The Fourth Annual Maple Leaf City Sprint-Triathlon held July 25 featured a 300-meter swim, a 12-mile bike ride and a 5K run beginning at the Baldwin City Aquatic Center.

Along with community members and incoming Baker University freshman Carody Franklin, several alumni participated in the triathlon. Among them were Heather Blanck from the class of ’95 and Eric Long and Jesse Bennett from the class of ’99.

Baldwin City resident Julie Lange was a volunteer for the day’s events and fully supports community triathlon events.

“I’ve never done a triathlon. I’ve mostly done racing events,” Lange said. “It’s truly a credit to everyone here.”

Though she has never participated in a triathlon, she has run marathons and other races and can appreciate the time and effort needed to participate. For Lange, community triathlons present opportunities for athletes looking to try a triathlon for the first time.

“Races like these are something shorter for new inexperienced athletes,” Lange said. “It’s less stressful and not as intimidating or hard as most triathlons.”

Regardless of the difficulty level, Lange finds that triathlon events like this one are great ways to draw the community together in support of one another.

Jill Franklin, who is the departmental assistant for the Business & Economics Department, has been a volunteer helper in the Baldwin City Triathlons for three years now. Her daughter, Carody Franklin, and her husband Steve Franklin participated in the day’s event.

“[The triathlon event] brings everyone out for a common cause,” Jill Franklin said. “Of course, there’s a bit of rivalry, but everyone supports everyone and it re-instills the drive to continue going.”

She said that preparing for the triathlon takes weeks of planning during many committee meetings along with months of training for athletes.

“Steve swims twice a week, runs a certain number of miles three times a week and bikes nearly all the time,” she said.

The annual event is open to everyone. For more information on this event and similar events, click here.