College is an opportunity to expand one’s knowledge, pursue an education in a specific career field and meet lifelong friends. For some Drury students, college is also an opportunity to push their physical limitations and compete in triathlons.

In addition to an NCAA Collegiate Triathlon team, Drury is now also home to a new club, Drury Triathlon. Spearheaded by architecture professor David Beach, the club came into being at the beginning of February 2019. The club works together with the collegiate team to bring the possibility to train for and race in triathlons to all Drury students.

In a triathlon, athletes must not only run, but bike and swim as well. A typical triathlon starts with swimming, then biking before finishing the race with running.

“[Distances] range from ‘super sprints’… to ‘iron’ distances,” said Beach.

Super sprints typically only take minutes to complete, while iron distance races can last hours or even all day.

“I can tell you first hand that finishing a triathlon, of any distance, will create a sense of accomplishment with which few things can compare,” said Beach.

Shorter triathlons might include a half-mile swim, 12.5 mile bike ride, and three-mile run, while longer triathlons can have nearly one-mile swims, 25 mile bike rides, and six-mile runs.

Earlier in the year, the Drury triathlon team was awarded the top grade point average in the nation with a team GPA of 3.838. Three athletes were also named Scholar All-Americans by the College Triathlon Coaches Association: freshman Courtney Reese, freshman Melanie Abbott and freshman Nina Spitzhorn.

To be eligible for the honor, all three athletes had to have participated in the 2018 NCAA Triathlon national championship and maintained a 3.5 minimum GPA for the fall semester.

The team finished fifth at nationals in their first season and traveled across the country. The season lasts from August to early November.

“Training for a triathlon is very unique compared to other sports,” said triathlon team member Melanie Abbott. “It’s a lot of hours of training, so you truly have to love it and I have become really close to my teammates in just one semester. Since three sports are involved, you have to make sure to keep balance and we practice multiple times a day.”

“If I had to name one thing that keeps me wanting to do triathlon,” reflected Abbott, “[it] would be that I feel I can still improve and experience so much in the sport.”

For Abbott, the opportunity to push beyond limitations is a powerful motivator when training for and participating in a race.

“There are days when triathlon gets really tough because it is so many hours of hard work, or maybe it’s a really difficult race… what gets me through the days when I don’t think I can push any harder is my teammates. Competing for my team and Drury makes me always give my best even when it isn’t easy. I want to do everything I can [to help my team] out and represent Drury well.”

The new triathlon club is a great opportunity for guidance from experienced athletes for students of any level of experience or physical preparedness.

“To participate, you do not need all the gear,” said Beach. “You don’t even need to know what gear you need to have. You just need that desire to dive into a new sports club, to represent the university at events and to be part of something that will change you.”

Anyone interested in Drury Triathlon is encouraged to contact David Beach at dbeach01@drury.edu.

Article written by Forest Swisher.