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A number of area teens are putting their summer vacation to good use, competing in triathlons.

Trevor Schuler and Nikki Willhite competed in the Life Time Fitness Triathlon in Minneapolis, July 16. Schuler competed in the Olympic distance, while Nikki, a senior at Chisago Lakes High School, finished her first triathlon in the Sprint distance. Both Schuler and Willhite compete for Team Ortho, a foundation from HCMC in Minneapolis dedicated to helping people with orthopedic conditions.

July 24, two families traveled to Boulder Colorado to compete in the Olympic distance triathlon. Trevor and Tyler Schuler and Matt and Andrew Turner, all competed and finished the event. All four are varsity swimmers at Chisago Lakes High School, and Andrew also runs Cross Country for the Wildcats.

Tyler and Matt are juniors, Andrew is a senior, and Trevor is a 2005 graduate of CLHS. For Tyler, Matt and Andrew, it was their first triathlon. Andrew finished strong winning 7th place in the 19 and under category. Trevor is in his second year of competition, competing in Boulder and Los Angeles in 2004 and Minneapolis and Boulder in 2005 while placing in the top five for his age group in each race.

For those of you who do not know, a triathlon is a race competition consisting of 3 events, swimming, biking and running. There are 4 classes of competition, Sprint, which consists of a four tenths mile swim, a 15 mile bike, and a 3.1 mile run. The Olympic consists of .93 mile swim, 26 mile bike, and a 6.2 mile run. The 1/2 Ironman consists of 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and a 13 mile run. And the Top class which consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 120 mile bike and a 26 mile run. Every event brings amateur, olympic and professionals from around the world.

Trevor’s next race is in the 1/2 Ironman back in Boulder August 7. The boys are planning to compete in St. Paul August 28, and Tyler will venture to Las Vegas for another national event in September. Congratulations and good luck to all of you.

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