Chapter Three: This Week I Tri’d
“She didn’t care how she looked. She cared that she was here.”
The Veteran first spotted her in transition.
Her goggles were on upside down. Her bike shoes were already clipped in – on the wrong feet. Her race belt was around her neck like a necklace.
She was smiling.
She looked like a walking checklist of newbie errors. But she wasn’t flustered. Just excited. Like someone arriving early to a party they weren’t sure they were invited to, but decided to dance anyway.
Later, somewhere on the run course, he caught up with her.
She was trotting along at an ambitious shuffle, muttering to herself. She saw him, grinned, and said:
“This is … way harder than YouTube made it look.”
He laughed. “That’s because YouTube doesn’t film the bit where you question all your life choices.”
She nodded, dead serious. “I think I forgot how to run and breathe at the same time.”
They ran together for a while. She talked. A lot.
Told him she’d signed up on a dare. That she’d learned to swim just for this. That she didn’t really know what cadence was, but she liked the word. That she’d taped a note to her handlebars that said “just keep going.”
It was her first race. And she wasn’t trying to win it. She was just trying to belong to it.
As she peeled off to walk the aid station, she called after him:
“I think I’m gonna cry at the finish line!”
The Veteran smiled.
He didn’t tell her he always does.
Another mile behind. Plenty more ahead.
A Quick Reflection
“She didn’t care how she looked. She cared that she was here.”
The world doesn’t always make space for beginners. Especially ones who show up wide-eyed, full-hearted, and unpolished.
But there’s something deeply right about someone who tries – openly, awkwardly, joyfully. Some of our most popular and inspirational athletes in our Squad have these traits.
The Veteran saw it: not naivety, but courage.
The kind of courage that says, “I’ll start before I’m ready.”
And that’s not just how you do your first race … it’s how you do your best living.
Coach’s Corner: On Starting Anyway
There’s nothing quite like your first race.
You’re surrounded by people who seem to know where to rack their bike, how to layer their nutrition, what “FTP” means.
And you? You’re hoping your goggles stay on and you don’t forget how to put one foot in front of the other.
Here’s the truth: Everyone started here.
Messy, nervous, and wildly unsure.
And the ones who’ve stuck around? They remember it. Fondly.
So if you’re new, here’s what matters most:
- Start with joy, not perfection. You’ll learn the logistics. What people remember is the feeling.
- Keep asking questions. Every race is a classroom. Every athlete a teacher.
- Celebrate the chaos. Wrong shoes, upside-down goggles, taped notes to the handlebars – these aren’t mistakes. They’re milestones.
The sport is better because of people like her. People who tri’d.
And if you’re a seasoned athlete?
Be the kind of person the newbie remembers.
Because long after they forget their finish time, they’ll remember the ones who made them feel like they belonged.
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