The finish line is not always the destination. Find a new version of yourself and expand your community through the courage to become – and be – a triathlete.
Susan Haag
Where there’s a will, there’s a way and when there’s a course, there’s an adventure.
Steph Popelar
Don’t let it stop you!
Steve Tague
If a decathlete is the best athlete in the world, the triathlete is the zen athlete of the world with the greatest muscular, mental and spiritual balance of all sports.
“If fifty people sign up to wrestle a shark, and only three get to win, but everybody wrestled the shark...don’t you think that you deserve a little credit for wrestling a shark?” – Katie Godec, multisport rockstar
I’m awed and humbled by the stories shared by elite and long course triathletes. Mine’s not one of those.
Our daughter, Sarah, inspired me to take up triathlon. After being her Sherpa at Carpinteria in 2017, I decided doing a triathlon would be a great way to celebrate turning 60 and retiring the next year. I did my first – a sprint at “Carp” – in September 2018 and was hooked.
I’m a 62-year-old noob who’s still building confidence in open water swimming. I don’t have six-pack abs and likely never will. If I go to Kona it will be as a tourist; I’d join the crowd cheering the 13+ hour finishers. Total respect to anyone who goes 140.6 – let alone 70.3 – but my body parts are out of warranty. I’m sticking to sprints, aspire to do an Olympic, and aim to make it to the 85+ age group.
My goal has gone from not being “the lowest common denominator” in a race to getting on the podium in my age group. Each race I’ve had a blast and learned things that made me better. Every time, on that day, in that race, I gave my personal best.
I love triathlon. Training in the different disciplines, overcoming the challenges of open water swimming, getting your legs to work (let alone run) coming off the bike. Engaging with the multisport community; the energy we feed and support we give to each other is genuine. Being outdoors, getting fit, training and racing to be my best in that moment. You make it whatever you want it to be.
And that’s something I hope we all champion to draw people into triathlon. Whether you’re training for the Ironman World Championship in Kona or a sprint in Kalamazoo; whether you podium, do not start or do not finish; whatever you do you’re a triathlete, and that’s something special.
The second picture is coming into T1 at San Diego’s Rock the Bay Triathlon with “Baba O’Reilly” blasting out of the PA, screaming, “It’s only teenage wasteland” at the top of my lungs. A moment of pure joy.
I’m one of the 47 who at least wrestles the shark; this is why I TRI.
The excitement builds at swim start. Anticipation for the physical test she’s prepared to undertake and enthusiasm for the journey she’s set to undergo.
The race begins and she’s soaking up the scenery from her unique perspective, snapping selfies with new friends on the course and cheering for fellow athletes she’s never met.
Susan Haag, finisher of more than 400 triathlons, enjoys every moment of every one of her races. Fresh or tired legs, good weather or bad, the true appeal of triathlon for Susan is the experience. And she makes sure to experience them to the fullest.
It’s the “party in the back.” It’s uplifting and encouraging others. It’s the family and community she’s built in every corner of the country.
The race ends and she’s mingling with longtime companions at the finish line, thanking volunteers for their help, and of course, planning her next challenge.
Monday through Friday serve their purpose of pushing her ever closer to her next quest. The weekend arrives and the celebration is on. Strangers becomes confidants, stories turn into legends. Her smile grows, her joy spreads.
For Susan, the race is never truly over. It’s just another chapter in the lifelong adventure she’s authoring.
