Brandon Twp.- Heather Crawford never thought she could ever complete a triathlon. Tomorrow, she will compete in her second one.
‘If you would have asked me two years ago, I would have said I could never do that,? said Crawford, set to participate in the Big Fish Lake Sprint Triathlon on June 21. ‘Now we’re doing it again. Are we crazy or what??
Crawford will be joined at the triathlon by fellow township resident Gina Bartle. The pair are among about a dozen members of In Motion Anytime, 4 N. Ortonville Road, who have trained together for the triathlons at the suggestion of gym owner Jessica Arundel.
‘I’ve always wanted to do a triathlon,? said Bartle, 49. ‘When I was a kid, I was athletic, but then I got married and had kids. I got tired of being lazy.?
Crawford said she was always athletic, too, but like Bartle, let workouts fall by the wayside after she had children. The triathlon became a personal challenge and her goal last year was to simply finish it. Now, she hopes to improve upon her time.
Also participating in the sprint triathlon for the first time this year will be Pete Burkett, a Goodrich resident and Oakland County Sheriff’s Office sergeant at the Brandon substation.
‘I want to be able to say I did it, plus, it’s something to shoot for to keep me in shape,? said Burkett, 43.
He has been using a triathlon class at the Genesys Health Center for training and swims 45-60 minutes once a week, as well as bikes 13 miles twice a week through the streets of Goodrich and out at Big Fish Lake. He also runs between four and five miles three days a week.
‘Swimming is the hardest, because I’m a sinker, not a swimmer,? Burkett said. ‘All my life, I thought I was an OK swimmer, until I started training for this. I had to relearn how to swim? the proper way to hold your head and arms and kick your legs.?
Crawford and Bartle began training for this triathlon in February, swimming at the Brandon Aquatics and Fitness Center.
‘We started out doing one event at a time and we’d sometimes do aerobics after,? said Crawford. ‘We’d try to get the disciplines done. If we swam in the morning, we’d then come over to the gym and ride the stationary bikes or do step class for cardio and legs.?
As the weather warmed, they began biking and running outside. They weren’t able to take their swim training to the lake as soon as they wanted to because of the cold.
Swimming proved to be the biggest challenge for both Bartle and Crawford in last year’s triathlon. Bartle noted that it was a pile up in the lake, and unlike in the pool, there are no breaks where you can touch the wall. Plus, there is the seaweed to contend with.
‘I thought I was going to die,? she said. ‘I kept running into people and water is splashed in your face. You’re trying to get air, and instead you get a mouth full of water.?
Crawford recalled watching others in the lake put their hand up to get picked up by triathlon volunteers on jet skis.
‘You start to panic and then you think, ‘I’m not turning back and giving up, I haven’t done all this training for nothing.??
When Crawford exited the lake last year after completing the 500-meter swim, she was so exhausted she had to have someone help her get out of her wetsuit. This year, she’ll wear a bathing suit instead, and just pull shorts on for the next leg of the race? a 20-kilometer bike ride that includes a hill that Bartle describes as looking like Mt. Olympus and which she calls ‘pure torture.?
‘There’s a church at the bottom of the hill and you say a prayer before you start up,? says Crawford.
Bartle adds, ‘The cemetery is at the top in case you croak.?
They ride mountain bikes, but noted there are plenty of people at the triathlon who appear to be professionals, with expensive gear. Last year, these were the participants who passed Crawford and Bartle, who struggled with sore quadriceps and hamstrings and numb backsides. But, the pair weren’t in it to win it? they were in it for the personal accomplishment.