MOUNT VERNON — Most high school students spend their summers lounging around, enjoying time off in between the long, grueling school year. For Mount Vernon sophomore Lindsey Studebaker, the summer was much more.
Studebaker, a runner on the Yellow Jackets’ cross country and track and field teams, participated in her first triathlon on July 25. She competed in the Bikesport Women’s Only Triathlon in Sylvania and finished strong.
“Truthfully, I wasn’t really sure (what to expect),” said Studebaker. “The triathlon I did, you are supposed to line yourself up so you do your fastest time in the open-water swim. Then you did the bike and then the run. I just tried to get into the middle of the group. I really had no clue about how I was going to do. I was just so nervous. I wanted to finish and not be too far in the back of the pack. I ended up doing OK.”
OK is an understatement. Studebaker won the 15- to 17-year-old age group, finishing in 1:13:57, and finished ninth overall.
“Once we got there, I noticed there were a lot of 20- to 30-year-old women there and that’s who I was competing against,” said Studebaker. “I thought I might win age group just because I didn’t see anyone else my age really, but I wasn’t expecting to place ninth overall. There were a lot of really, really tough-looking people there.”
While the triathlon, which consisted of 400 yards swimming, 12 miles cycling and 3 miles running, was Studebaker’s first, she is no stranger to competition. She started running a few years ago and has been a swimmer for several years.
“My mom and dad are both runners,” said Studebaker. “The summer before I went into seventh grade, they pretty much forced me to do cross country. I cried and didn’t want to do it; I really hated it for a while. I went to my first race and did OK, and I just started liking it then. I’m really glad my parents made me do it because I would have never ever done it without them.
“I’ve been swimming since I was in the first grade; I’m on the YMCA team,” Studebaker added. “I’ve been swimming a long time. Biking is news; I’ve always just biked for fun, but I never really did it competitively before this summer.”
The triathlon was a big test for Studebaker. It took a lot of hard work and time to prepare for the competition. Besides the triathlon, Studebaker juggled showing her llama at the Knox County Fair, work at Hiawatha Water Park and taking classes.
“I almost didn’t do it, truthfully,” Studebaker said. “I hadn’t practiced that much. I’m a lifeguard at the pool, and I was getting my llama ready for the fair. I also took summer school this year so I was really busy.
“When I got done with track, I took two weeks off from running. Then, for a decent month and a half, every morning I would swim and I would try to bike a couple times a week in the afternoon. Then I would run every night. The training was a little sketchy, but I did what I could when I had the time.”
After such a strong finish, Studebaker is ready to continue her high school running career. The triathlon definitely wet her appetite for more, however.
“I think (I would like to do this again),” said Studebaker. “It boosted my confidence. ... I’d like to do at least a couple next summer to make it worth my while. Next year, I want to reserve a couple of my weekends for triathlons.
“Right now, I’m just ready to get back racing.”
