Earlier this month, six athletes and three team members from Northwest Association for Blind Athletes (NWABA) participated in the Columbia River Triathlon on August 12th at Frenchman’s Bar Regional Park in Vancouver, and helped raise almost $3,000 for our organization.
The NWABA athletes along with eight volunteer guides, participated in sprint relays consisting of a ½ mile swim, 12-mile cycle and 5K run. The teams were a mixed group of athletes—most of whom are participating in their first triathlon— NWABA board members and community supporters, along with three members of the NWABA staff, who each participated in one, two or all legs. The teams were grouped as follows:
To prepare the teams for race day, in addition to the participants’ self-training, NWABA held four triathlon training events in the Portland and Vancouver areas. Triathlon training was newly added to NWABA’s schedule of program events specifically to set athletes up for success by promoting realistic expectations, practicing event transitions, and building trust with their relay team members.
“This is our first triathlon in the SW Washington area and it’s a great opportunity for our athletes to compete in three sports that we offer within our own programs. It’s also a great opportunity for the community to see the importance of access to sports,” says Kirsten French, Programs Manager, Camp Spark & Sports Adaptations.
All the athletes and their race partners crossed the finish line with such a sense of accomplishment and were overheard talking about training for the next one!