New group to train for triathlons

Members of a new campus group may soon begin bicycling and running across campus and swimming at Hutchinson Gymnasium. The Penn Triathlon Club held its first meeting in Houston Hall last week and has already gained a small, but strong, following. According to founding member and College sophomore Liz Krans, the group currently has the status of a club sport. "We will be competing," Krans said, adding that she hopes to make the group a "very active club." Krans and two other sophomores founded the club out of "the remnants" of an informal group created last year, she explained. She said the group formed to "get something organized to train together." Although the details have not been determined, club members hope to have a full triathlon at the University by the end of the semester, according to founding member and Wharton sophomore Tal Zamir. Fifteen students attended the meeting, and approximately half had competed in triathlons before. "People really get hooked on them," explained Zamir, who has competed in triathlons for three years. Training will begin next week. Six days of training are scheduled each week, but the intensity of the workouts will vary from day to day, according to founding member and Engineering sophomore Dafna Nehmadi. The group is planning to hold nine sessions a week -- divided evenly among running, biking and swimming, Nehmadi said. But members are encouraged to work at their own levels and within their own schedules, according to Zamir. He encouraged them to "train as hard as you wish." "We'll be there with the backbone," he said. At least one of the founders will be at all scheduled events, according to Krans. She and Nehmadi also plan to use their competitive running backgrounds to the club's advantage, while Zamir will bring his swimming background to the club. Zamir emphasized the importance of the group's newsgroup and World Wide Web home page as methods of publicity and communication. He encouraged members to use the club's on-line services to find others to train with when they cannot make the scheduled sessions. He also said he wants the club's participants to create an on-line listing which will include each member's level of experience in the different disciplines. College sophomore Karen Weiss, who has participated in two triathlons, encouraged everyone at the meeting to try the club. She explained that they are "such a rush." The club also plans to compete in area triathlons, according to Nehmadi. Krans said she is looking forward to the fall, when the group may be able to receive more funding, possibly to travel to more distant events. She said she was happy with the meeting's turnout but added that "there are a lot more [interested athletes] out there."