’t natural athletic ability or Olympian-like fitness, but rather a willingness to try something outside of their comfort zone and stick with it when it gets tough. So my advice would be that if Triathlon is something that interests you, don’t worry about what shape you’re in right now – just jump in and start training where you are!

Joe: Keep at it! The more you practice the better you'll get, and you'll have a lot of fun along the way seeing yourself and your teammates get better. Same goes for whatever you decide to try or do at Dartmouth!

Thomas: Take it slow. One of the biggest mistakes I make every year is trying to start training with putting in hard workouts 6x/week, but training requires a lot of patience. Starting slow has the two additional benefits of you can chat with more people on the team while you do an easier workout AND you avoid potentially burning out really early in a season (or even a term).

Q: What are you most excited about in the upcoming academic year?

Jackie: During my last year here, I’m excited to get back to the little interactions we’ve all missed over the last year and a half. Whether that’s getting a meal with someone I haven’t seen in a while, chatting on FFB, going on impromptu runs or IC4U trips with team members – all these memories are ones that I cherished while sitting alone on Zoom and I really look forward to making more!

Joe: I'm most excited to get back to the things we've been missing out on this past year and a half—in person classes, team races, seeing familiar faces around campus, and feasting at FOCO.

Thomas: Seeing all of my friends, especially those on the tri team. In person practices are one of the great joys of the Dartmouth experience, and having the whole team together makes it even better. If you meant academic as in school: I get the chance to work with a team on ENGS 89, a project-based course where we consult for external companies and develop a prototype to fix their problems. It is a great chance to have the rubber hit the road with all of the courses I have taken up until now.

We hope that you got to learn something new about our three amazing captains, and for those who are on campus this term we look forward to seeing you at a practice soon!

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I grew up doing triathlons. They weren’t exactly what you’re imagining, though. At a YMCA family camp in northern Minnesota, teams of four swim, run and canoe to victory. My extended family dove into this tradition our first time at du Nord, and we’ve been swimming, running, and paddling in pursuit of family pride for the last eighteen years. It hasn’t always been easy, though. We practically have to throw someone in the water to get a swimmer. They tag off the plethora of cousins that always want to run, who in turn shove off the uncle/grandpa duo who paddle with the occasional stray child tagging along in the canoe.

Our team has morphed over the years. Some cousins got to old to come to family camp, others grew up enough to be drafted onto the team. Swimmers have graduated from completing a lap inside the buoys to racing just outside of them. Different canoe push-off methods have been experimented with, the presence of a coxswain in the boat is still debated, and stroke rates are all over the map.

My family will head up to camp for our 19th year this summer. We’ll inevitably field a triathlon team with a creative name, and it will (hopefully) complete the entire racecourse in under five minutes. I, however, don’t have to wait until July to take part in this important tradition. The Dartmouth Triathlon Team has, in the two short terms I’ve been here, introduced me to a new order of events, a strong community of athletes, and a sense of belonging here on campus.

In high school, I was a Nordic skier and rower. While I still ski every chance I get, I came to Dartmouth knowing I’d have to find a new athletic community for myself. I stumbled upon the Tri table at the activities fair and was intrigued by the team’s obvious commitment to not only swimming, biking, and running, but also to inclusivity and team bonding. I went to the info meeting and came out excited, more than anything else, to get to know people on the team. Since then, I’ve attended practices, dinners, socials, brunches, and a race with the team. I continue to be impressed with the genuineness and openness of my fellow triathletes. We all have such different backgrounds, athletically and otherwise, and yet everyone supports each other unconditionally.

Triathlon has fostered a sense of belonging for me here at Dartmouth, both at and in addition to team-related functions. When I’m not at practice, I see triathletes on the sidewalks, ski paths, classrooms, labs, and mountains. A “hello!” is always exchanged and never fails to brighten my day. Having this network of students from all different corners of campus has made my transition to college less daunting. As I’ve dealt with normal first-year challenges and bigger events at home, my friends from Tri have always been here to talk, offer support, and blast good music.

I might not be competing with my family when I’m at Dartmouth, but the triathlon community is the closest thing I’ve found to a family here on campus. We support each other, respect each others’ strengths and weaknesses, and train not only to win, but to grow. I’m incredibly glad that I found the Tri Team and that I have so many years ahead of me to develop both as a triathlete and as a member of this community.

About the Author

Abby is a '22 from Edina, Minnesota. She loves to ski, canoe, write, and generally be goofy! She doesn't know what she's studying here at Dartmouth yet, but it'll definitely be something that allows her to be outside all the time.

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“Hey Tina, what if we run a marathon?”

I stopped munching on my chocolate chip cookie, and looked up at Ben, startled, confused. “Let’s do it.” I said. And that was the beginning.

My friend Ben Chen and I decided to sign up for the “Virtual” Boston Marathon this past Spring. We had both done a fair amount of cross country meets, track workouts, and charity 5Ks, but 26.2 miles seemed like a daunting feat; the most I had ever run had been ten miles. 

I emailed coach Katie for advice on how to best prepare for the marathon. Once she got back to us with an incredible 16-week training plan, Ben and I were destined to spend our Freshman Summer intensely tracking mileage, carb-loading, and perfecting the art of zone 2 training. Fun. He would be in San Diego and I would be in Florida, but we planned on keeping up with each other, encouraging each other, and checking in to monitor our progress.

After a few months, it was time to run. I decided to run the marathon in San Francisco, since I took an off term to intern at a company there. If I’m being completely honest, I was so busy at work during the last few weeks of training, that I found it difficult to strictly adhere to the training plan. So, when the weekend of October 9th rolled around, I felt a bit underprepared. Still, though, my goal was simple: to finish and to enjoy.

And so, I woke up the morning of October 9th, made myself some peanut butter toast, drank a ton of water, and began my run. My friend Annaliese (a ’23) was super helpful and made me a 26.2-mile-long route that would take me around the most beautiful parts of San Francisco (the best part to explore a city is by running!). I first ran from my apartment to the beach (first segment, ~6 miles), then I headed north till Presidio Heights (very hilly, ouch), across the Golden Gate Bridge (more noisy than pleasant; mucho tráfico), east to Crissy Field, the Marina District, and finally ended up in Embarcadero (very touristy area). I think being able to explore San Francisco was the best part of my marathon experience. To make it even more exciting, that weekend was also Fleet Week, which featured the iconic Blue Angel plane show to honor those who served in our armed forces. Therefore, the city was vibrant with thousands of people, both visitors and residents, that had flocked to Marina Green Park to watch the Blue Angels perform. As I ran through the Fleet Week spectators, I felt the energy of SF, the breeze, and the sunshine strengthen me. I was almost done.

When I reached the end, I met Annaliese at the SF Aquarium (near Embarcadero). She was surprised that I wasn’t even breathing heavily nor sweating profusely. So maybe I didn’t look super tired, but oh boy, my legs felt like noodles. That leads me to my next point: I need to start lifting more. Whether I end up doing another marathon or not is unclear right now, but I realized that in the midst of my intense running training, I overlooked strength training! Not a good choice on my end. All in all, though, while the marathon was far from easy, I am happy I did it. After much training, very sore legs, lots of peanut butter and protein bars, and time spent curating a Spotify playlist, I felt triumph and satisfaction in knowing that what began as a perhaps impulsive “Let’s do it,” became a memorable accomplishment. If you’re reading this and wondering if you should run a marathon, the answer is YES! Start slow, build up speed and strength, and have fun with it! You never know if you don’t try.

About the Author

Tina is a ’24 at Dartmouth from Puerto Rico. She now lives in Florida with her family, and in her free time enjoys cooking, roller blading, and discovering new music. She is a bio + French double major, and in addition to Tri is involved with the Collis student center, the dartmouth undergraduate journal of science, and research at the Geisel School of Medicine.

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When I signed up for the CHaD Half Marathon back in the summer, I declared that I would run every day and go on so many long runs, exactly like everyone on the internet says to do for a half marathon. However, things did not pan out that way at all. The race snuck up on me, and the week of the race I realized I had not trained enough. My google searches for “How to train for a half marathon in a week” were not reassuring. I expressed my worries to the team, but they were so supportive and gave me tons of advice, such as to not get a season-ending injury like Brandt did last year and don’t run in a costume. In the end, they made me excited to race no matter what happened during the race.

I woke up Sunday morning feeling great, and I could feel the energy and excitement on campus. Racing on campus made me much less stressed since if forgot anything, I could just walk back to my room. I was also familiar with the course and had run it before. Before the race, the team decided to meet up. I was surprised but happy to see so many people on the team racing either the 5K or the half marathon. I knew I wasn’t going to be alone in my suffering. We took a team picture, warmed up, and then it was time to line up for the race. I lined up next to Kevin the pacer from UVRC (Upper Valley Running Club), who had stellar recommendations from Coaches Jim and Jeff. I had no idea if I would be able to keep up with him at all, but I decided to give it a shot.

The anticipation kept building as we were waiting for the starting gun. Along the sidelines I spotted Moises, who showed up to cheer the team on. He gave me one last pep talk and then it was time to start racing. When we started, I felt amazing and was so excited. The crowd was so loudly cheering us on. I just wanted to run as fast as I could, yet I was warned that the 5K starts at the same time as the half marathon and runs the same course for the first two miles, so I should hold back my energy. Because I am a competitive person, I struggled to let all these runners pass me even though I knew most of them were running 10 less miles than I was. Thankfully, Kevin the pacer was experienced and knew not to start too fast. We were running at a perfect pace and we could actually talk to each other at the beginning.

The energy of the spectators cheering us on was so contagious. All along the course, groups of people with their kids and pets dressed in costumes stood out in front of their houses and shouted motivational words. Every time I passed a group of spectators, I smiled at them, so they would at least think I was doing well and having fun. Well turns out, I was smiling quite a bit as there were people everywhere. When I saw Brandt and Carly, who raced the 5K and immediately hopped on their bikes to cheer the rest of us on, I got so excited and motivated to keep pushing through the pain. I just started thinking about how amazing my team is. I especially needed the motivation at the point as I had just decided to break away from the pacer and increase my pace. I had no idea if I would be able to continue holding this new faster pace or if I would collapse during the impending hilly sections.

The highlight of my race was reaching the top of Tuck Drive, which is the steepest hill of the course, and seeing a large group of students just cheering me on and reassuring me that the worst was behind me. I did not know most of them, but that didn’t stop them from cheering me on. While I had initially thought that I would start slowing down here, I, in fact, sped up, partly to possibly impress anyone who might be watching me, but mainly because of the crowd’s energy. I couldn’t slow down with only 4 more miles to go!

When I finally finished the race, I felt the best I had ever felt before. I was on such a runner’s high and just could not stop smiling. And of course, the team was still there cheering me on at the end. I was so excited that I almost forgot about the post-race food! Once I reached the food tent though, I didn’t want to leave.

This was one of the best races of my life thanks to all of the support of my team and of the spectators just cheering me on. I don’t know how my teammates have so much energy to be constantly cheering, but they do. I am so excited for my next race with the team, whenever and wherever that may be.

SBR,

Hunter

About the Author

Hunter is a ’20 who studies Geography and German. On campus, he is an active leader in the DOC and can’t survive without his daily foco pizza slice.

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They said my legs would feel “weird” when I hopped off the bike and tried to run, but I had no idea what my coaches and teammates meant. As my bike’s trip monitor hit nine miles after 23 minutes of hard pedaling, I slid my feet from the straps eager to start my run. When I took my first steps, however, my legs wobbled like jello sliding onto platters. I eventually teetered out of the gym where my California skin was blasted by cold November air. It was going to be a long three miles.

Last Sunday, the Dartmouth Triathlon Team’s end of term race was my first ever triathlon experience. The combined 700-yard swim, 9-mile spin bike ride, and 3.4-mile run pushed me physically and mentally in a way that I have a never been pushed before. Crossing the finish line was one of the most painful yet satisfying feelings. I loved it. Although tough moments leapt up during the one hour and six minutes, I look back on each challenge with a deep pride and happiness. Walking around campus last week, I’d find myself smiling thinking about what I’d accomplished in just two months of training.

I have varying levels of experience with swimming, biking and running. Before coming to Dartmouth, I played years of competitive tennis. Despite offers to play tennis at other colleges, Dartmouth was my dream school. Tennis gave me mental toughness, but unlike most members of the Tri team, I lacked both the competition experience in and coaching for a true endurance sport. Significantly, I also lacked the cardiac base that comes with nonstop vigorous athletics. Triathlon has been a completely new endeavor.

This fall the greatest challenge has been swimming. It’s funny to think that for someone who went to school a few blocks from the Pacific Ocean, I’m far from being one with the water. In fact, I might be the least experienced swimmer on our team. Before our first triathlon swim practice, I assumed I must be a good swimmer because I could splash my way across a long pool without drowning. After my first practice, however, I learned that my technique is so ugly and inefficient, that I’m much closer to sinking than swimming. So, all autumn, I’ve been trying to learn how to really swim. I’m improving my technique and slowly building my endurance in the pool. My goal for the fall has been to make small improvements, like slowing down my arms and moving them in circles (instead of flailing them), kicking like a swimmer (not like I’m riding a bike), or swimming longer distances.

Since I am an “extreme” case in the water, I have been fortunate enough to get one on one coaching every practice from our three amazing coaches Jeff Reed, Eliot Scymanski,
and Jim Anderson. Each one stands out as a great triathlete and strong swimmer. With my coaches’ support, I am starting to see my swimming improve. I’m proud to say that although it took a while, probably the longest on our team, I completed the full 700-yard swim in our first race. Two months ago, there was no way I could have accomplished that without wearing floaties on my arms. As Coach Jim says, “From where you started, you can only get better.” I am excited to become an actual swimmer.

I have a bit more experience biking and running. Before Dartmouth, I often used stationary bikes at gyms because they were the easiest piece of equipment to watch movies on. Peddling away engrossed in action movies, I had never thought about or even heard terms like “max watts” or “output zone.” Nevertheless, by having two spin classes a week, led by extremely passionate and knowledgeable upperclassmen like Katie Clayton, Carly Tymm and Russell Stewart. I am beginning to learn about how bike racing and training work. To my amazement, unlike swimming, I have already shown some potential on the spin bike. I logged in one of the top scores in our recent twenty-minute power test and was the fourth fastest biker in our triathlon. Although I’m proud of these early accomplishments, I have never ridden a road bike, so I’m more than a little nervous to see how I do when I actually have to focus, balance, and steer. Plus, it’s entirely possible that the workout music our spin leaders play moves my legs faster than I could myself.

Running has always cleared my head and given me relaxed feeling afterwards, but I have never trained to be a runner. Before starting triathlon, the longest I had ever run was four miles. My runs were only ever timed during my annual summertime 5k run with neighbors and friends from ages eight to eighty. My first week on campus, before practice started, our captain, Brandt, texted in our team group chat that he was looking for someone to do an easy run with. I figured I’d join him and see the beautiful area around the campus. I assumed at most we’d run three to four miles. When Brandt told me we were running seven to eight, my heart dropped. I was way too embarrassed to say I had no running experience at that distance, so I went for it. With teammates Brandt Slayton, Tucker Evans, and Matt Goff all supporting me (even through an emergency bathroom break), I made it.

For training we do a weekly track workout with Upper Valley Running Club on Tuesday nights. These practices marked my first ever experiences with specific running training. I had no idea how take off or add two seconds to my 5k pace or even what my 5k pace was. When I ran, I knew three speeds: easy, harder, and all out. Throughout the fall, I’ve learned the meaning of running specific training. Occasionally, I even get to be the pacer for my group. From my hard work, I have seen huge improvement. At the CHaD 5k race in October, I dropped my 5k time that I set in July from 21:30 to 20:19. I clocked the second fastest running time in our end of term triathlon. With the winter coming, I am excited to keep getting faster, and will most likely be motivated to pick up my pace to escape the cold.

Besides helping me learn how to be triathlete, the Dartmouth Triathlon Team instantly became like a family. From day one, they’ve been people I’ve been able to come to for advice on everything: what classes to take, where to eat, and what frats to go to. At least once a week, we bond over a team dinner and get to talk when we’re not panting for air. Being a new student 3000 miles away from home, I find the little things that my teammates do mean the most. When Moises Chavez, a graduate student, asks me how my week is going and makes me laugh about being up until 3am writing a paper, I feel totally connected to Dartmouth. This fall my hardest class has been biology. On my walk to class, knees shaking, I always pass seniors Emma Skarkin, Valentina Sedlacek, and Matt Goff. Each teammate gives me a high five as we pass. As soon as our hands slap, I straighten up, smile, and head into my toughest hour of the day with confidence.

From my experiences training and bonding with teammates this fall, I have become completely hooked on being a triathlete. The feeling of satisfaction I got crossing the finish line last week caused me to look forward to our season and set a goal of completing an Olympic distance race in the next year. I’m so excited for what lies ahead. I’d like to thank my teammates and coaches for welcoming me and making me feel at home on the Triathlon team. I will work hard the next four years and hope to never let you guys down.

SBR,

Philip

About the Author

Philip is a '21 from Los Angeles, CA who just completed his first term on the triathlon team. He was previously a competitive tennis player. His interests include cooking and history.