Moody Airmen race for fitness

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Spencer Gallien
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  Most athletes concentrate on a single discipline such as cycling, a swimming or running. A tri-athlete must concentrate on all three. With top athletes swimming two and a half miles, biking 112 miles and running 26 miles in one event.

Three members of Tri-Moody, a Moody Triathlon Club, did exactly this Oct. 20. The three competed in the Great Floridian Triathlon at Waterfront Park, Clermont, Fla., which is an ironman competition. This marked the first time anyone from the Moody club competed in such a demanding event.

1st Lt. Austin Pruneda, Tri-Moody president, 1st Lt. Michael Carlson, Tri-Moody treasurer and Steven Sparks, Tri-Moody member, finished the event in a little more than 14 hours.

"Since this was the first time we have ever participated in an ironman event, our goal was to simply finish the race," said Lieutenant Pruneda. "Even though we didn't place, finishing the contest was an accomplishment in itself."

There are four types of triathlons; the sprint, which is a quarter-mile swim, 25-mile bike-ride and a 5-mile run; the olympic, encompasses a half-mile swim, 50-mile bike-ride and 10-mile run; the half-ironman, which is a 1-mile swim, 100-mile bike-ride and a 20-mile; run, and the full ironman, which is a 2.5-mile swim, 112-mile bike-ride and a 26-mile run.

Mr. Sparks and Lieutenants Pruneda and Carlson mainly compete in sprint and olympic-sized events.

"We consistently finish in the top three places for our age brackets and the top ten percent overall," said Lieutenant Pruneda. "We try to compete in 6-8 events a year, and have only competed in one half-ironman and one full ironman."

Tri-Moody, which is recognized by USA Triathlon, the national governing body for the sport, has been on base for a year now. .

"The great thing about Tri-Moody is that we're not strictly for the competitive tri-athlete," said Lieutenant Carlson. "The casual runner or someone just looking for a new challenge can come out to our practices and see if it's for them.

"Our members range from advanced to beginner tri-athletes looking for a more enjoyable way to train," he added. "Training is also not the only benefit; we provide a safe, enjoyable social environment for anyone looking to join."

The group is open to members of Team Moody and dependants looking for a new way to become fit.

"A word of advice for people who are looking to join," said Lieutenant Pruneda. "Don't be intimidated. We're a group with the ultimate goal of staying healthy and having fun."