Triathletes Need Trail Too

Post contributed by Anna Boom

Interested in trying something new and different from your 5/10/42.2km  races? Ever thought of perhaps trying a triathlon, which has the fun of the run but also the challenge of a swim and bike? Here on Okinawa, there are a few, easy triathlons for you to dip your toe into before diving in. (If you are the kind who dives in, keep reading too.)

The triathlon comes in many different distances:
Sprint (750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run)
Olympic (1.5 km swim, 40km bike, 5km run),
Ironman (3.8km swim, 180 km bike, 42.2 km run)
Hodgepodge, which are the MCCS races

Some of the races you will find are:
MCCS triathlons-Courtney Tri (April), Hansen Tri (mid June), Kinser Tri (mid July)
These races run about $20 for early registration and $30 for those of us who don't plan as well as others.

Amy having fun out on the Hansen Tri course



Anna pacing herself - and good thing she did as she won the Hansen Tri last month

And Okinawa races:
Ishigaki: Olympic distance, held on beautiful Ishigaki island. This is split into two events. One is the family race for folks like you and I. The other starts later in the afternoon and is an ITU World Cup event. The pros come out and race this and to watch them is awe-inspiring. You can't imagine how smooth they are until you see them race in person.

Ayahashi: Olympic distance, except the run is 10km, over and back on the Ayahashi bridge. Held in July (Hot!)

Izena: this is 88km-2km swim, 66km bike, 20km run and is held on the beautiful island of Izena. You must take the ferry and stay over one or two nights.  It happens every late Sept or early Oct (also still hot, especially the run course).

Miyako: near-Ironman distance and is held on beautiful Miyako island in April.

All the Okinawa races have different registration fees and may be a shock as the price is much higher than on-base races.

Running trail with WOOT helps you with any type of race goal you have: finishing your first or fiftieth triathlon, winning the next 5km road race or just keeping up with your kids.  Consider using your weekly WOOT run as part of any training plan, whether trying a tri or continuing on your running journey.