SAAC to Host First MiddKid Triathlon

On May 10, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will be holding a team triathlon open to the entire student body. The event aims to bring the athlete and non-athlete communities together around an interactive exercise.

The SAAC aims to strengthen the bonds between the general student body and athletes, who represent the school both on-campus and away at competitions. The group’s objective this year was to create an environment that further unifies athletes and non-athletes, and they organized an event that would assemble both parties.

The first MiddKid triathlon will consist of a 20-lap swim in the Natatorium, a five-mile bike ride along South Street Extended and a two-mile run on the outdoor track.

Assistant Alpine Ski Coach and SAAC advisor Abigail Copeland explained that the goal of the triathlon is to “knock the wall down that many perceive exists between the athlete and non-athlete [communities] here at Middlebury in order to build a stronger, more supportive community on campus.”

The SAAC hopes to achieve this goal through opening the event up to the entire student body.

“We aren’t expecting any [athlete-focused] stigma surrounding the event,” Copeland wrote in an email. “It’s literally just an event that students on our athletic teams are putting on in order for the entire campus to come together.”

This particular triathlon is intended to be run like a relay where a group of three people complete the triathlon together. A maximum of 20 teams will be allowed to register for the event due to lane restrictions in the swimming pool. The relay-style event allows the event to be less centered on actual physical activity, and instead more about forging a sense of community.

“We simply want to try to bring everyone together for an event that is team oriented, promotes an active and healthy lifestyle and is just fun,” Copeland wrote. “Not for only athletes, but for students outside our traditional varsity athletic teams here on campus… It’s an event that is open to the campus and we’re hoping tons of people show up!”