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Eric Atnip“You're the wrong body type to compete in a triathlon.” That is what my friend's dad told me one day after we finished watching the Ironman championships on television. At the time I was six foot four two hundred twenty five pounds and the only things I was competitive in was drinking beer; however, something about what he said inspired me to train for my first triathlon. What is the right body type for triathlon anyway?With no idea how to complete a triathlon I started training with a buddy and muddled my way through swimming, biking and running. I had no swimming background, a barrowed bike and bad knees from playing basketball but I was having a blast. Two days before the race I wrecked my bike in the rain and broke my shoulder blade. Disappointed but not defeated I decided that for all my training I would give it a try and somehow get through the race. I found out that you can do breaststroke with a broken shoulder blade. It may not be fast or pretty but it will move you forward and at that point, forward movement was all I could ask for to finish the race. I entered the water (I call it water but for all practical purposes it was a mud puddle in the middle of Indiana) with about two hundred other participants at the start of the race. I was nervous and excited and also curious as to whether or not my shoulder would hold up to the five hundred yard swim around the perimeter of the pond. The gun went off to start the race and I was on my way. After about five minutes it was clear that I would be the last participant out of the water. As I approached the last buoy and started my home stretch to the bike I started to realize that this race that I had been so nervous about was very doable. I exited the water, put my arm in a sling and rode the bike leg with one arm for the thirteen mile bike ride. I picked off a few people on the bike and despite a few jolts of pain along the way was very happy with how well the bike ride was going. Before I knew it I was nearing the transition area for the third leg of my race. I got off my bike and started the five kilometer run. My legs felt like lead and my arm was still in the sling but I kept moving putting one foot in front of the other until at last I crossed the finish line. I completed my first triathlon in the summer of 1998 and have been hooked on the sport ever since. Triathlon is a sport that allows me to meet new people, travel to places I've never been before and test my body to find out what I can achieve. Since my first race in 1998 I have competed in many different triathlons all across the United States and hope to do many more before all is said and done. When I think back on how I got started it's strange to think that I owe it all to one man who said it couldn't be done.
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EducationMS in Kinesiology and Health PromotionUniversity of Kentucky Program: Health Promotion May 2004
BS in Arts and Sciences
CertificationsUSA Triathlon Level 1 CoachUSA Triathlon Certified Race Director Certified Team in Training Triathlon Coach USA Swimming Coach
Key Race History1998 - First Triathlon
2000 - Muncie Endurathon 2002 - Ironman Wisconsin
2003 - Shelbyville Triathlon 2004 - Ironman Wisconsin
2004 - Country Music Marathon 2005 - Ironman Florida
2005 - Memphis in May 2007 – Ironman Wisconsin 2008 – Heart and Sole Sprint Triathlon 2nd place Overall 2008 – Buffalo Trails Sprint Triathlon, 2nd Place Overall
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