A Decade of Multisport

It's been ten years this fall since I became a runner. Then a cyclist. And a swimmer.

One beautiful morning in Georgetown, the leafy northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., I ran my first 10k. It was also my first competitive running race. I finished feeling great and couldn't believe what a fun, optimistic, good looking crew had assembled on a Sunday morning to run hard and then drink beer before 10 AM on the edge of the Potomac River. Normally me and my friends would be sleeping off our hangovers at this time. I was 22 and hooked on the lifestyle.

Running was the gateway drug for me. Pretty soon I was riding to work to get more training time in as I prepped for my first marathon. Then I needed to learn how to fix my bike, which was getting a lot of miles on it, so I began moonlighting from my research job in international finance at a triathlon bike shop in Northern Virginia. I was running and riding so much I figured I might as well learn to swim and give triathlon a shot. Nine years ago today, on my 23rd birthday, I did my first triathlon in Sea Colony, Delaware.

Fast forward through my move to Boulder, full time Ironman training, learning the ropes of the cycling industry at Sports Garage, business school, and then the opening of Colorado Multisport in February of 2006. The multisport lifestyle consumed my life and my work. How lucky I am to have that opportunity!

What makes me reflect on this is the fact that I raced in the Oktoberfest Triathlon this past weekend. The race was produced by Without Limits, a two year old company founded by the Panigutti brothers, one of whom, Lance, is a former CMS athlete-scholar. Lance and his crew did a fantastic job on the race, sponsored by Colorado Multisport and others.

Once again, ten years later, I had the feeling of being amazed at all the wonderful people assembled on a beautiful fall morning. Customers, sponsored CMS athletes (including overall winner Kirk Nelson and a whole bunch of CU triathletes), other vendors -- it seems like I knew nearly everyone at the race. How lucky I felt to be surrounded by healthy, happy friends.

I don't race as much as many folks, but in 10 years I've indulged in 13 triathlons, 18 running races including 4 marathons, a bunch of mountain and road bike races including the Vail Ultra 100, and thousands upon thousands of training strides, revolutions, and strokes.

Thank you to the Colorado Multisport community for keeping me healthy, happy and addicted.