![]() “The end result of the race is awesome and it is a relief to know I actually finished it.”Ĭlaire, who boasts high school track and swimming experience, also said the bicycle’s mechanics takes time to grow accustomed to. “There has been some triathlons where I am on the bike, and it is so windy, but I always want to keep going and keeping pushing myself to finish,” she said. “You just like to see if you can do better than the last time or just make it through.”Ĭlaire, who acknowledged biking is most difficult, uses the challenge as a point of motivation. Unlike some athletes in her age group, who typically play basketball, football, baseball and other sports, Claire enjoys triathlons. The three women ahead of her were at least twice her age, and in her age bracket, the next best finisher placed 23rd overall.Īlthough she has notched several achievements, merely finishing the race amid challenges brings the most reward, Claire said. One race he circled on his calendar was last September, when Claire competed at the J-Hawk LateBird Triathlon in Whitewater.Īt the triathlon, Claire finished fourth among 61 competitors, and had the best time in her 19 and under age group. ![]() “Now she tells me, ‘I am doing a race on this day, put it on the calendar,’” he said. Jason Koeppel said his daughter often seeks out events to compete in, telling him to mark them on his calendar. In 2017, Claire finished fourth of more than 600 competitors at the IronGirl Sprint Triathlon at the RecPlex. In the following years, she garnered more experience, competing in at least a handful of other triathlon events. “It helped me out a lot and got me more experience,” said Claire, who left the team when she started her freshman at Westosha Central. “Somehow, when the times were posted, the team saw my name and my time and how I was a little bit younger and they reached out to me.”Ĭlaire, who already had about two years club swimming experience under her belt, learned valuable skills while a member of MMTT-Mach II, a Naperville-based team. “It was a great first race and I enjoyed it,” Claire said. The race, she recalled, took place at Pleasant Prairie RecPlex where a member of an Illinois triathlon team recognized her strengths and encouraged the 12-year-old to join. ![]() Since then, Claire continues to finish races, including triathlons, a sport she discovered when she was around 12 years old. “Her brother was around two years old and she just took off and ran the race herself and finished,” said Jason, whose wife is Trish, and has another son, Brock, a Bristol School student. ![]()
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