Bam! The gun goes off and the swimmers jump into the Beyer Hall pool, kicking off the start of the fourth annual InCydeman Indoor Triathlon.

Athletes from all around the Midwest come to the event. The ages range from teenagers, all the way up to 90 and older.

The triathlon includes a 500-yard swim in the Beyer Hall pool, an eight-mile bike ride in the State Gym Spin Room and a two-mile run on the State Gym Indoor Track. The triathlon is expected to have a wide variety of people in attendance.

Iowa State Triathlon Club members are ready to start out their indoor season. The InCydeman Indoor Triathlon is the first of four triathlons this spring. This tournament is important because the team needs a certain amount of points for nationals in April. The club’s president, Kristina Swenson, is excited for her third InCydeman Triathlon.

“I am ready for another exciting year for the team,” Swenson said. “I especially want to focus on my weakness of the triathlon and that is running, but I also want to focus on my strength which is swimming. I have been swimming since I was in high school so I will use that to my advantage.”

Out of the 45 members within the triathlon club, each member has a specialty that they each focus on, whether it is running, swimming, or biking. The club trains together five to six times a week and they also train by themselves to get in shape for each of the triathlons.

With the rigorous training adds insult to injury and that is what club treasurer, Jacob Kaufman, is battling with his ankle injury he received training in Florida over the holiday break.

“This will be the first triathlon that I will be involved in since my injury,” Kaufman said. “I have been working to deal with the pain and I am hoping that this injury won’t be a bother during the triathlon.

“I am lucky that it is not a full running tournament because I will not have to put all my weight on my ankle when I swim or bike.”

With three months until nationals, the team is ready to rack up the points this weekend. The first day is all the athletes from the Midwest Collegiate Triathlon Conference (MWCTC), those teams include, Loras College, University of Iowa, Newman University, Minnesota State University, and University of Missouri, to name a few.

The second day is an all-age event where anyone can pay and be a part of the triathlon fun. The club said last year that a 92 year-old took part in the triathlon. 

Overall, the team wants to start the indoor season strong and to get the new members involved. The team wants to compete together and learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses so that when nationals comes around the team is at its best.

This triathlon is for the athletes and community to come together to fundraise for the club. The club’s vice president, Zach Kaufman showed a lot of excitement for the season.

“This season is the start of something new for the club,” Zach Kaufman said. “Our last race was in September, so we are eager to get back out there and have a successful season.”

The weather outside is frightful, but the triathlon club is ready to take off and that is delightful for all of the athletes.