Playtri DFW

Swimming. You dive start into the water. Go, go, go! Let's go! Biking. The bike was really hard because of the wind, but it was good. And running. Definitely, you feel the adrenaline. Combine these three workouts and athletes face one challenging race. A triathlon. That one's exhausting. Yes. Sometimes, yeah. Each competition brings out some nervousness. Before you swim, your stomach hurts, your head hurts, you're Once you get in, you're in the zone and just The racers say it's all worth it by the end, especially when they cross the finish line first. It's awesome. Hot. Obviously, I'm sweaty right now. This race is called the Playtri Festival held at Lake Carolina in Las Calinas. It is the second annual International Triathlon Union, or ITU, Pan American Cup. Yeah, pretty big race, very competitive. It hosts both Olympians, athletes already in the ITU, and amateurs who want to take their performance to the next level. So we've got guys and girls who are thinking maybe they want to be a little bit more competitive in this sport, want to be competitive nationally, might want to race for the US one day. Athletes from all over the country and even different parts of the world come here to compete, and they put in a lot of training hours to be in tip top shape. A lot of them practice seven days a week. I get up at 5. 30 every morning to go to practice, and it's from Sunday to Sunday. Just the other night, went on a 15 mile bike ride. It is a sport that requires physical endurance. Athletes are proud when they perform well. I had a really strong race from start to finish. I had a solid swim, came out where I wanted to. For some, this was a brand new experience. I was my first draft legal race ever. And for others, it was another race to conquer. I do about 15 to 18 each year. This is my third year as a pro. This is our eighth year joining triathlon, so you kind of get used to it after a while. Twin brothers from Houston, Zachary and Tyler Henthorn, say their biggest rivalry is each other. Every single second, you're just wanting to get done with this race, and then you see your brother up ahead of you, and you're They both did it, finishing first and second after a 375 meter swim followed by a bike ride. Six miles. And then. . . They finish the bike and then they have a one and a half mile run to finish up the day. The pros have a longer course. Swim 1. 2 miles. They will cycle 24 miles and they'll run a 10k. Athletes say each race is a new challenge. Every site is different, so every race is different. Race is bigger because there's a lot more girls and it's open water. And some of the women Olympians who competed last year say they enjoy this particular course. I really They changed it up from last year, which was a little funky, but I actually It was nice coming around and seeing the crowd more often, getting more cheers. It's nice. It's really flat, wide u-turns. I Race director Patrick Warrington says organizers intend to bring the event back next year. The IT Pan American Cup hopefully will stay here. We have to fly for it every year, just He says for more than a decade, Irving has been home to triathlons. And organizers hope to keep the newly established Playtri Festival here at Lake Caroline for many races to come. Ashley Robbins for CitySource.