The Biggest Loser Triathlon

I have been a fan of The Biggest Loser since the first season.  I'm a sucker for the storylines.  I love Jillian screaming at the contestants.  I really, really love the finale and seeing the transformations.  I hate hearing about contestants who go back to their old habits after leaving the show. 

When I lived in Ocean City, The Biggest Loser was what motivated me to run a half marathon.  I watched a former contestant finish a half marathon after leaving the show.  (This was before they did marathons and such on the actual show.)  Anyway, I figured that if she could finish a half marathon, so could I...and I did...I finished several half marathons.

In October of 2012, I completed my first triathlon.  As Mike Stone from Princeton Sports so eloquently stated, "a sprint triathlon is a gateway drug".  Yep, I crossed that finish line after my first triathlon and immediately thought that I couldn't wait to do that again.

So this season of The Biggest Loser, the final 5 contestants were to compete in a triathlon.  When I first heard this, I wasn't sure how I felt about it.  I wasn't sure that they would give the sport of triathlon it's fair honor.  However, the more I thought about it, the more excited I got.  If The Biggest Loser could motivate me to run a half marathon, maybe it would motivate someone out there to try to complete a triathlon.

Last night was the triathlon episode.  I got my glass of wine and snuggled in to watch.  I was pretty sure that I knew who would win...and I was right.  Rachel killed it.  But what really got me was how they showed Bobby's panic in the swim.  I have felt that panic.  I watched him struggle and I knew exactly what he was feeling.  And just like me, Bobby pushed through the panic and finished the swim.  Bobby came in 5th place...out of 5 contestants.  But he danced across the finish line!  I loved that.

Bobby proved why it was so cool that The Biggest Loser did a triathlon episode.  Triathlon is a physical challenge...but it's an even bigger mental challenge.  If you can push through the pain, the panic, the doubts, you can finish.  And that in and of itself is a victory.  Congratulations to the contestants for finishing their first triathlon.  I can't wait to see if any of them take up the sport after the show is over!