Cornelius "No Guts, No Glory" Sprint Triathlon

Travel to Charlotte just for a sprint?
I did it for Karen, a friend,
Whose first triathlon is an event;
I'm hoping she'll adopt it as a trend.

I made the four-hour drive
Under an increasingly darkening sky,
To morally support and help to strive
For a glorious first ever Tri.

We woke under clouds and rain,
to a fairly ugly drizzle.
No matter how much you train,
This weather won't let your time sizzle.

Who cares, this one's just for fun,
The first race is always a PR.
Besides, by the time of the run,
You're already wet (from sweat) and sore.

We set up our transitions,
And the rain kept falling.
Performed the wet suit operation
After answering nature's calling.

Before you know it, we're on the beach
And the rain has finally slacked.
Ready to go into the breech
And have our times tracked.

I swam in the wave of the second
And asked her if she wanted me to wait -
There was no need for help, she reckoned
Her fifth wave would swim too late.

It drizzled again before I was through
But not during the bicycle -
Karen's race was more of a to-do
And the rain was down to a trickle.

I finished and waited in anticipation
To see Karen's big finish.
She came in strong, with much elation
Completing the race fulfulled her wish!

In her age group, she came in fourth
Passed by third with only yards to go -
Now she wishes she'd run for all she's worth
And beat that age grouper by a toe!

Now, when Karen is on a neighborhood run
with feet feeling oh so fleet
She won't fret that she's not the one who won,
Safely knowing that she's officially a Triathlete!