VIDEO: Participants Run, Swim & Bike to Triathlon Finish

Like the rest of the country, Glenview residents are starting to get a dose of triathlon fever. More than 300 participants woke up early on Sunday morning to bike, run and swim in the s 10th annual sprint triathlon.

Hosted at the Glenview Park District’s this year’s triathlon featured a 300-yard swim followed by a 10-mile bike ride and a three-mile run. The Park District has kept the distances shorter to foster more participation from residents who haven’t tried a triathlon, explained Kathleen McInnis, manager of health and fitness at the Park Center.  

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“The distances are perfect for those who are just getting started, and it’s also fun,” McInnis said.

First lap at 6:30 a.m.

The first competitors started their swim in the Park Center’s lap pool just after 6:30 AM. The faster competitors were given the first slot times and swimmers were staggered five to 10 seconds apart.

Vachee Loughran won the over title, finishing the course in 45:30 and edging Reeven Nathan by a mere four seconds. Karen Grabowski (54:35) took home the women’s title.

But the vast majority of Sunday’s participants were not experienced triathletes. Nataly Arber, 24, was running in her third triathlon, having competed in the Glenview event the previous two years.         

“I started training a couple months ago after I ended school, just the summer basically,” Arber said. “The distances are all very manageable so you can have fun with it instead of stressing out.”

Arber was a swimmer in high school and started running a lot once she got into college. She only started doing triathlon races after her dad signed her up two years go. With her previous athletic experience, the toughest stage for her is the bike.

“It’s always the biking because you have to motivate yourself to keep going,” Arber said. “It’s so easy to let yourself glide.”

Participants young and old

The shorter distance of the triathlon allows them to draw competitors from a wide age range. Kids as young as 14 years old can enter the three-sport event and last year McInnis said the oldest finisher was around 88 years old.

And with more people becoming introduced to the fast-growing sport, the event may be a springboard for competitors to advance on to longer distances.

“I’ve been thinking about it. It’s definitely possible,” Arber said. “If I train some more and got more comfortable with the cycling then yeah, why not.” 

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