For LI couples triathlon training means togetherness

When the starting gun blasted to launch the next wave at the Tobay Triathlon, Mary Frances and Tom Horan kicked off, swimming into the open waters off Tobay Beach. Moments later, their heads popped up and swiveled as they looked for each other. Their eyes met, their hands waved assurance, and they took off once again.

That was their memory of their first triathlon - competitions of swimming, biking and running - in 2004. Since then, the Lake Ronkonkoma couple have competed in about 20 events in the Northeast and finished in the top 10 percent.

"We're not competitive," Mary Frances, 42, said, her sarcasm apparent. Tom, 56, interrupted: "She's ahead, 4-3."

The Horans are not alone. In recent years, dozens of Long Island couples have begun competing in triathlons. John Korff, 57, the event organizer of the annual Nautica New York City Triathlon, which was held July 18, has noticed the increase over the past five years, with a handful of couples even getting engaged at the finish line.

"Triathlons have become a sport you can do with your spouse or your girlfriend or boyfriend," Korff said.

Not long ago, competitors in the decade-old Nautica event were mostly men, Korff said. The male-female ratio has since evened out, he said, with couples participating to spend time together and keep active. This year, 3,400 people competed in July's sold-out event, Korff said.

Mindy Davidson, assistant race director for the July 18 Montauk Lighthouse Sprint Triathlon, recalled a couple married at the lighthouse after the competition three years ago.

"It's a really good way for couples to spend quality time together doing things that they enjoy," Davidson said. "I think women realize that they can do something for themselves, too."

Davidson, 50, said the health and self-esteem benefits from training help couples become better parents and role models.

Even with the demands of work and family, couples say they find time to train before and after work and in between family events. Some have children who also compete.

Steve and Lisa Kristel compete in about five triathlons a year, and their daughter, Anna, 21, participated in a relay with her mom at this year's Montauk Lighthouse Sprint. "Triathlons are fun because you get to train the different sports, whereas any one sport over and over gets boring," said Steve, 56.

After 25 years of marriage and six years of competitions, the Oyster Bay couple said training brings them together. "It gives us something to talk about that we both love," said Lisa, 49.

Jeff Stein, 43, and his wife, Kelly, 40, of Dix Hills, encourage each other because they have different strengths. "He pushed me and pushed me," Kelly said of her slow start in training for the swimming leg of the events. "We just help each other."

Jeff began competing to lose weight in 2005. He's 50 pounds lighter now. They compete in two or three triathlons a year, including New York City's, and 10 other running competitions. Their best times for Olympic triathlons - 1.5k swim, 40k ride, and 10k run - are only 11 minutes apart: 3:05 for Jeff and 3:16 for Kelly. But the Steins say they don't take the races too seriously. "We just do it to be healthy and have fun," Jeff said.

John Feder, 48, and Annette Cohen, 49, compete in triathlons for the sense of discipline and accomplishment. Although it takes up a large part of their free time, they say it's worth the energy.

"You can't do this halfway because it wouldn't be satisfying," Feder said. "Especially when everything else gets hectic, it's nice to know that that's the constant, my 45 minutes a day."

Feder swims or rides five days a week. He no longer trains for running because of a knee injury five years ago, but he continues to run in triathlons. He competed in his first triathlon in 1998. His wife followed three years later. "I was tired of sitting home and listening to all the fun John was having," she said.

Although they usually train together - riding and swimming at least once a week as a pair - they respect each other's need to also train alone, Feder said. "But it's nice to have something in common," he added. "You're working toward a common goal."