By Aidan Eller

When you think about sports here at Greensboro College, your mind probably goes straight to the normal suspects — basketball, soccer and volleyball. I will be the first to admit that until mid-February of this year, I did not even know we had a triathlon team. It is one of those programs that flies under the radar, but after being on the team for the last couple of months, I have realized it may be one of the most fulfilling things to do on campus.

One of my favorite parts about this team is our coach, Karen Buxton. She is a legend in the endurance world. If you look at her résumé, it does not even seem human. She is a multi-time USA Triathlon and Duathlon All-American and a Hall of Fame inductee across three different institutions. She has finished over 180 triathlons and duathlons, including 15 Ironman finishes. For those who do not know, an Ironman is a 2.4‑mile swim, a 112‑mile bike ride and a full 26.2‑mile marathon run. She has done that 15 times, including two trips to the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. Having that kind of experience to guide the team is huge. When the workout gets tough or the practice seems too early, it is hard to complain when you know she has done exactly what she is asking us to do and much more.

So, what exactly is a triathlon? It is one race that combines three very different disciplines: swimming, biking and running. The hard part is that you do them back-to-back with no break in between. This means you cannot just be a “runner” or a “swimmer.” You must train your body to handle all three so you can hold your own when the person next to you is pushing the pace. The training schedule is where this can feel a bit repetitive, and some days are very challenging.

Practices are almost always early in the morning, every single day. Most mornings we are in the pool at either seven or eight, and then later in the day we will come back for our bike and run. It is a lot of work to prepare your body for that level of endurance, and there are definitely days when you are tired and sore.

“Spending mornings with a swim, bike or run always sets a winning tone for the day. Triathlon is life,” said Zak Gumaya.

This spring season has already taken us to some pretty cool places. We started out with a duathlon at Northeast Park, but the real highlight was traveling to Gulfport, Miss., for the Triathlon Collegiate Nationals. I have been an athlete for most of my life, but I had never seen anything like this. There were over 1,000 athletes competing in this event. There were rows and rows of bikes set up in the transition area as far as you can see. To start the race, everyone lined up all the way down a pier, getting ready to jump into the Gulf of Mexico. It was very exciting but also chaotic, in a good way.

In Gulfport, we competed at the “Olympic” distance: a 1.5‑kilometer swim, a 40‑kilometer bike ride and a 10‑kilometer run. It was a very tough race, one of the hardest things I have done, but that feeling of crossing the finish line was so worth it.

The final event of the season was at Belews Lake on April 18. This one was a “Sprint” distance, which is half the length of the Olympic race. It is a different kind of challenge because the pace is much faster. This course is also much hillier, so it took some time to get used to it. It is a different look for the team, but we are excited to see what we can do on a shorter, faster course.

Looking back on my time spent with the team so far, I would recommend this to anyone. You do not have to be a superstar athlete to start; everyone on the team comes from a different background and enjoys it and improves together. All you need is a desire to improve your fitness and a willingness to try something new, and beyond the physical stuff, there is a great sense of camaraderie. We are a small group with only four — Zak, Walker, Sammie and me. Being on this team has given me a way to feel more connected to the Greensboro College community. It is easy to stay in your own bubble on campus, but getting out there and competing and representing GC has been a highlight of my year. So, if you are looking for a new way to challenge yourself or just want to get in better shape and have some fun, come find triathlon and give it a shot.