The "THREE LITTLE PIGS" is categorized
as a "sprint triathlon" --- not as lengthy
nor as grueling as the Olympic event.
 The Olympic Triathlon is a challenge
reserved for highly trained, usually professional
athletes because of the length of its segments: a
1.5-kilometer swim (0.93 mile), a 40-kilometer bicycle
ride (24.8 miles), and a 10-kilometer run (6.2 miles).
A "sprint" version consists of shorter distances. The
"Three Little Pigs" consists of a 250-yard swim, 14-mile
bicycle ride, and 3.1-mile run --- a triathlon that can
be mastered by amateur, recreational athletes. Even so,
it's a challenge worth celebrating --- not because
you're a winner, but because you're a finisher!
Its title inspired by Smithfield's Ham & Yam
Festival, the Three Little Pigs Triathlon is a
fund-raiser for two community organizations:
Smithfield's Friends of the Parks, which supports the
town's public recreation programs, and the Rotary Club
of Central Johnston County, which supports a variety of
community-betterment efforts.
Those organizations split the "profit" each year
"earning" their money by supplying volunteers to make
the "race" run smoothly. Businesses and individuals
underwrite the event with sponsorships. The principal
"title sponsors" are Chick-fil-A and Sysco.
The Three Little Pigs is actually conducted under
auspices of FS Series, an organization based in Raleigh
that handles the logistics of putting together and
conducting athletic events like Smithfield's triathlon,
which was launched in 2011.
Rotary Club volunteers Chris Key and John Scovil (right)
were part of the team that handled registration for the
9th annual running of the "Three Little Pigs" last
Saturday morning. Participants were ready to go at 7:30
sharp.
Participants
stored their bicycles near an exit from the
Recreation and Aquatics Center's indoor swimming
pool, where the race began.
Athletes were "seeded" by predicted race times, starting
their swims one person after another. Their individual
timing was recorded by electronic "chips" attached to
their legs that were activated when they began and
collected at the finish line.
Here's a group of cyclists, likely encouraging one
another, about midway through the 14-mile road course
last Saturday.
Officers from the Johnston
County Sheriff's Department as well as the Selma and
Smithfield police departments controlled motor-vehicle
traffic along the course, especially at intersections.
Friends of the Parks and Rotary volunteers alerted the
riders about which way to turn.
As runners, joggers, and walkers undertook the final
3.1-mile segment of the triathlon, they found welcome
relief at several water stations along the way ---
staffed by volunteers, naturally.
Here
we see runners going in both directions along a
portion of the Buffalo Creek Greenway near Community
Park. Runners must stay on the left going and coming
since the course requires a mid-point turnaround.
At last, the finish line is in site for a weary
runner. The timing displayed on the right is how
long it has been since the first participant started
the race. Each individual's actual time of
completion is recorded on that electronic chip
they're wearing.
Here's the link to the official
lists of individuals and teams in this year's
triathlon, along with their times and places of
finish in various competitive categories>
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