Hadley Twp.-A love of swimming eventually led Barbara Appleton to compete in her first triathlon last year.
Appleton, 52, of Hadley Township, will be competing in her third triathlon beginning at 8 a.m. Sunday, June 19 at Big Fish Triathlon.
The version of the triathlon Appleton is competing in is a shorter version of the more conventional triathlon. She will be swimming 500 meters, or 0.31 miles (as opposed to 1,000 meters, or 0.62 miles), biking 20 kilometers, or 12.4 miles (as opposed to 40 kilometers, or 20.8 miles), and running five kilometers, or 3.1 miles (as opposed to 8.05 kilometers, or five miles).
Nonetheless, Appleton is training about 10 hours per week, six days per week in preparation for the Big Fish race. She marvels at the training regimen for the Ironman triathlons that are shown on television.
According to Appleton, athletes competing in those events swim 2-1/2 miles, then bike for 112 miles before running in a marathon, which is approximately 26.2 miles.
‘They’re amazing,? Appleton said of those athletes. ‘They have to train seven to eight hours per day. I don’t know how they do anything else with their day.?
Appleton said her competing in a triathlon grew out of a love of swimming ? she teaches water aerobics at Lapeer Recreation Center and Davison Athletic Club, and swam with a Masters team when she and her family were living in New Jersey.
‘That’s when I got into the swimming portion,? she said.
Appleton took part in several team triathlons where she would compete in the swimming portion of the event, and grew curious about taking part in a full-fledged triathlon.
‘I started thinking I could do the other two events,? she said.
Last year, before moving to Hadley Township, she competed in her first triathlon in Wycoff, New Jersey. This past March, she and daughter Samantha, 19, a student at Michigan State University, competed in an indoor triathlon at the Lapeer Recreation Center, where competitors swam in an indoor pool, then rode on a stationary bike before running on an indoor track.
Appleton said it was an honor to compete in the Lapeer triathlon with her daughter.
‘When we did the one at the recreation center, she took first place and I took second,? she said. ‘It’s fun to take part in anything your children do, but it’s really fun to participate instead of just watch.?
Taking part in a triathlon is a family affair for Appleton, as husband Jeff, who has competed in the New York Marathon previously, helps train her with her running. In addition to Samantha, Barbara and Jeff have two other daughters: Courtney, 27, and Ashley, 24.
The Appletons both grew up in Michigan, and met when they were attending college at MSU. With Samantha now in school at MSU, Barbara Appleton said she and Jeff decided to move back to Michigan in order to be closer to their parents ? Barbara’s parents live in Birmingham, while Jeff’s live in East Lansing.
Appleton said in deciding where to live in Michigan, she wanted to live someplace rural, away from the hustle and bustle of city life, which is why the couple moved to Hadley Township.
She said despite her previous experience in team triathlons and with the two she competed in prior to the Big Fish race, she is still learning how to train for and compete in a triathlon.
‘I still consider myself very much a beginner,? she said.