Whole Person Indoor Triathlon

Oral Roberts University is hosting its second annual Whole Person Indoor Triathlon.

ORU’s Aerobics Center Director Matt Waters with recreations assistants Joana Gruber (left) and Juliane Vieira.

Whether you’re an experienced triathlete, a beginner who’s interested in the triathlon, or you’d just like to put your fitness to the test, Oral Roberts University has an event for you. ORU’s Kenneth H. Cooper Aerobics Center is hosting its second annual Whole Person Indoor Triathlon on Saturday, January 29 and Sunday, January 30.

“This is really a neat event,” says Matt Waters, Aerobics Center director. “We’ve been wanting to use our facility more, to open it up to the public more, and this is one of the ways we’ve been able to do that. It’s not a fundraiser – we just want to give the community a great event. We work really hard on it.”

The event is a sprint triathlon. It includes a 400-meter swim in the Aerobics Center’s pool, an eight-mile ride on a stationary bike, and a two-mile run around the center’s indoor track. “They’re manageable distances,” says Waters. “If you’re in decent shape, you should be able to finish it with no problem. Beginning triathletes can do it.”

The event can be more than a one-time exercise outburst, Waters says. “Some people who are active all the time come and treat this like their workout for the day. But a lot of people train for it for up to two months, and so it’s good for encouraging discipline and an active, healthy lifestyle.”

Saturday, January 29 is for individual participants. The competition begins at 8 a.m., with heats beginning every half-hour until 4 p.m. Competitors will be divided into nine age groups, from eight years old and up, with prizes awarded for the top male and female overall, the top male and female in each group, and the top performer in each race segment. Fruit, sandwiches and water will be provided to each participant during the competition.

The team competition is Sunday, January 30, beginning at 1 p.m., with heats beginning every half-hour until 5 p.m. Each three-person team will consist of one swimmer, one biker, and one runner, with prizes awarded to the best overall team. Gatorade will be provided.

“We had 72 participants last year including teams, and it went really well,” says Waters. “We received a lot of positive feedback. The Tulsa Area Triathletes, who also use our pool, helped with the format. We’ve made some improvements for this year, including chip tracking for the running segment.”

The cost to participate is $25 for individuals and $30 for teams. Registration runs through January 25. The event can only accommodate 120 individual participants and 48 teams, so register early.

Title sponsors for the Whole Person Indoor Triathlon include Community Care, Sodexo, Mr. Goodcents, Literacy & Evangelism Int’l, Tulsa Area Triathletes, Push-Pedal-Pull, and Tulsa Runner. “Because of our sponsors, we were able to give away $800 worth of gift cards last year,” says Waters. “About 75 percent of our participants got their money back in the form of prizes.”

ORU’s second annual Whole Person Indoor Triathlon is Saturday, January 29 (individuals) and Sunday, January 30 (teams). For more information, or to register for the event, visit www.mabeecenter.com and click on Events/Tickets, then Indoor Triathlon.

For more information, contact

ORU

Kenneth H. Cooper Aerobics Center

eat0@eau0eav0eaw0www.mabeecenter.com