CLEARFIELD -- Clarissa Bybee thought teaching two to three consecutive hours of aerobics would be enough to help her endure a mini-triathlon.
Though she finished first in the women's 30- to 39-year-old age group in the novice category, she said it was not what she expected.
"It was a good time," Bybee said. "But I would recommend training first. It was less than an hour event, and at the end my legs were dead. I couldn't believe it."
She, her husband, Corey, and her father-in-law, Gary, all participated in the "Sweat with Your Sweetheart" mini-triathlon event at the Clearfield Aquatic Center on Feb. 11.
The fifth annual event was open to those 16 and older. It included competitive team, competitive individual and novice individual categories.
Bybee said she didn't do any formal training before this first-time event for her.
Because she has been doing aerobics for 14 years, she didn't know if she needed training, too. But now, she and her family are planning to repeat the event next year and train first.
She said her toughest event this year was swimming.
"I am not a swimmer," she said. "I cannot swim. It just kicked my butt. But I wasn't last, and I finished in less than 15 minutes, so I call that a success."
Clearfield Fitness Program Coordinator Melissa Haynes said the event went well.
Participants get to compete as individuals, a two-person team or a three-person team. The events are a 500-yard swim, 10-mile bike ride on spinning bikes and a 5K walk/run on the indoor track.
There were 50 individual teams and five teams with either two or three people each, a total of 64 people, up slightly this year from last.
"Each year, it grows," Haynes said. "We had a lot more individuals choose to do the whole thing, every event, this year."
Haynes said she thinks it's popular because it's a fun, nonsanctioned mini-triathlon that allows people to get a taste of what it's like to compete.
"It's a good starter try for interested people," she said. "This is just something fun for people to be part of."
But there is another benefit, too.
"It is a great time for the novice or experienced tri-athlete to test their skills before the bigger events start hitting during the summer."
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