What the Finish Feels Like

My Wonder of the World: The Feel of Crossing the Finish Line
Author Becky Ramsey's site Wonders Never Cease features a new wonder of the world each day. I am new to her blog and I adore it already.

The Feel of Crossing the Finish Line
Triathlon is for you. Yes you. Triathlon is a great sport for people of all ages and abilities.

Our son did his first youth triathlon at age 5. We didn't force him to do it. He did great—especially once my husband and I got out of his way! We were so proud of him. He was pretty nervous before the race, and he did it anyways.

Triathlon offers something for anyone, any age. Truitt’s race included a 50-yard swim (kickboards allowed), 1-mile bike and .4-mile run. We didn’t force him to do it, though we did encourage him to try it. Parents were allowed to help the youngest athletes in the transition area.

Truitt didn’t need much help. He found his bike in the rack, sprung up onto it and took off. He was going so fast when he passed me that I missed getting his picture. I think I got part of his wheel in the frame. His mile biking was so fast we were curious to see what would happen on his run segment. Truitt ran the whole time and finished the entire race in 19 minutes and 19 seconds.

The above picture is of him crossing his first finish line. What do you think he is feeling? What do you think the finish line feels like?

It's not too late to find out. On the other end of the age spectrum, our former next-door neighbor Mary Stroebe continues to make news, break records and serve as an amazing role model. Mary shows us it’s never too late to try something new.

Mary got started in triathlon at age 75. She’s completed over 12 races since. And, at age 89 Mary went head-to-head with TV host Kelly Ripa in a timed triathlon in New York City. She was also honored with a Relly Award from Regis and Kelly. Well done, Mary!

It’s so encouraging to see friends and family, young and old, falling in love with a sport like triathlon. Triathlon intrigues people—even adult on-set athletes. You don’t have to dig out your old swimsuit, pump up your bike tires or strap on your heartrate monitor to be captivated by triathlon as a sport. You can see yourself doing it.

I hope you'll find encouragement here to say yes to triathlon. Please tell me how your first race goes.

Some resources to get you started:
Things I Wish I Knew as New Triathlete
45+ Excuses Why Not and Why You Can
Your First Triathlon
What I Love About Triathlon
Why Triathlon?
Where Does Fear Come From?
10 Tips for First-time Triathletes
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/
Training Tips for Beginner Triathletes
10 Most Common Multisport Mistakes
Newbie Forum

And visit me in active.com's triathlon community, I'm a volunteer moderator!