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The CU Triathlon Team, winner of five National Collegiate Triathlon Championships since 1994, was out in full force on Sunday, February 6. It was an important step in preparation for their title defense. Rather than hammering out a brick workout or cruising through a long Sunday run, tri-team members were manning aid stations and coordinating logistics for their annual 5K fund-raiser.

Race director and team president Gretchen Keisling witnessed a turnout of over two hundred runners in the second year of this event. Despite the name, spring arrived early this year in Boulder and the weather pushed into the fifties for ideal race conditions.

At 9:00, the runners gathered near the giant buffalo in front of Folsom Stadium. Final preparations were made to the lead bike. A stick attached to the bike seat dangled bananas, offering a bit of good-humored, Pavlovian enticement for the racers. The starting gun was the only encouragement needed, however. The crowd dashed downhill from the starting line and headed east along Colorado Avenue. Immediately, the twists and turns of the winding course began.

Adrenaline flowed and buoyed a large pack through the first half mile. Thereafter the numbers thinned and by the mile marker Andy Aimes and James Johnson were on their way to dominating the race.

After negotiating the streets and sidewalks of the CU campus, Aimes crossed the finish line behind the Duane Physics building in a time of 15:35, followed by Johnson in 15:40. Darrin Eisman rounded out the top three with a 16:25 performance. The first CU Triathlon Team member to finish, Ryan Ignatz, brought home a fourth place finish in a time of 16:34.

In the women’s race, Lesia Hlady quickly established herself as the top contender. Hlady cruised to the finish in a time of 18:50. Alyson Blomquist from the CU Triathlon Team showed her running strength with a second place finish in 19:39. Denise Custon came in third with a time of 20:27.

Ignatz and Blomquist weren’t the only members of the CU Triathlon Team to compete. Several Buffs showed their leg speed after finishing with pre-race volunteer duties, providing a glimpse of another unstoppable CU triathlon squad.

Out of 112 members, the Buffs will be taking seventy-five to the Wildflower Triathlons Festival on May 7, site of the Collegiate National Championships. This year’s contingent will be the largest ever and due to the awkward timing in the middle of finals, the squad will be flying to California. The seventy-five bikes will be loaded into the back of two trailers and hauled out to the race site by a handful of members able to leave a few days early.

According to Keisling, “The team is training with the confidence to win for a fifth straight year.” Look for a strong performance from the women, including favorite Beth Anderson, to power the Buffs past their main rivals, the University of Arizona, Cal-Poly, UC-Santa Barbara, and Northern Arizona University. Other women to watch are Kirsten Anderson, Kerry Barnholt, Gretchen Keisling, and Alyson Blomquist. The men to watch are Greg Woods, Ryan Ignatz, Andy Feeney, and Armando Galarraga. The team is coached by veteran triathlete Neal Henderson.

The team holds meetings every Tuesday at 7:00 in Hellems 252. Speakers this semester include Dave and Jane Scott, Tim and Nicole DeBoom, Cameron Widoff, and Wes Hobson. Meetings are open to the public and more information on the CU Triathlon Team can be found on their web site.

* This article appeared in the Colorado Triathlete magazine (Spring 2000).