I’ve always wanted to complete a triathlon, but just never worked up the nerve or made the logistics pan out to do it. So, I got to thinking, “Why not just host one?” I spoke to my wife (as all smart men do), and we decided to go for it. For years we’ve done a first of the year family and friends event that’s geared to prove to us and others that, as a family, that we’re willing to push ourselves and challenge others at the same time. Our event for almost a decade has been a January polar bear plunge, so a triathlon was a welcome change for us.
Yesterday, we inaugurated the 1st Annual PFFT!, or Powers Family Fun Triathlon. It felt like a very Bob Goff like event. If you don’t know about some of Bob’s wild and wacky events, just check out one of his books. As a matter of fact, he was kind of the inspiration for going all out with this. I hope it gets bigger and even more fun. Maybe we’ll even see you next year. It’s an invitation only event, so let me know if you want to be considered for 2016.
To keep the first one manageable, we only invited around 40 people. Amazingly, from the moment the first invite went out, the excuses started rolling in. They ranged the gamut from injuries, tired, spouse won’t let me, and you’re crazy all the way to a semi-pro runner who’s body is apparently finely tuned that he’s too fragile for a triathlon. You know who you are! I’m calling you out!
Out of 40 invites, we had 6 total contenders, and half of them were kids 12 and under. I’m so darn proud of those kids! One of our adults even borrowed a bike, which was also an excuse we got from another non-competitor. I love destroying excuses people give.
We decided to go with a Super Sprint distance triathlon, which is manageable for any adult or kid if they simply push themselves. That’s a 1.5 mile run, a 6.2 mile bike, and a 1/4 mile swim. We also eliminated the transition time stress by adding 1 minute per transition instead of keeping them on the clock. There was no official race ending time either, although we were all done within a 2 hour time. I wanted to entire thing to be super simple and low stress, if for nothing else, but to destroy the myth that triathlons are impossible if you’re not in impeccable shape.
Be sure to check out my Facebook page for a lot more photos.
I also owe a special thanks to our volunteers and helpers- my mom for watching my 2 youngest feral kids, my dad for keeping the times and watching the bikes, and Sara Wise for loaning Katie a sweet Diamondback bike named Beatrice. I also want to thank Todd and Vickie at Pirateland Campground for allowing us to use their facilities for all this craziness.
And with no further waiting, here are our results…
All participants with no age indicated are adults. Times are in MIN:SEC.
Overall
- David Powers 60:35
- Katie Corley 68.80
- Benaiah Powers (7yo) 82:79
- Korrene Powers 87:35
- Abishai Powers (10yo) 98:34
- Ethan Van Buren (12yo) 102:45
Run- 1.5 mile
- Benaiah Powers 16:55
- Katie Corley 16:57
- David Powers 17:00
- Korrene Powers 26:10
- Ethan Van Buren 27:29
- Abishai Powers 27:29
Bike- 6.2 miles
- David Powers 29:10
- Katie Corley 36:10
- Benaiah Powers 42:24
- Korrene Powers 42:25
- Abishai Powers 46:05
- Ethan Van Buren 51.77
Swim- .25 mile
- David Powers 12:25
- Katie Corley 14:13
- Korrene Powers 17:12
- Benaiah Powers 22:32
- Ethan Van Buren 23:39
- Abishai Powers 23:45
Once again, I was so proud of the kids who participated. I simply could not catch up to my 7yo on the run. Every time I got close he took off faster. Ethan, another one of the kids, kept going on and on despite severe mechanical problems with his bike.
Now to keep training for next year’s event!
As a special treat to you, here’s a couple of things I recommend for training…
My entire training philosophy comes from the book Extreme Alpinism.
The book Shape Up with the Slow Fat Triathlete is a great book for a beginner tri participant.
And my recommendations for nutrition HERE.
This message was written by a team of geeks, nerds, gamers, and Dr. David Powers. You can always find us at www.drdavidpowers.com. Thanks for reading!
Mastering the Art of Living 