A couple of months ago I signed up to help in one of the oasis at the Puerto Rico IronMan 70.3, with a few of my fellow members of Freddy’s Runners. I had done this type of thing when I was in high school, at 5k races, which have a lot less people and don’t last as long.

We were at the last leg of the race, in Old San Juan, after a 1.2 mile swim in Laguna del Condado and 56 mile bike ride to Dorado and back to San Juan. In Old San Juan, they ran three laps or 13.1 miles, with a couple of very steep hills. Even after the swim and the bike, people still looked pretty good after their first lap, not grabbing anything we offered. Things changed by the second and third laps. We had a lot of options; Gatorade, water, ice, Pepsi, oranges, bananas, ships, pretzel sticks, and energy gels. Some people didn’t want anything, others wanted a lot, especially as the day got hotter and towards their second and third laps. But after getting what they needed from the oasis, they got some energy back and were able to continue. 

First athlete to arrive at the oasis.

I had never seen a triathlon, I had just heard about them, I just wondered how people actually did that, and I still kinda do. I’m just training to run and it’s a lot, I can’t imagine training for swimming and biking too. I was happy to help at the oasis because those athletes really needed it. After all that time and effort, they needed that little push, and even if it was just hearing us cheering for them, we were glad to do it. 

At the oasis, we were cheering the whole time, from the first runner at about 9:45 am, to the last one after 3:00 pm. It was a fun experience, without a boring moment, and very motivating. I’m not going to sign up for a triathlon but I’m more excited for my next races, especially the 10ks. 

Before I forget, congratulations to today’s winner, from Puerto Rico, Javier Figueroa, with a time of 4:00.06. This is Javier’s second IronMan victory in his home. Congratulations to the female winner, Tara McWilliams, with a time of 4:41.12.

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Published by mariacristinasanfeliu

I’m an aspiring writer still looking for exactly what I want to write about, with a lot of creativity, imagination and desire to write. I studied Writing and Rhetoric at Syracuse University where I explored many different sides of writing through my classes and extracurricular activities in order to narrow my search for an identity as a writer. I have written for Citrus TV Noticias and La Voz magazine, both of which gave me the chance to explore different mediums in which to write in. Through Citrus TV Noticias I also gained experience in translating from English to Spanish and vice versa, which is also something that I would be interested in working on since I am fluent in both of these languages. I was also an intern at Syracuse University Press where I got hands on experience in what goes into actually editing and publishing a book. Through out the last four years I have faced a lot of challenges, which helped chape the person I am today. After being in a tragic car accident, being in comma, having a Traumatic Brain Injury, and being in therapy for over a year, I am a new me, willing to face challenges and knowing how to deal with them. I want to write about my accident and life after it to help others, show them it can be done and help in any way I can.

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