Interested in learning how to do a triathlon? Beginners welcome!

[Pete]

Some of you may know that I got started in the sport of triathlon through Team in Training (TNT), a sports training program sponsored by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I am now a coach for the West Los Angeles team.



When I joined, I was an absolute beginner and had never seen a tri. But I liked running, was comfortable in the water and was willing to learn. Two years after signing up, I finished an Ironman competition in Panama City Beach Florida.

And for the first time, there is going to be a TNT triathlon program in Oklahoma City! They will be starting up in a couple of weeks and are now actively recruiting. Two of my good friends have already signed up and they are absolute beginners.



Here’s the way it works: In exchange for two weekly practices (one swim practice on a weekday evening and a run/bike on Saturday AM) plus coaching, workout schedules, clinics and everything else you need to get ready, you promise to raise about $3,000 for the cause.

They help you set up a personal website where you can accept donations, give you sample letters to help you get the word out to your friends and acquaintances and provide lots of other ideas (garage sales, events, etc.) to help you reach your goal.

If you raise at least the minimum, they pay for your entry to the race (this season it’s the Capital of Texas Tri in Austin), transportation, and give you a wetsuit.

And you can choose from two race distances: Olympic (.9 mile swim, 25 mile bike, 6.2 mile run) or Sprint (about half all those distances). The race is May 24th and believe it or not, that is plenty of time to get ready if you go to practice and do your workouts.



I can’t recommend the program highly enough. The sport is fantastic and the people tend to be very cool, as they are generally kind-hearted, out-going and adventurous. Plus, they do a great job of getting you prepared.

Practice starts in a couple of weeks so if you’re interested here is a web page with more specifics:

Oklahoma Chapter

TNT also trains for marathons and cycling events and if you click on ‘Events/Meetings’ on that page, you’ll see lots of informational meetings where you can go meet some of the coaches and get more specific questions answered.


I stand nothing to gain from getting people involved, I just know how much they get out of the program. As a coach, I’ve helped about 200 people finish their first triathlon and you’d be amazed if you saw some of them, as there are all shapes and sizes. And the huge majority go on to do more events.

You can also send me a PM if you have any questions about TNT or the sport in general.

[keving]

This sounds very very interesting. I've always admired those that compete in triathlons. I'm going to check into this program.

[Pete]

Kevin, if you have any questions I'm happy to help.

It's really a lot of fun and once you learn properly, there are all kinds of races you can do.