Central Florida learns triathlons are not only for Olympic athletes

Mention the word “triathlon” to an average Joe and the response is not expected to be great.

Enter the National Training Center (NTC) of Clermont, Fla., and its annual Lake Louisa Sprint Triathlon Series. In its fourth year, the triathlon series of six events caters to everyone.

“It’s really open to anyone,” said Kim Couch, NTC Sports Department Assistant & Volunteer Coordinator. “You don’t have to be a great athlete to participate and have fun.”

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The 2006 schedule kicked off in April and continues with the last three races on July 27, Aug. 17 and Sept. 21. While typical triathlons feature grueling miles of competition such as the half-ironman (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run) and the Olympic distance (1500m swim, 40k bike and 10k run), the sprint triathlon is relatively easy to complete.

The entire sprint triathlon takes place in Lake Louisa State Park. Beginning from the beach, participants swim a quarter mile in Lake Louisa. A relatively shallow body of water, some beginners walk the majority of the swimming course in Lake Louisa.

After completing a brisk swim it’s on to the parking lot where athletes saddle up on their bikes for a 7-mile ride. Perhaps the hardest part of the sprint, the state park is extremely hilly for Florida. The race is capped with a 1.5-mile run.

This friendly competition is completed not with an awards ceremony or a grand announcement of winning scores, but rather with a hotdog cookout.

“It’s just a fun time,” Couch said. “You get a lot of first time people that come out to these.”

Each sprint triathlon averages about 100 participants. While some of the tri-athletes are heads and shoulders above the field, this event is geared toward the community. Families participate together as well as individuals looking to lose weight. Participants travel from as far away as the Tampa area to compete in the monthly sprint triathlons.

Despite its name, the NTC has more than 3,600 community members that use the facility for everyday exercise sessions.

“The National Training Center is really for any athlete,” Couch said. “It doesn’t matter if you never worked out before or if you are training to compete in the Olympics. Here you can be at any level.”