Triathlon returns for 25th year
Cassandra McCarty
Issue date: 9/3/09 Section: TruLife
It's a race that brings together Kirksville residents, Truman students and people from across the country to compete in a challenge that combines the sports of swimming, biking and running.
Thousand Hills State Park will host the 25th Annual NEMO Triathlon Sunday, Sept 13. The triathlon is marked by its unique ability to provide inspiration for Kirksville.
Janet Gooch, communication disorders department chair, has been participating in the triathlon since 2002 and said she has a soft spot for the competition because it brings the whole town together.
"It's a hometown event, it's close and we know the people that put it on, and we have a certain allegiance because it's right here in Kirksville," Gooch said. "It's the first triathlon that I ever did."
The race is divided into three sections: swimming a distance of .74 miles, biking for 18 miles and running five miles. Gooch said that swimming is her least favorite part because she panics with the many people kicking and thrashing in the water around her. Despite setbacks that can occur while in the water, Gooch said the turnout for the triathlon is great. Each year brings a familar face, including an older woman who swims, rides and runs in the race.
"The first time she did it, she had an old rickety Schwinn bike with a basket on the front, and she did it, she did it the whole way - it was great," Gooch said of the an elderly woman who competed last year,
Gooch said competitors don't need a fancy bike or sports equipment to compete in the triathlon. She thinks it's a great opportunity for beginners and people who would like to complete a life goal.
Dan Martin, director of the NEMO triathlon, was the original mastermind behind the event and has encouraged the Kirksville community to compete in the race for 25 years. Martin said that in the early 1980s, he decided to develop an athletic event in town and bring a marathon to Kirksville.
Eventually Martin discarded the marathon notion for a race that introduced the concept of cross training.
Thousand Hills State Park will host the 25th Annual NEMO Triathlon Sunday, Sept 13. The triathlon is marked by its unique ability to provide inspiration for Kirksville.
Janet Gooch, communication disorders department chair, has been participating in the triathlon since 2002 and said she has a soft spot for the competition because it brings the whole town together.
"It's a hometown event, it's close and we know the people that put it on, and we have a certain allegiance because it's right here in Kirksville," Gooch said. "It's the first triathlon that I ever did."
The race is divided into three sections: swimming a distance of .74 miles, biking for 18 miles and running five miles. Gooch said that swimming is her least favorite part because she panics with the many people kicking and thrashing in the water around her. Despite setbacks that can occur while in the water, Gooch said the turnout for the triathlon is great. Each year brings a familar face, including an older woman who swims, rides and runs in the race.
"The first time she did it, she had an old rickety Schwinn bike with a basket on the front, and she did it, she did it the whole way - it was great," Gooch said of the an elderly woman who competed last year,
Gooch said competitors don't need a fancy bike or sports equipment to compete in the triathlon. She thinks it's a great opportunity for beginners and people who would like to complete a life goal.
Dan Martin, director of the NEMO triathlon, was the original mastermind behind the event and has encouraged the Kirksville community to compete in the race for 25 years. Martin said that in the early 1980s, he decided to develop an athletic event in town and bring a marathon to Kirksville.
Eventually Martin discarded the marathon notion for a race that introduced the concept of cross training.
Be the first to comment on this story