Annual Travis Triathlon brings out competitors' best

  • Published
  • By Airman Madelyn Ottem
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The Travis Fitness Center hosted the Annual Travis Triathlon Saturday open to the base populace. The timed endurance event consisted of swimming, biking and running.

Participants registered at the Travis Aquatic Center at 8 a.m. and began the race at 9 a.m. The competitors were divided into three waves; each wave containing eight people and beginning at a different time interval.

The athletic contest began with 10 laps, or 20 lengths, of the pool.

After completing the swim portion, competitors ran to the bike racks outside the aquatic center and began the 12-mile bike ride around the base.

"The hardest part was definitely being on the bike near the flight line," said Capt. Candee Berck, 60th Medical Operations Squadron social work resident. "Even when you're peddling as hard as you can the wind still pushes you back."

The cycling path was looped so athletes could park their bikes where they began and immediately transition into the three-mile run.

Competitors completed the long-distance race by running through the ribbon-decorated path next to a time clock.

The Fitness Center supplied volunteers throughout the cycling and running routes to provide direction guidance and a vehicle circulated in case of injury or if a participant could not complete the triathlon. However, all 24 competitors were able to complete the endurance challenge.

Once every participant had completed the race, an award ceremony was held and medals were given out to the competitors with the fastest times based on gender and age. One award went to the competitor with the best overall time.

Maj. Keith Bland, 60th Air Mobility Wing public affairs, swam, cycled and ran his way to capturing the overall best time in the race. He earned that victory with a time of 1:08:40

The next Travis Triathlon is scheduled for September 2012. For more information contact the Fitness Center at 424-2008