Give it a TRI

I had the fun experience of watching my dad, brother-in-law (Brent), and his uncle (Dee) compete in a triathlon this past Saturday. We went over to the SHAC (Sand Hollow Aquatic Center) just before 7:00 a.m. for the start of the race. Dee was first. He did the swimming portion of the race, which consisted of 8 laps (or 16 lengths) in the pool. He was an amazing swimmer. He glides in the water, does the fancy turns, and really makes swimming look effortless. Since I am a drowner by nature, I can really appreciate his skills in the water. I only got one picture of Dee in the water... and it is of his butt as he is making a turn. I will save him any embarrassment since I just met him. However, I may save it for future use, just in case he and I get better acquainted and I need a little coaxing to get him to teach me how to swim. I am not above using blackmail. Hehehe! Here is a picture of Dee after his swim, running to exchange chips with my dad.It is not the best picture. It was still very dark outside and he ran by me VERY fast. Good Job Dee! He swam his part in under 7 minutes.

Dee handed his ankle bracelet to my dad who did the cycling portion of the race. My dad had not slept one wink the night before the race. He was so nervous. We were all nervous for him. He took off without crashing and headed out on the course. He had to complete two 5 mile loops. As he passed by us after one loop, he yelled out, "I lost my shifter on the first hill!". The poor guy had just had his bike worked on the day before the race. He had to ride in a low gear the entire time. Despite the malfunction, he did very well. He looked strong coming into the finish of the cycling portion.Dad handed off to Brent, who took off running. Brent had a 3 mile run, which he finished in 22 minutes. Good job Brent!

Overall, they captured 3rd place in their division. Whoo-hoo! Glad I could be there. My parents are always so supportive of all of my family's various activities. It is nice that I had the opportunity to reverse the role and be there to support my dad and Brent. Plus, I got to hang out with my sisters and mom while the men toiled. It was fabulous.