For those of us triathletes that live in the midwest, unless we have been traveling to warmer locations to race, indoor triathlons for the months of January-April are a great way to maintain during the winter/spring months. This weekend’s Pleasant Prairie Indoor/Outdoor Triathlon is one of the races that takes place just as we approach the summer. I’ve raced this triathlon for a few years in the past and have enjoyed it’s uniqueness.
Unlike indoor triathlons based on distance in a particular time, this race is formatted like an outdoor triathlon that is base on time. The swim, 1st transition, bike, 2nd transition, and run are all added up to your total time to complete, which is good preparation for outdoor races.
Though this year’s race had less participants than previous years, the race went well. This race consisted of a 400 meter pool swim, 4 mile spin bike, and 2.3 mile run outside around Lake Andrea.
This year’s participants consisted of a variety of past participant that were “veterans” of the sport, as well as those new to the sport of triathlon.
With a 7:30am start, the event kicked off as planned. As athletes completed their swim, they moved to the transition room before heading to the room with spin bikes to complete their bike portion. Racers had the option to go back into transition after the bike to prepare and head out to the run or to bring their items into the ‘bike’ area to proceed out into the run. This year was quite chillier than previous years that I raced this event, so one had to be mindful of any layers to put on for the 39° run around the lake. Thankfully the wind was pretty calm, yet the run around Lake Andrea was a bit cold.
All participants received a t-shirt and finisher’s medals, and the race concluded with post-race awards.
