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The Language of Triathlete Love...

Monday, 15 February 2016 00:10

ED. Okay - We're a day late with the Valentine's Day / Love article. Sorry about that. We just found this story, and one other that will post later this week.

Real-life triathlete couples share the unique, hilarious and swoon-worthy ways they express love.

By Susan Lacke (triathlon.competitor.com)

To love a triathlete means to speak a unique dialect of the language of love. Where some people lavish their sweetheart with flowers, chocolates, and shiny things, triathletes express their affection through bike cleanings and mid-race pep talks.

I never thought a bike ride would be a place for romance, especially not on the day I bonked—badly—near the summit of Mount Lemmon, a 26-mile climb in...

southern Arizona. My husband, Neil, had given me a 60-minute head start and issued a challenge to not to let him catch up before reaching the top. Twenty-five miles later, I was gritting my teeth, spinning my gears and praying not to fall over from fatigue. I had all but forgotten about our “race”—more than anything, I just wanted to throw my bike off the side of the mountain.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on the small of my back. Neil had caught me and was giving me a push toward the summit.

“You’re doing great, babe!”

I wasn’t doing great. Still, that was the sweetest lie he could have uttered.

My five years with Neil has taught me that Triathlete Love comes in all sorts of beautiful packages, none of which are shiny and heart-shaped. I asked other triathlon couples for the most romantic ways their triathlete has shown love, and their answers are enough to cause a serious case of the Awws. Get ready to swoon, lovebugs:  ...READ MORE