August 3, 2015 at 4:43 p.m.
Third annual W.I.L.D. Hodag Mini Triathlon Aug. 22
Third annual W.I.L.D. Hodag Mini Triathlon Aug. 22
Spine and Sport's Tim Thorsen worked in conjunction with longtime friend Mike Prom to organize the event three years ago and said the goal was to find a way to get people in the Northwoods involved in a fun activity that doesn't require any professional level of training or skill set. The goal was to allow people of all ability levels to enjoy the event.
"We thought it really fit in the wheelhouse with Spine and Sport Physical Therapy Specialists because we advocate so much balance and training and activities and we thought this was a great event, having a 300-yard swim, a 10K bike and a 5K run, that someone if they are halfway active can probably do without really training," Thorsen said.
The organizers' goal was to encourage families to participate together. In order to make this possible the event allows participants to compete in all three legs of the triathlon or to work as a team to tackle the three legs of the challenge.
"We saw it as a great opportunity for families to get involved in something thats very healthy balanced," Thorsen said. "Even if they couldn't go ahead and participate in all three (legs) of it, maybe they couldn't swim or something, they could then go ahead and do a relay with one or two other team members to complete the triathlon as a relay."
When Thorsen and Prom set out organizing the event they hoped it would draw people from other areas in the Northwoods to Rhinelander.
"We just thought it was a great way to not only get local people involved with things but also a side benefit, potentially be a destination for people that found it to be a really cool triathlon event and would travel here and increase visitors to the area to make them acquainted or familiar with Rhinelander," Thorsen said.
Over the past three years the event has grown at a rather fast pace and it appears it will continue to grow in the years to come.
"We had about maybe 70 the first year and maybe, I don't know what the number exactly came at, 80 maybe 85 last year," Thorsen explained. "I wasn't here last year actually for the event. This year if we were in the range of about 100 folks that would be probably expected."
One of the many reasons the W.I.L.D. Hodag Mini Triathlon is so appealing is because the event takes place at Rhinelander's Holiday Acres, located on picturesque Lake Thompson in the heart of the Northwoods.
"Of course in the Northwoods it's just a great venue for a triathlon because we've got natural lakes that you can actually swim in and not get attacked by anything or take home too many diseases after," Thorsen joked.
"We've got diverse terrain and Holiday Acres was obviously a great venue because it's got some cool hills for the running option and yet the course for the biking component is a little diverse. A little bit of tough terrain for a couple hundred yards but the rest of it is pretty flat and two-track, so it's not exactly a single track mountainous course by any means for the biking."
The event is generally a safe event for everyone involved but Thorsen said the staff is always prepared for the worst, just in case.
There will be emergency staff on hand in the event anyone needs medical help.
"Spine and Sport covers the event from a training and oversight perspective and we also coordinate with the town of Pelican Fire Department to handle our on water training and we've worked with them to go from boats to kayaks as far as support for people in the water, which is the biggest risk and that's why the swim is always first," he said.
The event also has staff on hand to cover the road portions of the triathlon. If the sheriff's department has priorities that weekend then event staff members will be on the lookout to ensure everyone's safety.
"There's actually about five intersection points that we like to staff and if (local deputies are) not there we just go ahead and back that up with volunteers to watch those road intersections and areas that are high incident for potential issues and it's not anything major so traffic is pretty safe that way, whether it's with the sheriffs department or we are having volunteers to cover," Thorsen explained.
The events proceeds go to W.I.L.D. (Wise International Leadership Development) which is a subsidiary of Headwaters Christian Youth (HCY), a local organization that has been providing leadership training and support in the Northwoods for over 40 years.
W.I.L.D and HCY provide leadership development and training locally and internationally through things like missionaries, clubs, lock-ins, projects, camps and more.
Interested participants can sign up until Wednesday, Aug 19. Cost is $85 for an individual or $170 for a relay team. Anyone interested in registering or looking to find more information about the event or W.I.L.D can go to www.hodagtriathlon.com.
Lindsey Nylund may be reached at [email protected].
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