Hooray For The Average American

On Friday Long Island Newsday posted an article about this year’s participants in the 26th annual Runner’s Edge Tobay Triathlon which will be held on August 24 at Oyster Bay, Long Island.

Triathlon coach Jose L. Lopez of Mineola, who won the first Tobay Tri in 1988, notes that the demographic of the Triathlon has changed.

The article reports:

Cases in point in this year’s race: Julian Acevedo, 26, a former diver and mountain climber; Dave Patton, 46, a martial artist and Kathy Griswold, 40, a yoga teacher.

All three are doing Tobay for the first time; each found the sport through a different route.

…Griswold was a high school shot putter and softball player back in Massachusetts. This past winter, when her gym held a mini indoor tri — participants swam in the pool, pedaled a stationary bike and ran on a treadmill — she jumped in and enjoyed it.

“I decided maybe I should do a real one.” said Griswold, a Plainview resident who teaches yoga at two local studios.

“I will finish, and I will have a blast doing it,” she said.

Hooray for amateur athletes who are willing to rise to the challenge of something new.

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