Foothills Sprint Triathlon 2015

This Memorial Day, Fleet Feet Knoxville celebrated its 8^th year participating in the Foothills Sprint Triathlon.  As in past years, Shahin and Fleet Feet Knoxville Racing selected this race as the target race for their 8-week beginner triathlon training program (better known as Tri 101) as they introduce new athletes to the sports of triathlon.   Here Shahin poses with one of his tri rookies in 2008, Jennifer Allison, a very talented athlete.

Each year, Shahin also leads a free clinic the day before for new racers who are not part of the training program to make sure everyone has a safe and enjoyable race.  He covers everything from race logistics to nutrition plan.  Click here for upcoming tri clinic dates.

And what better way to introduce new triathletes to the multi-sports culture than by having them race alongside their training partners.  As in previous years, Fleet Feet Knoxville Racing uses this short but intense event to fine tune the training of the intermediate and advanced training program participants (better known as Tri 201 and Tri 301, respectively).  Shahin believes this is a great way to shake out their training, whether they are aiming for the Olympic distance race in Dandridge, TN (Tri 201) or the Ironman 70.3 in Raleigh, NC (Tri 301).

As expected, the effects of the quality training was well presented by the number of Fleet Feet Knoxville Racing members with PRs (Personal Records) or on the Award podium this past Monday.

The real star of the day was Liz Arguez, who redefined the word “Perseverance” in her performance that day.  Liz joined the Tri 101 training hoping to finish her first triathlon.  Although she was new to outdoor biking, her biggest challenge was that she could barely swim a lap in the pool.  After 8 weeks of hard work and training with her coaches Kyli Wooten and Shahin Hadian, she lined up nervous at the start, surrounded by her peers and their encouragements.

Despite her nervousness, her training kicked in after she started.  She not only finished strong but also placed 3^rd in her age group.  This is an amazing accomplishment in a challenging sport and we congratulate her on her very own race bling!

She has already decided she wants to compete in her first half iron distance event by age 50.  Shahin is only happy to oblige and already laying the groundwork to help her reach that goal and many more.

Race Photos

Results