A completely serious athletic competition.
Held in a backyard.
Sprint triathlon distances. Backyard triathlon vibes.
The visionaries behind this whole thing.
Dr. Ed Frisbee is a Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician and specialist in Chiropractic Biophysics — a man who has dedicated his career to the structural integrity of the human body and his free time to aggressively testing the limits of his own. A veteran triathlete who has been competing since some of his challengers were in elementary school, Ed has decided the next logical chapter is bringing the race to him.
His bay. His neighborhood. His rules. His finish line tape. His course record.
That last item deserves a moment. Ed has held the course record since setting it at the inaugural edition of this very race — a fact that was considerably easier to achieve when he was also the only competitor. He is a Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician who, this year, has elected to enter the aqua bike category — swim and bike only. He has described this as "a strategic choice." Those familiar with his run split have described it as "inevitable."
He has, on more than one occasion, sought coaching advice on his running. That advice was withheld. The run has since been quietly removed from his personal race schedule. These events are unrelated.
His record stands. It will not stand forever.
Dr. Karin Frisbee is a Doctor of Chiropractic whose clinical specialty is pediatric care — treating babies, toddlers, and children of all ages with the kind of patience and precision that, as a mother of four, she has had ample opportunity to develop. That same patience is what allows her to co-host a triathlon held in her own bay.
Without Karin, this is Ed swimming laps and declaring a personal record. With her, it is a legitimate sporting event with food, logistics, cold beer, and at least one adult keeping things on track.
We are grateful. Ed is very lucky.
These fine establishments make it all possible. Please spend money at them.
Every finisher is a winner. Some are more winning than others.
Awarded to whoever crosses the finish line first and spends the rest of the afternoon making sure everyone knows it. Comes with the eternal bragging rights of having won a race on someone else's property, under someone else's rules, with someone else's beer.
Because finishing first in your gender category is absolutely a real accomplishment and we will not hear otherwise.
Proof that you were the fastest person in a narrow band of years on earth. Frame it.
For the athlete who somehow found a finishing kick after two miles of looking absolutely done. You know who you are.
For the athlete who finished last but made it look like a choice.
Wayne McSheehy was a multi-time world champion triathlete in the masters division — the kind of competitor who made younger athletes nervous by simply showing up. People knew him mid-race by the number on his calf and the uncomfortable realization that he was passing them.
But what made Wayne a champion wasn't just speed. It was the refusal to stop.
The Wayne McSheehy Award is not given to the fastest athlete on the course. It is given to the one who had the hardest time getting there — and got there anyway. The one who cramped, suffered, questioned every decision that led them to this moment, and crossed the finish line regardless. The one who made "I finished" mean something.
Toughness over time. Every time.