Reston Sprint Triathlon Unites 777 Racers and Community Volunteers

by Matt Reider, Staff Writer

The day before the event, Arsenal Events was out supporting the event setup and race timing Kristen Lasich, Tammy Bride-Clark, Neil Richard, Cameron Sidebotham, Jacob Korn.

One day before race day Jen Dryzga unpacked plastic bins full of yellow volunteer shirts in front of Reston’s Lake Newport Pool. She was using her time away from her day job as co-owner of the local REPFIT gym in Herndon to focus on athletics in a different way-- as the race director of the Reston Sprint Triathlon. She trained for the position by attending classes provided by USA Triathlon (USAT), which provides membership, training, and certifications for such roles. The Reston Sprint Triathlon is an official USA Triathlon-sanctioned event.

This requires significant coordination and sponsorship, with Jen being part of Racing in Reston, which is organized under the CORE Foundation. Together, they serve to “ignite positive community impact by fostering emerging nonprofits.” Racing in Reston serves as a fundraising arm, and focuses on athletic events-- such as the Reston Youth Triathlon, the Reston Sprint Triathlon, and the Reston Triathlon to raise funds.

This is Jen’s third year as race coordinator, and seventh involved in the race. This year, she is organizing nearly 120 volunteers from across the community to pull off the event. Many positions are held by friends and families of the athletes - all hoping to get a glimpse of their racer somewhere on the course, which hasn’t changed over the 19 years the event has been held.

It begins with a 400-meter swim in Lake Newport pool, followed by a 12-mile (19k) bike ride on Reston roads, and ends with a 5km run on area paths. This sprint version is shorter across all events than the standard Olympic version, which includes a 1.5km swim, 40km bike, and 10km run. The first Reston Triathlon was held in 1984, with the sprint version added in 2007. Prior to the covid pandemic, the Triathlon grew to be the largest triathlon in Virginia, with 1000 participants. This year’s event has 777 athletes across many categories. Awards go out for overall winners in the male and female categories, and then winners across different age groups. The youngest age group starts at 13, and while there is no maximum age limit, the most experienced competitor was 84 years old. For those who aren’t ready to tackle all three parts of the course, relay teams compete - and there is an Aquathlon entry for those that want to avoid the bike ride.

On race day, the Lake Newport area is much more crowded. Local police officers and traffic cones line the course. Hundreds of volunteers in yellow shirts are there too-- with thousands of friends, family members, and other spectators cheering the racers on. Doug Bushee, the founder of CORE Foundation, announced the race day program. Meagan Murphy, Core Executive Director, said she “loves that it is a community event with lots of local athletes and first timers, and hundreds of local volunteers.” That community feeling is obvious, with old friends running into each other throughout the day. There have been 19 Reston Sprint Triathlons organized by CORE Foundation, raising $545,000 for charity. Four athletes have competed all 19 years the event was held, this year’s event had 42 racers under the age of 18, and 28% of the racers were from the Reston area.

With a pool temperature around 68’F, some of the participants donned wetsuits for the swim portion. Competitors climbed out of the pool after eight laps, then headed to the chaotic transition area to mount their bikes for three laps around North Reston and then the 5K run. As anticipated, the first finishers hit the gate around the one hour mark, winded but proud of their accomplishment. The rest of the morning is for celebration with family and friends, with many group photos, snacks, and a beer garden sponsored by Lost Rhino brewing company. In the coming weeks, many of the coordinators, athletes, and participants are sure to start planning for next year, with the 20th Anniversary of the Reston Sprint Triathlon certain to be the best yet.