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Throughout the pandemic, people have struggled to find safe sport options. Triathlons offer individuals the opportunity to safely participate in a socially distant competition while pushing their physical and mental boundaries. Triathlons first became popular in the 1970s in Southern California. The international standard features individuals competing for the fastest time in a 1.5-kilometer swim, a 40-kilometer bike, and a 10-kilometer run. After being featured in the Olympics for the first time at the 2000 Sydney games, the popularity of triathlon style races has risen quickly including on campuses across the country. Rutgers Recreation is proud to offer our first ever Virtual Do Your Own Athlon to encourage individuals or teams to compete in a self-designed Triathlon or Duathlon that can be completed indoors, outdoors, at home, at your local gym or at the Werblin Recreation Center.
Kaiya Reimer has served as a member of the Rutgers Triathlon Club since her freshman year. This past year she was able to serve as the President of the Club team. Kaiya completed her first Triathlon at age 12 after being inspired by her mother to give it a try. When looking for colleges, she wanted to attend a University with a Triathlon team to transform her interest into a passion. After finding the Rutgers Triathlon Club at the Involvement Fair, she was ready to start seriously training for races. Kaiya reached her proudest moment when she completed her first Half-Ironman, a race consisting of a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike and a 13.1-mile run. Kaiya learned, “that [she] was capable of setting big goals and achieving them. That moment also showed [her] that painful moments don’t last forever, even though sometimes it feels like it, you just have to keep moving forward.”
What advice would Kaiya give to someone looking to get starting in Triathlon? Make sure “to go at your own pace. People start triathlon from all backgrounds of athletic ability, and for a lot of people, it can be overwhelming. There is a lot to learn about training, racing, and transitioning between sports but a lot of that knowledge comes with experience. One of the best ways to learn about the sport is to join a team or a local club. You can speak to experienced athletes and get first-hand information about the sport and what they have learned. There is also tons of information online, including free training plans for beginners, to help you start!”
If you are interested in starting triathlon and would like to join our team or find out more information about the sport, please feel free to reach out to the Rutgers Triathlon Club at rutgerstriteam@gmail.com or message us on Instagram or Facebook! We hope to see you soon!
The Virtual Do Your Own Athlete will feature participants choosing which leg or legs they want to complete. You can pick one, two or all three components and complete them on your own or as part of a team. In order to make this event accessible to all ability levels, participants will record their distance for a 10-minute swim, 20-minute run, and/ or a 30-minute bike. Distances can be submitted from April 19th-30th. Interested individuals can register here.
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