Three times the fun at Nathan Benderson Park

Driving south on Cattleman Road toward Nathan Benderson Park on Sunday, I noticed the right lane was marked by cones. I thought it might be the result of construction until I inched closer to the park and saw cyclists whizzing past, handling the sharp turn into the parking lot with ease.

The fifth-annual Sarasota-Bradenton ITU Triathlon was here.

The sprint triathlon (750-meter swim, 20k bike ride and 5k run) attracts people from across the state and around the world. The most amazing thing about the entire event, to me, was twofold: The sheer amount of people (more than 500) participating, and the camaraderie shown by the triathletes toward each other. They were competing, but I witnessed too many instances of an athlete clapping and encouraging other participants to count.  

I arrived with the goal of gathering some prime stories of either the entertaining or inspiring kind. Runners, and by extension, triathletes, tend to have some doozies.

Luckily, I found both. 

Christie Kolstedt, 33, of Ocoee, finished in 1:07:43, which was the fastest of every female race participant except for the “College Girls” division (Her time would have been good for seventh out of 23 participants in that group).

She was looking to confirm that fact on the scoreboard when I caught up with her, but the results had not yet been posted. Kolstedt made the two-hours westward drive to prepare for the International Triathlon Union World Cup, which will be hosted by Benderson Park in October.

She’s only been doing triathlons for four seasons, but she has learned a lot during that time, like what to drink. She used to only drink only water before a bad experience at a triathlon in Haines City, when she took an energy gel with nothing to offset its effects. Let’s just just say it affected her stomach adversely and forced her to make unplanned stops every few minutes.

Now, she sticks to drinking TriFuel products during races. I’m no expert, but that seems like cutting out restroom stops is a good decision.

After speaking with Kolstedt, I spotted a man rocking an Ironman hat staring at the results page and looking very happy. He had reason to be: The man, Mariano Martinez, finished in 01:10, and was first in his age group (40-44). The time would have been good for first place in the competitive 25-29 age group, too.

Martinez and his wife, Laura Brescia, moved to Bradenton from Argentina two months ago. Martinez’s English is not very strong, so Brescia acted as our liaison. She said that the couple had once previously tried to compete in a Florida triathlon, in June 2012, and it had been washed out by Tropical Storm Debby. Through Brescia, Martinez told me that he really enjoyed the course at Benderson Park, and that the organization was top-notch, much different than in Argentina. He was especially thrilled that there were people instructing him where to go.

I thought that was kind of a bare-bones-aspect of triathlon organization, but I guess not.

Martinez then mentioned perhaps the biggest challenge he had to go through this weekend. For the cycling section, which was already his weakest point, he had to use his personal mountain bike, as he sold his old racing bike in Argentina and has not had a chance to buy one here in America.

That may not sound like a big deal, but in a sport where timing is everything, using a non-competition bike is tough stuff. Despite the handicap, Martinez finished the cycling section in 32:43.

You don’t need to be a triathlete nut to get enjoyment out of watching fit athletes give the course everything they’ve got. At the very least, you can learn a thing or two to add to your routine, and hear some amusing stories of embarrassment and triumph, just like I did.