| | Published April 29th, 2009
| Moraga Treeline Triathlon Feeds Lafayette Resident's Need To Swim, Bike, Run
| | By Lucy Amaral |  | | Allan Spring Photo Robert Johnson
|
Allan Spring is a triathlete. To train, he bikes four days a week, logging over a hundred miles a week, swims countless laps and runs either road or treadmill the other three days a week. That's along with regular weight-training workouts. Not an unusual program for your average triathlete. But Lafayette-resident Spring is no average athlete. At 64 years old, Spring has been competing in triathlons for 27 years and is one of the oldest athletes entered in the third annual Moraga Treeline Triathlon, which was held on April 25 at Campolindo High School.
For the second year in a row, Spring finished first in the 60 and over division, logging in a time of 1:26:01. The cold, clear, breezy morning didn't hamper his efforts and barely slowed his time over last year. "The pool was nice and warm, and to be honest, after I got out of the pool, I never noticed the weather," Spring said.
In 1979, Spring began running as a way to get into shape. He ran "one mile at a time," increasing his distance until he was competing in 10K's and then a marathon a few years later. In 1982, he saw an announcement for Denver, Colorado's first-ever triathlon. Spring entered the race "just to see what it was like" and ended up placing in the top three for his age group. "I was hooked," he said. "I wasn't a runner after that, I was a triathlete."
Since then, Spring has competed in more than 100 triathlons, including Iron Man Triathlons in Kona, Hawaii and Auckland, New Zealand each of which includes a 3.8K swim, 180K bike and 42.2K run. He averages four to five triathlons a summer, but now focuses his energies on the shorter distances like the Olympic (1.5K swim, 40K Bike, 10K run), and the Sprint (400 meter swim, 22K Bike, 5K run), such as the Moraga Treeline Triathlon.
Spring said the Moraga triathlon is a good event for him to start off the season and test his fitness level. He added that it's also great for athletes of every level. "It's the perfect event for someone's first triathlon, for someone who wants to test themselves at a reasonable distance," he said. "This event is something people can do and feel good about themselves."
This year's event hosted over 300 athletes who braved the elements, natural and man-made, all in the name of charity. The triathlon, started in 2007 by race director Carl Martin, is a community fundraising event where all proceeds are donated to local community organizations. This year's recipients include Moraga's recreation department, the Soda Aquatic Center and the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), who train volunteers to become Lamorinda's first responders in case of a large scale emergency.
After all these years of competing, Spring says each triathlon is still unknown territory, and there is no way to plan each step even with the shorter distances such as the Moraga race. "I just try to relax at race time," he said. "I get my transition set up and my equipment ready, then it's just a matter of pacing. You never know how you are going to do until you get out there."
Spring, who says he will continue to do triathlons, keeps the training up for a variety of reasons, not just the events. "I'm an endorphin junkie. I enjoy the feeling I get when I exercise," he said. "I also like to eat. Exercising keeps my weight down so I can really enjoy that glass of wine.
|
 | | Maddy, Mike, Jack and Spencer Spearing
|  | | Photos Doug Kohen
|
 |
 |
|
 |
| | | | Advertisement | | |
| | | | | | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Subscribe / Unsubscribe | | | | | |
| | | | | |  | | |
| | |  | | |
| | | | | |
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA