Triathlon Honors Memory of South County Woman

The quarter-mile swim, for Liz Lahm, is the worst part.

She usually doesn't like being in the same lane with other triathletes, and Sunday morning was no exception. She ended up swimming alongside several people she trains with and it quickly turned into a lane contest.

That quarter-mile swim was the starting leg of the 24th annual South County YMCA Family Sprint Triathlon on Sunday morning at the  The event also included an 11-mile bike ride and a 3-mile run. About 170 athletes participated.

Lahm, who started triathlons several years ago to lose weight after having a baby, couldn't remember how many she's done. One, though, stood out to her husband, Jim.

As he directed bikers at a crossroad on Sunday, he said his wife competed in a full Ironman event in Arizona. That was a 2.4-mile swim on an open lake, a 112-mile bike ride and a marathon. It took her just over 14 and a half hours. 

Although there are participants like Liz Lahm, many use the annual triathlon as a beginning race, South County YMCA Sports Director Kevin Schwartz said.

"We have a lot of newcomers in our race, first-timers," he said. "They're not sure what to expect, they obviously have butterflies going in, but they get a better idea by the end of it."

Proceeds from the event will go to support several YMCA operations in South America, he added. Registration for individuals was $40.

Sunday's event also honored Marcia Pruitt, a long-time YMCA staff member and triathlete who died not long after she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in February.

Lahm knew her well and said that almost every athlete she knew came to Sunday's race to remember Pruitt.

"It was a good tribute," she said.