ISU students could take an initial step to becoming an Olympian, thanks to one of the two experimental courses being offered by the department of health and human performance this summer.

Exercise and Sports Science 162 is a one credit course in triathlon training.

The triathlon features swimming, bicycling and running, all in one event.

Program coordinator Michael Norris says the course itself is for beginning triathletes, although experienced students would be helpful.

“We are trying to get people who’ve thought about doing the triathlon,” Norris said. “It’s for beginning triathletes. We are giving them an attempt to get instruction on all three aspects at the same time.”

The class will be in the Forker Building and will meet Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

The class starts May 20 and lasts until June 28.

Norris said events will be broken down by week, combining them all later in the course to give the students the full effect of the triathlon.

“The sport itself is a sport where you have to train in all three disciplines,” he said. “The focus is on cross-training skills, so each week we will focus on a different discipline.

Norris also said the class is for more than just a summertime credit.

“We are trying to promote a lifetime of fitness,” he said.

The course will be graded on a satisfactory, non-satisfactory basis because of the hands-on participation aspect.

There are 15 spots for ExSp 162, and at press time, 11 were already full.

Norris hopes to fill the remaining spots.

“Already having 11 seats taken shows that there is an interest, so hopefully we can fill the remaining seats,” he said.

The other course being offered this summer is Art on the Run. The plan for this course is to combine running with the history of Iowa State.

According to the course proposal, one proposed run is the “From Pillar to Post” run, starting at Beardshear Hall, and going on a running tour of historic markers on the ISU campus.

A midterm project is also in the plans for students to group into teams and then research buildings, artworks and departments around campus, and then give a “presentation run.”