Kurt Hauser of Pilger has got the triathlon bug.It began in the summer of 2011, when Hauser, then a lifeguard at the Humboldt Aquatic Centre, decided to train for and enter two triathlon events, one at Regina Beach and the second at Clear Lake, Manitoba.Hauser took first place at the Regina Beach event, and won a bronze medal in the men's under 19 division at the Manitoba event.Encouraged by his results, over the winter he continued to train and this past summer competed in five triathlons: two in Saskatchewan, two in B.C., and one - a national event - that was held in Edmonton."My first one was in early June, and it was in Cranbrook, B.C.," he told the Journal recently in a telephone interview. Hauser is a second-year student at the University of Regina. "Then later in June, I won the Pike Lake Triathlon."He won first place in the Men's 20-29 Category of the Craven Genki Pike Lake Triathlon on June 24 with a time of 2:04:59.Not long after, on July 8, he competed in his third event of the summer at the 2012 Edmonton Triathlon Festival, where he came ninth in his category.Then it was back to Saskatchewan for the 2012 Frank Dunn Triathlon at Waskesiu Lake on August 12. In that race, he placed second with an overall time of 2:54:16."I'd probably say that I enjoyed Waskesiu the most," said Hauser. "It was really scenic, like we saw different wildlife on the bike portion. And it was also a long ride, just two 32-kilometre loops, so it made it pretty interesting."More often, the bike and running portions of triathlons are looped in shorter distances, he explained, which means going over the same terrain several times to do the required distance.His final race was back in B.C., in the city of Kelowna for the Pushor Mitchell Apple Triathlon, August 19.Hauser is on the university's track and field team, and says he's always liked biking and running. But it's the variety - the combination of swimming, biking and running that appeals to him in triathlons. During the winter he trains by swimming four or five times a week. He is on the university's track team and attends track practice in the evenings.Hauser also belongs to the Saskatchewan Triathlon Association Corporation (STAC), an umbrella organization for the Canadian Triathlon Association."STAC gives me some funding for travel and for entering the events," he said. "We also have training days where we all train together. A couple of times a month, usually over a weekend, so all the kids in Saskatchewan can train together."Hauser says he's not sure yet which events he will enter next year. He only knows that he wants to continue as a triathlon athlete.
