TRI-CITIES, Wash.- Over 1,000 athletes taking over the Tri-Cities, all of them going from swimming in the Columbia River, to biking 56 miles and finishing with a half marathon along the Riverfront Trail. The first of three Ironman Tri-Cities couldn’t happen without volunteer support.
Over 1,000 volunteers were placed along the Ironman route. Some stuck to their role and handed out water and hydration. Some were waiting for their friends and family to cross their path.
“It’s great to have people cheering you on,” says volunteer Laurie Gerboth. “There’s been so many people up and down the path cheering the runners on.”
Gerboth and her teammate Rachael Praino manned a hydration station. While handing out water and orange slices, they also got to have some laughs with the participants.
“Somebody grabbed a Coke and poured it over them thinking it was water,” says Praino with a laugh. “All over their head. Thinking the Coke was water and now they have Coca-Cola all over their head.”
The two seemed to have seen everything on the running course, most surprised by the first runner.
“The first runner was so fast,” says Gerboth. “We were at the run part where he’s already done everything beforehand. It was crazy how fast he was going.”
Up the river from their station was another. This one manned by potentially the next generation of Ironman athletes. The youth swim team, Tri-City Channel Cats, were out from 7:30 a.m. through 7 p.m.
“Just trying to help out with the community,” says Jan Wuttig, a volunteering parent. “We’ve had a number of parents or family members or friends from the swim team participate in the race. We’re hoping to give back to the community and really enjoy ourselves.”
Wuttig says the Channel Cats were at a Moses Lake swim meet the day before the Ironman. The quick turnaround from them competing to seeing familiar adults participating is an inspirational opportunity for the young athletes.
“Seeing all of this being put together, our swimmers love the swimming but seeing them having to bike and run afterwards is a pretty cool accomplishment for these athletes,” says Wuttig.
Gerboth, Praino and Wuttig are excited for the future of Ironman in the Tri-Cities. With this being the first of three annual triathlons, they’re already excited to come back next year, but they might not be training to participate in 2025.
“Are you thinking about doing it next year?” Gerboth asked Praino.
“I don’t know, maybe a shorter one,” Praino said with a laugh.
