Pressure was on this past weekend as the ISU Triathlon Club hosted the fourth annual InCydeman triathlon event.

The event, which took place Jan. 17-18, featured participants with little to no triathlon background and also participants who have previously completed several triathlons.

The InCydeman differs from traditional triathlons as it is shorter and the transition times in between events are not included in the overall time.

The InCydeman featured a 500-yard pool swim, a 12-mile simulated bike ride and a 2-mile run. The most famous triathlon is the Ironman, which consists of 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking and 26.2 miles of running.

The race was held at Beyer Hall and State Gym. It also featured clinics that participants could attend in order to get information on nutrition, bike maintenance and proper running form.

“There are indoor triathlons all over the nation, but ours is like no other because we hold clinics for our participants,” said Emily Schwake, co-race director of InCydeman.

The event also acts as a qualifying race for the USAT Collegiate National Championships that are held each year. Participants who were looking to advance to the National Championships raced in the collegiate division that raced Jan. 17, while participants who were just looking for the experience of completing triathlon raced in the Jan. 18 race.

Hosting an event of this size produces several pros and cons. Schwake said the event is great because the amount of time it takes to plan an event like this and execute it without a hitch brings the team together in ways that a normal race wouldn’t.

“The greatest part of this event is that we are able to meet other collegiate athletes,” Schwake said. “We open up our homes to the other athletes to help them save money.”

Along with the pros, there are several obstacles that arrive when the planning process takes place.

“Planning this event takes a lot of time, commitment and causes some stress, but in the end it is all worth it,” Schwake said.

Members of the club who were looking to create a fundraising event first created InCydeman in 2012. The event started inside and with great reviews, the club has held it inside ever since.

“We also put on CyMan, our outdoor triathlon and we have a 5K Doughnut Run,” said Emily Epperson, president of the club. “We promote these events through ClubFest and social media, which is why the club is able to get good numbers at these events.”

Epperson’s goals for the club are to keep the club membership high and recruit people at ClubFest who are willing to come back for practices and races. Epperson says her biggest goal is to find ways to make people who were originally inclined to stay interested and feel welcomed.

“I think a lot of people get intimidated easily by the idea of doing a triathlon and not being able to finish the race,” Epperson said. “The club is also male majority and I would like to get more women involved in our club.”

Craig Albers, who is the race director for CyMan and the 5K Doughnut Run, knows what it takes to put on an event of this caliber and not have any hiccups.

“It takes months of planning and commitment, but [with] so many people dedicated to putting on this event, it really isn’t tough to plan as long as we get everything submitted on time,” Albers said.

Albers, Epperson and Schwake all joined the TriClones as freshmen with little to no triathlon experience. Now, the three have plenty of experience and share a common goal of making it to nationals and ultimately placing high in the standings.

“To see our team do well at nationals would be great. It’s everyone’s goal, every year,” Albers said.