It takes hard work to compete at an international level.
After months of intense training, two members from the Cal State Long Beach Triathlon Team qualified to compete for the United States at the 2009 International Triathlon Union World Championships in Gold Coast, Australia this past September.
Mark Abdou and Yeshua Farfan both finished in the top 15 at the Pacific Coast Triathlon in Newport Beach in July to secure their spots in the World Championships.
“We both had really good days there,” Farfan said.
According to Farfan, the qualifying event was initially going to be a sprint triathlon, but it was changed to a run-bike-run format due to swim conditions.
Without the swim portion of the contest, it’s safe to say that the qualifying event worked out in their favor.
“We’re definitely more bike-runners. It helped having that run in the beginning to put us in a good position to get on the bike and then follow that up with a strong run,” Farfan said.
Farfan finished 10th in the qualifier, while Abdou came in at 14th.
The club consists of approximately 30 members and is completely self-coached. The team takes outside guidance from experienced individuals in the sport and builds its own workouts.
The club’s weekly workout regiment consists of swimming in the pool and running at least five times per week, in addition to biking anywhere from 100-150 miles per week.
Out of 38 competitors in their age group at the ITU World Championships, Abdou finished 27th and Farfan finished 29th.
“The race itself was a phenomenal experience,” Abdou said. “I wanted to compete hard and represent Long Beach and our country. I definitely left it all out there.”
Although they train with a team, Abdou said it’s more of an individual sport when it comes to competing.
“You have team members there for energy and support, but at the end of the day, you’re crossing the line on your own two feet,” Abdou said.
Jo’el Fitzpatrick qualified to compete in the long course triathlon at the World Championships, but was unable to participate due to an accident.
Every spring, the triathlon team holds a reverse triathlon on campus. The date for next spring’s event is Feb. 7, 2010. Registration is open and the fee for CSULB students is $20.
“We’ve been a quality backwards triathlon for a number of years and we hope to expand it and keep it going,” Farfan said.