Kinesiology Student Finishes Triathlon in Third for Age Group

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Alex Goff crosses the finish line last month in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Alex Goff, a senior majoring in kinesiology at the University of Arkansas, placed third in his age division at the Ironman triathlon competition July 28 in Lake Placid, N.Y.

A triathlon is made up of three parts – 2.4 miles of swimming, followed by 112 miles of biking and topped off with 26.2 miles of running.

Goff was attempting to qualify for the Ironman world championships in Hawaii. Unfortunately for Goff, competitors must finish in the top two places to qualify. He plans to work as a health coach, training a variety of types of athletes, after he graduates in December.

He was second in the 18- to 24-year-old male division after the bicycle part of the race. He completed the triathlon in 10 hours, 36 minutes and 20 seconds to take third place. His overall rank was 153 among the nearly 3,000 competitors, which included about 50 professional athletes.

"It was a very emotional day, an amazing experience," Goff said. "Everyone told me to be prepared for a long day, but all the training I did made the day of the race feel really short. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

Goff, a Conway High School graduate, said he had been training for about a year prior to the race, putting in 15-20 hours a week. He trained for the swimming portion in the Health, Physical Education and Recreation Building on campus and did 95 percent of the training for the biking and running portions outside. He worked with a coach, Ron Schmidt of React Performance Training, for about six months of that time.

It's too early to say whether Goff will try again to qualify for the world championships in Hawaii.

"I just don't know," he said. "I need to think about it a while."