Triathlon Set For Team Edwards Published Feb. 13, 2012 By Stephen K. Robinson 95th AIr Base Wing Public Affairs EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Area athletes are gearing up for the Edwards High Desert Triathlon being held at the Oasis Aquatic Center on Saturday, Feb. 25, beginning at 8 a.m. The triathlon, which has a limited amount of available entries, is only open to those who already have access to the base. Organizers of the event, avid triathletes Lt. Col. Kathryn Hughes, 95th Aerospace Medicine Squadron commander, and Lt. Col. Brian O'Neill, 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron director of operations, saw a need to fill a void for triathletes in the desert. "With no such events in our immediate area, we thought it would be a great idea to host one here where records are set to be broken and human endurance is put to the test on a regular basis," O'Neill said. The word "triathlon" is of Greek origin from trei (three) and athlos (contest); thus, a triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. "There are many variations of the sport, but in its most popular form, the triathlon involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances with transition points between each of the three sports components," O'Neill said. Triathlon races vary in distance. According to the International Triathlon Union, and USA Triathlon, the main international race distances are Sprint distance (750 meter swim, 20 km bike, 5 K run), Intermediate (or Standard) distance, commonly referred to as "Olympic distance" (1.5 km swim, 40 km ride, 10 km run), the Long Course (1.9 km swim, 90 km ride, 21.1 km run, such as the Half Ironman), and Ultra Distance (3.8 km swim, 180 km ride, and a 42.2 km marathon run); the most recognized branded Ultra Distance is the Ironman triathlon. Transition areas are positioned both between the swim and bike segments (T1), and between the bike and run segments (T2), these are also where the transitions from swimming to cycling and cycling to running occur. These areas are used to store bicycles, performance apparel, and any other accessories needed for preparing for the next stage of the race. The time spent in T1 and T2 is included in the overall time of the race. "The way a triathlon works is that triathletes compete for fastest overall course completion time, including timed 'transitions' between the individual swim, bike, and run components," O'Neill said. "The High Desert Triathlon's three-components are a 500-meter swim (20 lengths of the pool), a 12-mile ride and a three-mile run, respectfully." The nature of the sport focuses primarily on persistent, and often periodized, training in each of the three disciplines, as well as combination workouts and general strength conditioning. "Triathlon is a great sport for any athlete that wants a challenge. It goes beyond just running and requires participants to pace themselves mentally and physically while handling many technical factors of the event," O'Neill said. Ride and run routes can be found at the following websites; http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/68050766 and http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/68050266 The High Desert Triathlon is open to everyone who has base access to Edwards. The race fee is $30 and is payable by cash or check at the Oasis Pool. Entry deadline for the event is Thursday, Feb. 23. For more information e-mail triedwards@gmail.com or on Facebook under 'EAFB High Desert Triathlon.'