With the sun shining, the wind at a calm breeze and the water in Hiniker Pond at a comfortable summertime temperature, it could not have been a better day for the North Mankato Triathlon. Everyone that came out, from competitors to spectators, were treated to weather befitting of a hobby that has caught on like wild fire in the fitness world.

The 300-plus people who came out to compete — myself included — came from a variety of fitness backgrounds.

Some were young, some were old. Some looked like your average fitness enthusiast trying to get in shape, others looked like they came off the cover of a health & fitness magazine. Some were doing their first triathlon, others their 50th.

Whatever the case, they all decided to wake up early, pump some air in their bike tires and come down to Hiniker for the same reason: To challenge themselves.

That’s what makes triathlons such an addictive hobby — there’s always new ways to challenge yourself. Unlike running, biking or swimming individually for a sport, there’s no monotony to the workouts. Even after putting in a hard week of training on the bike, you can always turn attention to your swim stroke or how well you’re pacing yourself on a run.

Heck, there are some people who will go so far as to train without socks in an attempt to cut down their transition times. Triathlons may be physically taxing, but they never get boring to train for.

And all that training comes to fruition on race day, when those who put in the time and effort are wearing smiles of elation over their hard-earned results. Even if you were one of the unfortunate souls that had to walk your bike up Rockford Road or gasp for air while running around Spring Lake, you could still take pride in knowing how hard you worked to get to that point.

Another aspect to love about triathlons is the relatively cheap cost of getting into it. Many will scoff at the previous sentence, citing numerous examples of bikes zipping down the Judson Bottom Road with frames looking like they were designed by NASA. Truth be told, it can be an expensive hobby, but it doesn’t have to be.

Bikes can be borrowed from friends, purchased from thrift shops or rescued off scrap heaps. And as far as other accessories go, it pretty much boils down to having a trusty pair of running shoes, a swimsuit — preferably in the spandex variety — and swimming goggles that don’t leak. Beyond that, you can spend as much or as little as you want.

Once you reach that point, it’s simply a matter of determining how far you want to go with it as a hobby. For some people, the North Mankato Triathlon represents the culmination of their summertime fitness activities. For others, it serves as a mere stepping stone towards completing a full Ironman.

Either way, triathlons never cease to be fun to compete in, and the personal satisfaction that comes with seeing your name on the results sheet never gets old.

Besides, it doesn’t matter where you’re at with your physical fitness, just as long as you’re ready and willing to challenge yourself.

Alex Voigt is a Free Press copy editor. E-mail him at avoigt@mankatofreepress.com.