Photo / Wayne Dayberry

By Rachel Leigh

“Rachel, we’re leaving in five minutes,” said my friend Kellie.

What? I slept in! The last thing I wanted to do before my first triathlon.

Ok, bike? Check.

Bike shoes? Check.

Helmet, running shoes, swimsuit, goggles? All here.

My body, screaming for caffeine, would have to run off adrenaline this morning. No time for a real meal.

It was 5:30 a.m. While some of my friends were just turning in after a night of partying, I was driving to Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek to compete in the Ameriprise Financial Race the Troops Triathlon, one of Multirace’s events.

Now, this triathlon is a sprint: swim 400 meters, bike 10 miles and run 2.5 miles. If you’re an athlete you’re probably thinking the same as I was: I can run long distances, bike for hours and swim—there’s always the doggie paddle. Seriously, how hard can this be?

Time for a reality check.

Through the dark I found my spot in the transition area and set my things there. Once my bike was racked and my shoes and clothes were all together it was time to be marked with my number and age. A volunteer drew an 80 and a 23 on me. I quickly found myself looking at every girl’s leg to see if she was in my division. I’m really competitive.

As 7 a.m. neared, 561 people grabbed their swim caps and headed to the start line. As I watched the heats before mine my toes became numb. I needed to start moving!

When my heat finally came, I walked into the water not having a clue what to do. Do I jump or just start swimming?

Kellie made a big plunge. I followed.

Everyone had warned me that Florida lakes are gross. Having grown up swimming in the Ohio River, I thought: How much worse could it be?

Oh, much worse! I couldn’t even see my hands in front of me.

And I kept getting kicked and hit by other competitors.

I started out swimming freestyle but halfway through the swim I froze. I was in the middle of a deep, murky lake and I thought: What am I going to do? The other side of the lake is so far away. I’ll never make it.

I had witnessed people experiencing mental blocks like this but had never had one myself. I flipped over on my back and prayed.

After a few strokes I went back to a freestyle stroke, keeping my head above water and keeping my eyes on the banner reading “Finish.”

By the grace of God I made it to the other side of the lake, jogged to the transition area, donned my bike shoes and shorts and grabbed my bike.

It was time to play catch up.

I quickly learned the course was curvy with numerous sharp turns. I had to bike smart; it would be so easy to wipe out on a curve.

I got through the bike leg pretty easily, and even passed a lot of people. Cycling was my favorite part of the triathlon. But, I knew what waited ahead: the run.

It’s easy to go from running to biking, but the other way around is difficult for me. I felt like I was in one of those dreams where someone is chasing you, but you can’t run away.

Sure enough, after racking my bike my legs were like lead. I estimated I was running 10-minute miles, but couldn’t find the motivation to push harder. I just wanted it to be over so I could breathe normally again. Every time I ran around a turn, another loop stretched before my eyes. I tricked myself: The end is just at the tree. No, that tree another 50 feet away…

This got me close to the finish line. And I became like a kid seeing the golden arches of McDonald’s. All right, just a few more steps and I’m there. Three, two, one and congratulations! I did it!

I wanted to collapse.

My goal was to finish in less than an hour. I missed it by 2 minutes and 37 seconds, but there’s always next time.

I drove home and flipped open my laptop. To my surprise I received an e-mail from Multirace. “Congratulations, you won an award!” I won the bike and run legs in my division; however, my swim and transition times placed me second overall.

Yes!