SHUHEI MATSUO
Assistant Online Editor
Lydia Graham loves triathlon. She loves it so much that she wants to share the excitement of the sport with as many people as possible. And in August 2007, she finally brought the passion to Pepperdine for the first time in the history of the university.
However, Graham’s initial journey to Pepperdine did not go as smooth as she expected.
When Graham, a Malibu resident, became a certified USA Triathlon training coach in 2001, she thought Pepperdine was the perfect venue to have a triathlon team.
She approached Pepperdine about her idea but didn’t hear anything for six years. However, since the time Pepperdine accepted triathlon as a class starting in fall of 2007, it has become a popular elective course on campus.
“[Coach Graham] is awesome,” says senior Jen Iso, who took the course last semester. “She is energetic and no matter what, she encourages people to the full potential.”
Even though Graham was anxious about how the class would turn out, getting positive feedback from her students was a big confidence boost for the first-time college teacher.
“I was thrilled that the response was so positive,” Graham said. “And my main focus was to have a successful class for the individual students and the group. And to have it work out like that was a bonus.”
The class meets every Wednesday at 11 a.m. for two hours during which students learn the principles of triathlon with casual lectures by Graham and actual workouts for each of the three legs: swimming, biking and running.
Of four different distances in triathlon, this class focuses on the shortest one, sprint distance, which is composed by a 500-meter swim, 12-mile bike ride and 5-kilometer run.
Jon Hippensteel, who took the course, needs only one word to describe the class: intense.
He also says the class gave him many valuable lessons through triathlon.
“I learned the value of hard work, determination and endurance,” the Pepperdine junior said. “That’s what triathlon is all about: pushing until the end, not giving up until the end.”
Like many other academic courses, this one-unit, credit/non-credit class requires only two assignments: midterm and final.
While the midterm is a written exam, the final challenges the students with a full, sprint-distance time trial. Graham expects to see all of her students run across the finish line during the last class period.
How hard is the final?
“I was definitely sore for a couple of days after the final,” recalls Christopher Runge, who finished the last semester’s final in 1 hour and 21 minutes.
As an experienced swimmer, Runge dominated in the pool and came out of it first during the race. However, his least favorite part, running, gave other students a chance to catch up.
“Running is not my thing,” Runge says. “I’ve only swam competitively my entire life.”
Triathlon is a three-in-one sport and requires balanced strength overall. And the interesting aspect of it is that it is not equally balanced. More importantly, smooth transitions in between each activity are a significant part of this sport.
In other words, you cannot just be good at a component or two: You need to be an all-around athlete and a master of transitions. Because of these natures, Graham says triathlon represents life.
“You move through these different types of activities, you have to figure out how to manage them, how to be disciplined and you finish the strongest you can,” she says. “I think what’s great about it is that I look at triathlon as a triangle, three-in-one, not balanced, but there is something that’s unseen about it that reminds me of the Trinity.”
It is a short life that lasts a little over an hour, though it surely is an intense one. However, an increasing number of Pepperdine students are looking forward to attacking this challenging sport.
Iso said she mainly took the class because she knew it would be tough and it would be worth it to try.
“I love running and biking,” she said. “But swimming has always been a challenge.”
Junior Katie Wilfong, who has completed two full and five half marathons and has swimming experience, is one of about 20 new challengers to the class.
“I figured if I knew two of them, it would be a fun thing to do,” she says. “It would be a good accomplishment.”
Wilfong also says she expects to be fully prepared mentally and physically to be able to compete in a triathlon race after completion of this class.
After a successful semester as an instructor, Graham seems to have more confidence in teaching and spreading the excitement of triathlon at Pepperdine this spring.
But her main goal will always be the same as long as the university’s motto will not change.
“Pepperdine’s goal is to prepare students for purpose, service and leadership,” she says. “And I think that’s what this class is all about. You’ll learn who you honestly are, what your body can do, and to stay motivated.”
01-17-2008
