Mega Smore added to triathlon
Shannon LeClair
Times Reporter
It will be five years this summer since the Tri-Smore organizers first chalked Brent Blvd with start and finish lines for the new triathlon. The event began with Niki Johnson’s goal of getting people out, active and having fun.
“We’re still all about removing the barriers, if you need a flutter board to do your swim, who cares, even with little kids lifejackets are allowed, we just don’t let the flippers in the pool because with more people in the pool they can hurt if you get kicked by one,” said Johnson.
New this year is the Mega Smore, which is an Olympic distance. It’s a one and a half km swim, a 40 km bike ride, and a 10 km run. The Mega Smore was added this year because of the fifth anniversary of the Tri-Smore, and it is the fifth distance.
Johnson said there have been a few people interested in it, but she wanted to make sure as the organizer that she knew what they were doing before adding on the longer distance.
“It just kind of seemed fitting because we have the Two Bite race, the quarter and then we have the Half Smore and the Full Smore, so now we’re going to add the Mega Smore which will be our fifth distance and it’s our fifth year. The other fun thing I am doing with that is if you register by 05,05,15, so May 5, 2015, you get your registration for $55.15,” said Johnson.
The Full Smore is sprint distance, equaling a 500-meter swim, a 20km bike and a 5 km run. The Half Smore is half the distance of the full, the quarter Smore is half the distance of the Half Smore, and the Two Bit Smore is for kids eight-years-old and younger.
Any athlete of any fitness level is encouraged to sign up and participate in one of the races being offered.
“Just do it, remove the barriers come and have fun, nobody is going to pull you off the course if you don’t meet a time in a certain part, we don’t care if you have to walk during the run that’s fine,” said Johnson.
The idea is to get out and just do it. The Tri-Smore is only as competitive as you make it, said Johnson.
Learning tips on how to train and finding ways to track your progress has never been easier thanks to the Internet.
“One website that I really like for somebody that has never done it before is beginnertriathlete.com,” said Johnson.
“It covers newbies, it covers veterans, it covers all distances and you can get plans off of there that are free or you can upgrade your membership and get really detailed plans. It is a really good website for just basic triathlon information.”
It may be tough to believe now, but she strongly believes that anyone who starts training now would be able to complete the Full Smore by June, or if you were dedicated enough it would be possible to go from couch to Olympic in the next few months.
“I am a mother of seven kids and if I get in four workouts a week I’ve had a really good week and I can do a Full Smore off of that. I’m no super athlete but I try to stay active and some of those plans are a lot more detailed but they just start you small and you build and they have a rest week in there,” said Johnson.
“It all depends what your goal is, if you’re trying to win a world medal at it, you’re going to have to dedicate a lot, but if you want to finish you can still do it.”
Registration has been open for a couple weeks and it’s never too early to sign up and start training. ‘Like’ the Facebook page for updates Tri-Smore Triathlon, or go online to the website at https://raceroster.com/events/2015/4662/tri-smore-2015 to register.