Santa Cruz Triathlon Association from the sidelines

Triathlon season is upon us and there’s more energy in the air now than three months ago. We’re three weeks removed from the Half Moon Bay Triathlon and just ahead of the Morgan Hill Sprint Triathlon this weekend!

We welcomed a lot of new triathletes into the fold this year, including Elise Brown and Sarah Deleon. Neither had much experience in the sport before but quickly picked things up. Instead of racing the Half Moon Bay Triathlon last month, they went to cheer on teammates and soak in the atmosphere.

We sat down with them to ask what it’s like from the sidelines.

Is it fun to go and watch others race?

Elise Brown: Yes! It's fun to cheer everyone on, and be amidst that good energy.

Sarah Deleon: I had so much fun going to cheer for all the racers. I will definitely continue (if I am not competing in them) to attend races and support my fellow teammates.

What was the atmosphere like? E: Great energy! Not as intense as I imagined it would be. There was a great sense of community as everyone cheered on the sidelines and hung out at the finish line for everyone to finish their race.

S: At first I was a little bit nervous for the racers, but that's because I always get nervous before a race. However, after we saw the first competitor speed by all the nervousness went away and a rush of excitement came up!

Why did you decide to go watch? E: There were many reasons. First I wanted to go cheer for my teammates and the race was not too far from Santa Cruz so I thought why not? I had never been to Half Moon Bay so it was a good excuse to go see a new place

S: I had never attended a triathlon competition before. For the longest time in have heard about the Half Moon Bay competition but was intimidated to compete in it. My curiosity about the event motivated me to go view the course and I also wanted to support my fellow triathletes!

What did you see when you saw each teammate pass by?

E: When we saw each teammate we yelled their name and cheered for them. We saw lots of smiles in response, then back to focus mode for them since they were approaching T2.

S: As each teammate passed I felt a rush of excitement for both them and myself! I was excited for them because they were one step closer to completing the race, and they all looked happy doing it.

Any sort of inspiration you took away from the day?

E: Definitely! Every athlete crossed the finish line with a smile and inspired me to keep training so I can participate in the HMB Triathlon next year. Later that day I went on a long run along the race course and one thing that kept me going was the thought that my teammates conquered it just a couple hours earlier.

Also there were some people who had trouble during the race-One woman who fell on her bike had some visible injuries in her face and arm and she just kept on through the running leg and finished the race. Her fortitude was inspiring. Another man had a bike issue, but he ran his bike to transition and carried on.

S: After seeing the course and hearing about the competition from my fellow triathletes I am definitely more motivated to compete in the Half Moon Bay triathlon next year. I left inspired to push myself a little harder/further in my triathlon training and it gave me reassurance that