Triathlon: Community competition

Cannon Connections photo: Jared Tucker Twelve-year-old Case Shaap of the Clovis High School swim team completes the 500k swim portion of Cannon Air Force Bases' annual mini-triathlon Saturday. Shaap's total time completing the event was 1:08:00, according to Coach Vincent DeMaio.

The Clovis High School Wildcats swim team went head-to-head with airmen from Cannon Air Force Base Saturday, during Cannon’s annual mini-triathlon.

Senior Airman Jennifer Reid, who coordinates the triathlon for Cannon’s Fitness Center, said the triathlon is held each year to promote health, fitness and friendly competition.

“We just do it for fun, to see who wants to come out and try to improve their score from last year, or if there’s any new people who want to try it out,” Reid said.

Of the thirty competitors in this year’s triathlon, Reid said 19 of them were from Clovis High School and middle school.

Reid said the triathlon consists of a 500-meter swim, an 8.5-mile bicycle ride, and a 3.2-mile run.

Col. Charles Myers had the best overall time out of the Air Force competitors, finishing the event in 1:04:57. Myers said he had a great time competing and watching his daughter Caitlyn Myers take first place out of the female competitors, with a time of 1:01:25.

“The young guys should definitely get the credit, they came out and really gave it everything they had,” Myers said.

The winner of the event was 17-year-old Clovis High School senior Nick DeMaio, who swam, biked and ran the entire course in 54:32. DeMaio said his four-year involvement in triathlon competition was a big factor in Saturday’s victory.

“You have to be willing to go on long rides on weekends. You must be dedicated to your training,” Nick said.

Clovis High School Swim Coach Vincent DeMaio echoed his son’s comments, saying his team practices nine times per week for swimming, but biking is the team’s weakest link.

“In any triathlon we enter, we come out with the pros in swimming.... We expect to be the first out of the water in everything we do. It’s the biking part where we get hammered,” the coach said.