Tri Cowtown

I volunteered for the Tri Cowtown Sprint Triathlon at Benbrook Lake.  Since I have benefitted from the help of many volunteers over the years in various events that I have participated in, I figured it was time to give back.  So, I, and 3 SMU students who were required to volunteer as part of their beginning triathlon class and a couple who had just trained for a marathon and wanted to volunteer to see what a triathlon is all about were the volunteers for the bike course.  As with many volunteering opportunities, it was a matter of standing around until the woman in charge who had all the info but was also responsible for a billion other things could get us started.  We waited patiently until we were asked to follow her and load a truck up with direction signs and orange traffic cones.  I was surprised by the frantic activity of so many folks running around trying to ensure that everything was in place for the race.  And then it hit me.  I've never noticed this before because I've never been around when they were setting the course up.  As a participant, I just had to arrive and get my stuff set up in the transition area and wait for the start of the race.  Little did I know there were many other people running around to ensure that I would have a good race.  Now, I was one of those other people.

My peaceful pretty lake view 

We placed the signs and cones in critical spots to direct participants how to remain on the course.  And then the next round of waiting began.  There was a gate that usually remained locked to keep people from the day use area of the lake separated from the overnight camping use area of the lake.  The gate was opened so that bikes could go through for the race.  So, I was asked to remain there before and through the race to ensure that no one drove through from one part of the lake to the other.  I began manning the gate around 7:30 - the race started at 8 with the first biker projected to come through the gate at 8:30.  So I had some quiet time with a pretty lake view.  Its too bad I was freezing cold.  But fortunately I had my iphone and was able to pull up some music and even read Philippians while I waited.

As I sat and watched the bikers pass I had two interesting thoughts.  First of all I was amazed by the connection that could be established within the few seconds that it took a rider to pass me.  As each person passed I shouted words of encouragement such as "way to go" or "your looking good".  And I got several smiles, thumbs up, and thank you's.  One guy even joked when he came back past me, "Do I still look good?"  The second thing that was interesting was the diversity of equipment and type of triathletes that were out there.  I saw everything from guys on bikes that looked like the Tour de France with fancy jerseys and clip in pedals to a guy on a mountain bike wearing a t-shirt and board shorts and tennis shoes.  Each athlete had their own goals for the race - some just to finish and some to improve their time.  For some this will be the only triathlon they do and for others this is training for a longer race.

I was also surprised by how many people I saw that I know.  A girl from my church was participating in the race.  And a friend from my book club was part of a relay team.  Then there was a friend from work who was not in the race, but was riding his bike on the same road to cheer a friend on.  All in all it was a great day. I really like the camaraderie and excitement of an event like this and think I will be calling myself a triathlete (which means participating and volunteering) for quite some time.