Tinian Turquoise Blue Triathlon & Reef Swim

The participants warm up

A rainbow sets the mood...
They gather to begin their first leg--the swim

After the swim came the bike ride

Some were there just for the swim

The clinic staff relax while the race continues



Finally came the run

The winner talks with his wife

Third place (from Tinian) comes across the finish line!

Our ship came in! Off-loading fuel so the lights don't go out

Today they had an annual triathlon at Taga beach. There were three groups:

One group was doing a triathlon: First was a two mile swim, starting at Taga beach and going around a course of buoys, about a mile. Then they showered, got on bikes and headed up the hill towards suicide cliff--they rode to suicide cliff, back past Taga beach and out past the airport, then back to Taga beach--twice! Then they started their run: up to suicide cliff and back to Taga beach, where the finish line was located.


A second and third group just did a longer swim. One group swam twice around the buoy course and one group swam three times around the buoy course. So there were lots of things going on at the same time. I'm not sure how they kept everyone straight, as after a short time everyone was strung-out along the course.


Terri and a group of nurses was assigned to be at the beach in case of injury. The day turned out to be perfect for the triathlon: a little shower in the morning provided all of us with a beautiful rainbow just before the start of the race, and the water was very calm and smooth for the swimmers.


They started at 7am and the first person crossed the finish line about 2 1/2 hours later.