Farragut triathlon team opens their season at Fort DeSoto
The Farragut Triathlon Team — yes, Farragut has a triathlon team — opened its season on February 7 by competing in the Chilly Willy Duathlon at Fort DeSoto Park in St. Petersburg. This event is considered to be the largest duathlon in the state of Florida with some of the best duathletes in the southeastern region of the United States participating.
Brooke Liu ‘16, Jason Chen ‘18, and Kyndal Olander ‘17 were the student representatives of the 11-person team who competed this past weekend. Brooke finished first in her respective age group and Jason finished fifth. Kyndal teamed up with Steve Edwards, who co-coaches the team with his wife, Joy, to take seventh place in the co-ed relay race.
The race consisted of a 5 kilometer run, followed by a 10 mile cycle, and another 5 kilometer run. More challenging, though, were the weather conditions with winds in excess of 25 miles per hour throughout most of the day and temperatures hovering near 40 degrees.
“The race was tough but awesome,” Brooke said.
Mrs. Edwards, who is in charge of putting the team together and handling the registration for each member, finished 11th in her division.
“It is so rewarding for Steve and I to be able to team with our cadets and to actually be on the race course with them – racing along with them and encouraging them,” Mrs. Edwards said. “They did a great job under very challenging conditions.”
The team will compete in the St. Anthony’s Triathlon in St. Petersburg on April 24, 2016. As the first major race on the U.S. calendar, St. Anthony’s Triathlon has kicked off the triathlon season in North America for the past 31 years, an event that encompasses a 1.5 kilometer swim, a 40 kilometer bike ride, and a 10 kilometer run through the downtown portion of St. Petersburg.
