Spectator Sport?

“Would you like for me to come cheer you on?” My wife, who was half-asleep,

asked me this question as I prepared to head out to the Beaver Freezer for my

first triathlon. While I appreciated her thoughtfulness as well as her willingness to

stand out in the damp cold I declined her offer of support. In my mind, no

amount of Dutch Bros. coffee would be worth watching me in my first triathlon.

Truth be told, triathlons are not the most fan-friendly events. Save for the start or

the finish, most of the race occurs on roads or trails that are far flung and away

from the action. Unlike the cyclo-cross races my wife does, triathlons normally

aren’t set up in laps. Rather, they are point to point or set up as an out and back.

I suppose one could hang out at the transition area. I’ve seen some folks do just

that, particularly when the swim/bike and bike/run transitions are in the same

area. I guess the thought of cheering someone on, waiting for a quick glimpse of

them as they return from one portion of a race only to quickly head out again isn’t

that appealing to me. In a sprint race the time frame for waiting isn’t too bad but

in a longer race such as a half-ironman you’re talking five to six hours. It’s

wonderful to have that support but I’m not sure I could ask anyone to wait around

that long.

When my last race of the year came up I did ask my wife to be there at the finish

line. It was a long course event and I gave her a ballpark estimate of when I’d be

there. After six hours of racing I crossed the finish line to cheers and the

beaming face my wife. After a quick congratulatory hug from my coach and

backslap from a fellow teammate I walked over to hug my wife. As I went to

embrace her I stopped and said, “Oh crap, I’m sorry babe. I’m drenched in sweat

and I must smell like death warmed over.” She laughed and hugged me anyway.

It was a nice way to end my first long course event.

I’m thinking for the next race I might suggest to my wife that we just go out and

celebrate with dinner after I’ve had a nice long, hot, shower and been able to use

some deoderant.