Crowds of spectators cheered on their athlete at Las Olas Oceanside Park, as they raced in the triathlon, duathlon or aquabike
Fort Lauderdale was the place to be this Sunday for athletes in the Sunshine State and those from across the country as the 2025 Las Olas A1A Triathlon returned.
The race welcomed more than a thousand athletes, both seasoned and first-time competitors.
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WATCH HERE“We have a quarter, we have a half, and we have a full Olympic (race),” explained Patty Cohen, director/coordinator at Integrity Multisport.
Crowds of spectators cheered on their athlete at Las Olas Oceanside Park, as they raced in the triathlon, duathlon or aquabike.
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“My distance swimming is 375 yards, followed by 10K biking and finally 2.5K of running,” shared Birgit Hache, a Fort Lauderdale local.
She told NBC6 Sunday was her first ever triathlon, thanks to a friend who encouraged her to help him cross this experience off his bucket list.
“I said, 'okay, I'll give it a try this year,' (a) little one, because I think this is the perfect distance if you want to start something like this,” she said.
Phil Harris on the other hand, has laced up for this before. Last year was his first and he’s been training ever since.
“I'm really excited, but it's one of those things where, you know, you just got to practice, practice, practice," he said. "That's the main thing that gets you, is when you're trying to do a workout or you're trying to run--just breathe, and if you can breathe, you can make it through.”
For many others who stayed on the sidelines, they said they were truly inspired.
“If you have the will, you can do it no matter what," said Cohen. "I'm rolling instead of running.”
Cohen opened up about recently being able to complete her first half marathon, five years after a scary setback.
“I was actually running a half marathon and had a brain embolism and ended up stroking and had two massive strokes,” she said.
Cohen said learning to adapt to her new normal has only made her stronger.
“I just used to say, 'why me?' And now I say, 'why not me? Why not be an example for those people that think they can't do it?'”
Integrity Multisport hosts multiple athletic events all year long. If you'd like to participate or volunteer, click here.
