Logan Mullen
Staff Writer
For many people, there is nothing much spookier, or daunting for that matter, than having to run a triathlon. Campus Recreation certainly put that thought into action as they hosted the Spooky Sprint Triathlon this past Wednesday.
Given the chilly weather mixed with the toxicity of Lake Massasoit, the Spooky Sprint had a unique flair to it – it was inside the Springfield College Wellness Center and Field House. The race still entailed swimming, biking and running, but it was measured in a much different way than usual. The racers (grouped systematically into six different waves) started in the Linkletter Natatorium, swam for 10 minutes, moved into the Wellness Center where they used stationary bikes for 10 minutes, and then had five minutes to get to the Field House where they ran for 10 minutes.
With 18 participants overall, winners were put into groups based on gender and whether they were part of the faculty/staff or if they were a student. There was a relay group as well with only one relay team participating, thus making them unanimous winners. Assistant Director for Fitness and Recreation Mary Kate McMahon was instrumental in not only putting the event together, but also networking it all over campus.
“I put up posters, sent emails, posted on the Facebook page, spoke in Health 100 class, and there is also a huge poster once you walk in the Wellness Center,” said McMahon.
Despite this, however, participant numbers have fluctuated since the event’s creation in 2010. The event was usually hosted once a semester and usually advertised as an indoor triathlon, but once participation numbers began to run sparse, a need for change to boost turnout was imminent, and themes resulted.
In regards to the Spooky Sprint Halloween theme, the cycling room was decorated top to bottom with Halloween paraphernalia, and participants were permitted and encouraged to come sporting some sort of Halloween décolletage.
Overall, the Spooky Sprint Triathlon provided the campus with a fun opportunity to participate in a sprint-version of a triathlon. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for next semester’s indoor triathlon, as half the fun is finding out what the theme will be.