Tri-Series at Colorado Springs Recreation Center helps athletes hone skills
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- Created on Wednesday, 16 February 2011 23:52
- Written by Elise Reuter
By Elise Reuter, OutThereColorado.com
At the newly built Colorado Springs Recreation Center, a group of 60-70 athletes of all ages and abilities trains for triathlons. Known as the “Tuesday Tri-Series,” the workout consists of four races.
“It’s designed to be training for the competitive,” said Kevin Dessart, who created the series. “Some people will just come in here and do it for the workout. Other people are looking at their times. People want to see the progression from each race; that’s why we do four races.”
Competitors can log their times -- indoor bike, run and swim -- from 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. to allow for flexible schedules. The age-group winners for the series, which wrapped up Tuesday, received a prize.
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“I just wanted to improve every time here, and today I did all three faster than I’ve done before so that means things are going well,” triathlete Eric Peterson said. “It’s nice that (the races) are two weeks apart so you can see some improvements every week.”
The race is designed to be a short, anaerobic workout, Dessart said. The distance varies between age groups. Adults swim 300 yards, ride 8 miles and run 2 miles while youths swim 100 yards, bike 4 miles and run a mile.
While the athletes are racing, coaches record times and offer pointers to improve speed. Other team members also share tips and encourage each other. With such a wide range of skill levels, this is key.
Peterson has completed nine Ironmans and is training for his 10th -- Ironman St. George (Utah) in May. Peterson has been to Kona, Hawaii, six times for the Ironman World Championship.
On the other side of the spectrum, local kids have started training with the WickedFast Triathlon Team, which is directed toward athletes ages 7-18.
“For them, it’s a really good taste of going from one sport to the next, and what they’re going to experience a little bit,” Dessart said.
Devon Murray, 12, started running with WickedFast after her older sister and younger brother joined the team. She has competed in some of the IronKids races, with running being her strongest discipline.
Bonnie Dzingle, another active member, joined the series in training for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training.
“It all started 5 years ago when I received a post card from Team in Training or LLS,” she said. “I had a nephew who passed away when he was 18 months old from a rare form of leukemia, and my friend from college is currently undergoing treatment for Hodgkins lymphoma, so this was my way of giving back.”
At Tuesday’s race, Dzingle improved her swim time by an entire minute. She is training hard as she will participate in her first Olympic distance race this April: the LavaMan Triathlon in Hawaii.
The Springs Rec Center will hold two more new training opportunities this spring. The Brick Series starts Feb. 22, with swim and bike workouts each Tuesday and bike and run workouts each Thursday. A small triathlon camp is planned for the beginning of April.
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