Runners sponsor duathlon
during Grand Prix
weekend
By David Brunner
Staff
Writer
At 8:30 a.m. on April 21, instead of attending
the Grand Prix race, a group of athletes will instead compete in a strenuous
16-mile race.
The Triathlon Club's inaugural Grand Prix Duathlon
is a 4-mile run and 12-mile bike competition that will take competitors
through the West Lafayette area beginning in Vawter Field.
Matt Eckerle, a junior in the School of Agriculture
and a coordinator for the event, said, "I have (run) the course before
and it's not too bad. Of course, I am pretty active and like to compete,
but I do not think that too many people will have trouble running the
race."
He said if there were any problems, paramedics
would be on the site.
Eckerle, who is helping to coordinate the event
and will therefore not be participating, is still excited about the
Triathlon Club's first big race. He said that there are people who are
generally interested in racing and competing but do not know how to
get involved. He hopes this race will boost the club's membership.
"We have a pretty small but very active club,"
Eckerle said. "We hope that next year, if all goes well this year, we
can have a triathlon."
Adam Rudin, the president of the Triathlon Club
and a senior in the School of Engineering, also hopes that this race
will boost the club's popularity.
"It is $15 to enter … that money will fund
the Triathlon Club and hopefully help pay for a complete triathlon next
year. It is expensive running the club and organizing races," Rudin
said.
The club has not had much trouble getting athletes
to sign up for the race.
Alaina Pizzo, a registered participant in the race
and a graduate student, said, "I have friends in the club and the race,
so it is going to be a lot of fun for me. I am cooped up in a lab all
winter so it is nice to get out."
Pizzo is not the only participant who is an experienced
athlete and who has motives for participating other than staying fit.
Scott Walker, a freshman in the Schools of Engineering,
is going to ride his unicycle in the competition.
"(Riding a unicycle) is a lot of fun; I like the
challenge of it," said Walker, who has been riding a unicycle for three
years. "I will not be able to go as fast as the other bikers because
I have no gears on my bike, but I will enjoy racing."
There are prizes for participants and for those
athletes who perform well, but Walker and the others planning on spending
their Grand Prix Saturday in the duathlon are mostly interested in the
fun of the race.
"I am looking forward to the race; it is a good
way to stay fit and it is good stress relief for me," Pizzo said.
· Anyone interested in participating can e-mail
eck@purdue.edu before April 21.
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