Triathlon season begins; triathletes look forward to new Olympic-size pools
Spring is nearly here, which for one growing community in the Borderland means triathlon season is about to start.
The next Quality of Life Bond project is the West and Eastside competitive 50-meter pools, and although they’ll cost nearly $30 million, triathletes say they’re worth every penny.
USA Triathlon Coach Gretchen McElroy is busy right now. The next triathlon is less than a month away, and hundreds, if not thousands of triathletes are pushing themselves as fast as they can go.
“To give you an idea, I have a Race El Paso newsletter that goes out to 6,000 people and all of them have participated in at least one Race El Paso event,” said Race El Paso Director and President Gabriela Gallegos.
“It is a community of awesome athletes,” said McElroy. “We’re out there cycling, running and swimming. You see us and people think we’re crazy.”
The Mighty Mujer Triathlon is April 18, attracting nearly 500 female competitors from across the region. They’ve been training for weeks, preparing to swim 300 yards, bike for 18 miles, then run for three miles.
“The outdoor and athletic component is second to none,” McElroy. “When I was running for Baylor that’s why I moved to El Paso was to train here. At altitude, the low humidity with sunny days.”
But the one thing El Paso is missing, is water.
Right now Race El Paso uses a number of pools including Memorial, Acarate Park and the SISD Aquatic Center.
“We really need more options,” Gallegos said. “Having Olympic distance pools in El Paso is something we lack right now.”
Construction on two 50-meter Olympic-sized pools will begin soon. The cost of these state-of-the-art pools came at a shock to many $13 million for the Westside pool to be built next to Leo Cancellare Rec Center and $16 million for the pool built inside a new Far East park
“In terms of cost, I think you always need to be thinking long term,” McElroy said. “At first it’s going to be tough.”
Gallegos and McElroy said the pools would attract more people to Borderland races, while providing a place for school teams and competitive swimmers to practice.
“It’s a large group that uses the pools and we just need to think long term,” McElroy said.
Right now there’s no timeline for when the pools will be ready for triathlons or races, but construction of the Westside pool is underway right now, with the Eastside pool next in line.
For more Race El Paso triathlon information, visit www.raceelpaso.com.
