This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Sports

Third Annual Anklebreaker Triathlon Attracts Annandale Residents

Labor Day event gives athletes, race enthusiasts a chance to compete for bragging rights.

The third annual Labor Day Anklebreaker Triathlon welcomed athletes young and old for a brisk morning swim, bike ride, and run on Sept. 6 at Lincolnia Park Recreational Center near the border of Annandale and Alexandria.

The event, which attracts participants from both towns as well as Arlington and Washington, D.C., among other areas, derives its name from the term "ice breaker" and serves as an introduction to the traditional multi-event race.

The youngest participant at this year's triathlon was just five years old.

Find out what's happening in Annandalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Most of these folks, it's their first time. I started [the Triathlon] to help people get over the fear of racing," said race organizer Matt Tourville, a triathlon veteran from Alexandria.

The event is also a practice opportunity for who are training for upcoming races such as the Nation's Triathlon on Sept. 12.

Find out what's happening in Annandalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The triathlon began at 7 a.m. and ended at 10 a.m. Adults and children along with their parents competed in the short triathlon that began with a "snake swim," in which racers swim one length of each of the pool's six lanes. The racers then bike three and a half miles before running two miles on a route that includes a hill on Ampthill Drive, nicknamed Heartbreak Hill.

Tourville, who works in marketing for a bank, says while local races bring money to the area, the "(athletes get to) witness the area." 

The number of racers has increased from 32 in the first triathlon in 2007 to more than 50 this year. In order to participate, all athletes pay a $25 entry fee. Every participant receives a T-shirt, medal, and food.

Dan Deible, a landscape architect who has lived in Annandale nearly 20 years, has participated in the triathlon since its inception. This year, he ran the race with his daughter Sarah, 12, while his wife Regina volunteered as a nurse for the event. Deible, who has raced in Olympic-distance triathlons, joined Anklebreaker after a 17-year hiatus in an effort to get back into shape. With only a little more than 35 minutes to complete the race, Deible, 47, says he finished in fifth place amid younger athletes.

This year marked Sarah Dieble's second year at Anklebreaker. She described the event as fun, but tiring. "After you get off your bike, you're almost dead but you get the motivation to keep going," said Dieble.

 The number of local businesses who sponsor the Anklebreaker triathlon has grown along with the number of participants and attendants. Some of this year's sponsors included SunTrust Bank, Weichert Realtors, whose sponsorship was acquired by triathlon racer and Weichert realtor Karen Hannam, and Beanetics, Annandale's first micro-roaster and coffee shop.

Tourville says he limited advertising in hopes of keeping the event small. After three years, Tourville believes he has worked out all the kinks of the event and expects to increase participation in the event to 75 or 100 people next year.

Dan Deible's already RSVPing to the next race. "I'm a top finisher for those over 40. I have to defend my title every year now."

For more information about the Nation's Triathlon, visit www.thenationstriathlon.com.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?