GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- The first Grand Forks Air Force Base triathlon drew more that 40 competitors here, July 28.
The event, consisting of a 400-meter swim, 12-mile bike and 5K run, drew both veteran and first-time triathletes.
"I'm very happy with the turnout today," said Mrs. Rachelle Sian, event coordinator. "To my knowledge, this is the only triathlon in the local area. We're already planning next year's event."
The competition was broken down into four divisions; women, men, relay teams and youth ages 12 to 17.
One group of competitors was 10 members strong. Calling themselves the Nevada Squad, named after the street on base the all live on, they had members who ran the entire course and others who created a relay team.
"We all come from Nevada Street and do things together," said Becky Daw who finished the competition with a time 1:22:43, the second best time in her division. "This is just one more opportunity for us to do something together."
Gunnery Sgt. Timothy Allen, a recruiter in Fargo, and Staff Sgt. Kenneth Jones represented the Marine Corps in the event, along with their dedicated cheering section of spouses and children.
"This is the first event on base that I've gone to," said Sergeant Allen. "Next year you should expect to see more Marines as we spread the word."
For one competitor, triathlons are a way of training for the Olympics. To Senior Airman Angel Romero, recently accepted onto the Air Force Olympic Team as a sprinter, triathlons are a great way to train.
"It's hard to find new challenges sometimes," said the professional sprinter. "This is great. I'm training for the Ironman and plan to do it in a few years. This is great preparation."
At race end, everyone finished. Here are the times from the day's finishers.
Click here for triathlon results.