Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Triathlon University now enrolling

Wannabe triathletes, it’s time to go back to school.

Triathlon coach Nancy McElwain and Fleet Feet Sports Louisville have teamed together to create Triathlon University, which will offer 10 weekly classes for beginners.

The classes, which will be held every Wednesday from May 31 to Aug. 2, will involve lectures, practices and homework (training) assignments, all relating to the sport’s three disciplines - swimming, biking and running - and other relevant aspects like nutrition and injury prevention.

The course is primarily intended to prepare athletes for E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park’s 25th annual sprint triathlon - which features an 800-meter swim, a 14-mile bike and a 5-kilometer run - on Aug. 5. But it also may be effective training for the Woodmont Triathlon’s sprint on July 15 and TriAmerica’s sprint on July 23.

McElwain, a former practicing attorney, has a master’s degree in exercise physiology. She is a USA Triathlon-certified coach and has been operating Train Smart, a multi-sport coaching service, since 1999. Among her many accomplishments as an athlete, McElwain won her age group at the World Long Course Triathlon Championships in 2004.

Two informational meetings will be held at Fleet Feet Sports, 1500 Bardstown Road: tonight at 6 and Sunday night at 5.