Tri-ing to be Fit
Last month, AFM told you about the exciting new triathlon kicking off the 2012 Texas Tri Series, the Republic of Texas Triathlon. This three-day event on April 13, 14, and 15 in Corpus Christi, Texas, promises to be an exciting venue. Dan Carroll of High Five Events (the event producer) said that Corpus is “an untapped venue” and described the location as “an incredible race location.”
The ocean-side city is a lovely setting for the weekend festival, which has several distinct triathlon events. Things start up on Friday with the opening of the multi-sport expo, and the first race on Saturday. There is an adult event, a Sprint distance triathlon, and another event for youngsters, the kids’ fun run (this 1.5-mile course has turn-around points so that younger children can participate). Both of those shorter events are perfect for the family just starting out in triathlon or for the triathlete looking to “jump start” the new season with a quick, hard, speed effort. On Sunday, the long distance events take place. There is a Half Iron distance, both for the individual and for teams, a great way to try the longer endurance event without a full commitment to Half Iron training. There is also a shorter Olympic Distance triathlon (an Olympic Distance triathlon is roughly half the distance of the Half Iron), a great bridge between the short Sprint effort and the endurance aspect of the Half Iron.
Carroll was excited about the venue’s unique aspects. “It’s an exciting course that highlights a lot of the beautiful things about Corpus Christi,” he said. He pointed out the swim starts in the bay next to the U.S.S. Lexington, a World War II-era aircraft carrier which is now a museum. The bike course takes athletes over the iconic Harbor Bridge, and both the bike and run take place primarily on Ocean Drive, which follows the coast. The finish area will be located in the new Bayfront Park.
Carroll was just as excited about the event’s title sponsor, H.E.B., and the store’s “Healthy Heroes” program. Back in 2010, Men’s Health ranked Corpus Christi as the nation’s fattest city (El Paso, Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston were all in the top 10 as well) and the city, led by Mayor Joe Adame, decided to do something about it. Move forward to 2012, and they’ve partnered with H.E.B. to promote fitness in the city. “Healthy Heroes” is an internal program that encourages employees to “tri it” by taking on a triathlon as a way to embrace a healthy lifestyle. Naturally, H.E.B. partnered with High Five Events to bring the Republic of Texas Triathlon to fruition. The Mayor’s Fitness Council has also issued a challenge to all in Corpus Christi and the entire Coastal Bend area to participate, even handing out special awards for both individuals and groups who do so.
It’s a win-win situation; Texas gains another quality triathlon event while our citizens have another source of motivation for getting off the couch.
