The University of Michigan Triathlon Club, which Dexter graduate Parker Latshaw is a member of, held a triathlon called the “Tripocalypse” on April 15. The race started at 8 a.m. at Skyline High School. The race did not raise any money for charity because it was the first one and did not want to disappoint, however since they did well, they will next time according to Latshaw.
The race is a sprint triathlon which means that it is about a half mile of swimming, 12.4 miles biking and 3.1 miles of running. Although the distances are much smaller than a traditional triathalon, participants usually go faster than they would in a traditional triathalon.
Nick Vasdekas, a member of the U of M triathlon board, said, “Our main goal for Tripocalypse was to get a good amount of athletes to participate and have a great time. It is the first year we are hosting a race like this, and just raising awareness in the community about the team and what we are all about was a large objective. Because of this main goal of raising awareness, we wanted to make sure that we at least finished break-even on the day.”
According to Vasdekas, the goals were achieved.
Vasdekas said, “We definitely achieved our goals for Tripocalypse. In fact, I can say that we surpassed them. We saw a very large turnout for the race (100 participants), and the marketing fliers we did helped gain some awareness in the Ann Arbor area. We ended up making some money from the race, which was great as we have nationals coming up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Any help in reducing those costs is welcomed by money strapped college students.”
