EP Expatriate Blogs his training

Tri It El Paso

I am an expatriate.  That’s a fancy word for someone who left El Paso to go to college and never returned.  Not that I lacked reasons to; I could give you a list of reasons why I love El Paso.  Suffice it to say it includes family, the Franklins, and Chico’s Tacos.

The truth is life and career just took me in other directions.  But I find – no, I look for – reasons to remain connected to my hometown because it is very much that.  Home.

I live in Austin, and I’ve participated in more races than I can remember.  Fun races, timed races, races with thousands of participants, professionally organized races that attract tourist dollars, promote local business, and get people thinking about Austin.

So when I learned about Race El Paso’s Eagle in the Sun Triathlon, scheduled for September 5, Labor Day weekend, and I heard that the El Paso Sports Commission gave the race its full support, I found one of the best reasons to visit El Paso later this summer.  In fact, I registered for the race the week after I heard about it.  (All registration is online at http://www.raceelpaso.com/events.)

The race date is perfect for a come-homer like me.  Labor Day weekend offers race tourists a three-day window of travel-race-travel time.  El Paso already hosts a series of other races and a timed marathon – now it’s time to take multisport races to the next level.

Maybe you’ve never considered doing a triathlon.  I’ll be honest: this is my first, too.  I’m a runner, so the 5K portion of Eagle in the Sun is the least of my worries.  I also ride a bike recreationally, so the 20K cycling distance is not bad.  I’m really working on the 400-meter swim.

Eagle in the Sun, though, is perfect for a first-timer like me precisely because of the sprint (triathlete word for “very short”) distance.  I’m also happy to be a part of El Paso’s launch into a sport that is growing at a tremendous rate.  According to a USAT survey (USAT is the national triathlon organization) conducted in 2008, 78 percent of triathletes participate in sprint distance races.  The shorter races are attractive to persons new to triathlon.

I also love that the race is about accessibility for El Pasoans, Texans, beginners and veteran triathletes from all over the region.  Eagle in the Sun organizers are putting together a top-notch, timed event (timer chips really get your motor going on race day) that opens El Paso’s doors to a new batch of sports tourists and visitors.

I hope to see you there on race day.  And to keep me honest, I’ll keep a daily blog starting July 5 until race day so I can share my training with other El Pasoans who are looking forward to the first of many Eagles in the Sun.  Follow me at http://epeagleintraining.blogspot.com.

Arturo Ballesteros works for the Texas Senate in Austin, Texas.  He grew up in Northeast El Paso, graduated from Austin College, and has worked as a legislative professional for more than 10 years.  He rides an old steel bike and he’s proud of it.