Splash n Dash or Drown n Die

So, the Saturday after the Exodus (mind you, we were EXHAUSTED from the Exodus), we were roped into doing a biathlon/swim and run. Dave did it with me this time! Yeah! He should be writing this blog, since this is really his story.

Our race was a 1/2 mile swim, again in Tempe Town Lake, and then a 4K run. My friend Janae Samuelson did it -- she swam for BYU and is an excellent runner. Our friend Aaron Barrett also did it. Now, Dave and Aaron have never really swam long distances -- ever. They just thought they'd start out their swimming careers by swimming 1/2 mile in a big lake during a race. We all donned our bright orange swim caps and got in. Janae was off and we didn't see her again until she was almost done with the run portion. I struggled, as always during the swim, thinking I was one of the last ones out. When I was putting on my shoes, I noticed, with a bit of worry, that both Aaron's and Dave's shoes were still in our transition area.

According to Dave, this is what happened. He swam about 20 yards, realized he was going to drown and die, so he swam over to the edge of the lake and sat on the concrete siding. He looked up about 20 feet to see Aaron doing the same thing. People on the side were shouting all sorts of comments about how he needed to swim. He ignored them all and just got back in and tried to breast stroke or back stroke the rest of the way. Every so often, both he and Aaron had to rest on the side. For most of the race, the ASU kayak was following Dave. He was on his back, taking his sweet time getting through the water, and asked, "Am I last? Is that why you are following me?" They looked around and simply nodded. At the last turn, Dave made a push for it and passed Aaron and a 78 year old Grandma.

Aaron, who is a runner, passed Dave and a few others on the run. Dave stuck with it, and never let the grandma pass him. He finished the race second to last! Afterwards, both Aaron and Dave were in awe of those of us who had done the triathlon. They have new-found respect for swimming. I am SO happy that we did this race. It was a fun memory -- and to hear Dave tell the story, with hand motions, and facial expressions is just priceless!