MacDill triathlete takes third in Armed Forces Triathlon

  • Published
  • By Nick Stubbs
  • 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  There are two ways to place well in a triathlon: get out front and stay there or come from behind. Always a strong swimmer and a much-improved bicyclist, getting up front after the first two events of the Armed Forces Triathlon April 9 was a natural for 1st Lt. Erin O'Connor.

A bioenvironmental engineer with the 6th Medical Group, Lieutenant O'Connor placed third in the women's division of the event held at Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif.. Her team, the women's Air Force entry, placed first. It was a big win for someone coming off two years of being unable to compete in the event due to injuries, and an alternate on the team going into this year's event.

Being an alternate meant no matter how well she placed in the individual events, she would not be permitted to attend the Military World Games in Rio De Janeiro July 16 through 24. The injury of a team member gave her the opportunity to advance to the World Games.

"It was good in that the pressure was off and I had something to gain," Lieutenant O'Connor said. "It felt good."

Lieutenant O'Connor credits her win to heavy training and working with a coach since November of 2010 in preparation. She took just three days off from training over the more than five months of training.

Improving her biking skills was a big factor, as after a strong showing in the 1.5-K swim, the 40-K bike event follows. Though the 10-K running leg is her weakness, coming in toward the front of the pack in swimming, and finishing third in the bike leg gave her enough of a lead to hold third place through the run, though she had her doubts.

Half way into that final leg, Lieutenant O'Connor "half expected" to be run down by stronger runners behind her.

"I could see I had a good lead, but I figured they would catch up," she said. "As we got closer to finishing, I got really excited that they were not gaining (on me)."

Lieutenant O'Connor held on to the end, finishing third, behind her sister and fellow Air Force team member Colleen, a lieutenant in the Air Force Reserves.

"She's a stronger runner than me," said Lieutenant O'Connor.

Triathlon's are grueling (Lieutenant O'Connor said the cold water of the swim left her feet numb until halfway into the 10-K run), as is the training to complete them in good time. It requires a lot of personal commitment, she said, but also a lot of support from her superiors at MacDill.

"I'm fortunate in that I have a lot of support here," Lieutenant O'Connor said.

The goal now is to train hard and help her Air Force team in the upcoming games, as well as to try and better her personal performance.