The Sunday morning air hung heavy with humidity, leaving skin covered in a sticky film, and a gray pall covered the sky, threatening rain that would later fall. Observers — of all ages — settled into their spots, a buzzed excitement as clocks ticked ever so closer to 8 a.m.

To the average Ames resident’s eye, it felt like a normal, less-than-sunny day. But for the triathletes lined up at the lake shore of Ada Hayden Heritage Park, it was the day to put their training to the test.

“I just love that feeling of challenging, just like, ooh, how fast can I, you know, how fast can I go?” said Carrie Van Quathem, the first-place female winner. “The placing isn’t typically important to me; it’s more about how much fun I had, how I felt I hit the goals I was trying to hit.”

More than 350 athletes, both beginners and experienced, came to Ada Hayden to compete in the fifth year of the Ames Triathlon.

The race combined three distinct physical outlets: swimming, biking and running. Participants swam 750 meters through Ada Hayden’s water, hopped on a bike for a 15-mile ride, then ended their sprint triathlon with a 3.1-mile run around the lake.

It isn’t an easy task, nor one to be taken lightly; the palpable, frenzied nerves and excitement emanating from the crowd of participants spoke to that. With their bikes set up and goggles at the ready, all awaited their chance in the water.

A grassroots beginning

Beginning in 2019, three athletes planned and headed the Ames Triathlon, Tim Fencl, Alex Syhlman and Kecia Place-Fencl. The trio worked with True Time Racing, local governmental and non-governmental organizations, to take the event off their minds and into the park.

“Ames didn’t have an event like this,” said Fencl, the triathlon’s publicity chair. “For that very reason, it needed to happen.”

The trio’s hard work crossed the finish line, and now, five years later, it amounted to the moment when wetsuits met cold water, feet clicked into bikes and soles pounded onto pavement.

“Starting a race from scratch is hard, hard work,” Fencl said. “It’s very humbling to have over 350 people sign up for an event and spend their Sunday morning with us when there are so many other things to do.”

Long-time triathlete returns for another

On race day, masses swarmed the water in timed waves, pushing through choppy water to reach the next transition point.

Van Quathem, 54 and an Iowa native, is no stranger to the motion of a triathlon. The Urbandale resident took a step into the triathlon world in 2008. Competing in the since-disbanded Hy-Vee Triathlon.

“I remember standing there, staring out, like thinking I’m gonna die, like I can’t swim this far — are you kidding me?” Van Quathem said. “But I finished.”

One month later, she did another one and dropped her time by half an hour.

Pursuing her passion further, Van Quathem found an adoration for the sport over the years, competing in a plethora of triathlons at the sprint, Olympic, and Ironman levels. Eventually, she found herself on the shore of Ada Hayden Lake last year, ready to compete in her first Ames Triathlon.

Van Quathem won the women’s division with a time of 1 hour and 22 minutes.

“Honestly, I’m well, last year at 53, you don’t expect to win near my age at all,” Van Quathem said. “So, when I came across and found that out, I was shocked, and it’s kind of fun to be able to do that.”

With the previous year under her belt, Van Quathem returned to Ada Hayden Park on Sunday for another dalliance into the world of triathlon athletics, finishing third in the women’s race with a time of one hour and 24 minutes.

“There’s all sorts of debates about how to be successful; it’s consistency,” Van Quathem said. “I honestly think consistency is the biggest thing you need to do all three, you know, get in a routine and continue to do that.”

‘No Swim Zone’

For some, a medal isn’t the only victory the Ames-based triathlon offers. There’s also the rare victory the second a racer’s foot slips into the usually prohibited water.

Ada Hayden is not swimmable. Once a former rock quarry, it officially opened as a park in 2004. Since then, the lake is a no-swim zone, with the exception of specific water vessels.

But it’s also one of the only lakes that fits the triathlon’s criteria.

“The park is a perfect backdrop of summertime nature,” Fencl said. “The bike path is new as of 2025. The water quality of Ada Hayden is some of the best in the state of Iowa and the Midwest.”

The triathlon founders reached out to the city of Ames Parks and Recreation Department to see if they could use the lake for their event. The city approved it by ordinance, allowing athletes to swim in Ada Hayden on the day of the Ames Triathlon. It’s the only day of the year when athletes are allowed to swim in the lake.

“Race day is the only time that swimming is legally allowed in the lake at Ada Hayden,” Fencl said. “People want to see it. They want to experience something that is so rare.”

The gift of free, non-jail-worthy water is a unique feature. It also helps that the Ada Hayden’s location has some of the cleanest water in Story County. Making this not only a day to rejoice, dashing through the usually illegal waves towards the next point, but also to celebrate the opportunity to do so through clean water.

“Ada Hayden was beautiful, and it’s very clear, and it’s nice and kind of crisp, to be able to swim in an Iowa body of water that isn’t green and slimy and gross is kind of refreshing.” Van Quathem said. “Yeah, it’s kind of a treat, honestly.”

A triathlon for everyone

After the not-so-short swim, participants entered the transition zone, an enclosed area lined with bikes and laid out with gear for a quick turnaround in both the biking and running stages.

The sprint function of this triathlon means time is of the essence. Athletes shot into the fenced area, threw on what they could grab, a bike, a helmet and held onto the hope that things would go smoothly. A broken chain or flat tire means precious time ticks by.

On paper, the quick turnaround is daunting, but the Ames Triathlon prides itself on being an approachable race for beginners looking to start out.

“Our atmosphere is very friendly and welcoming to beginners,” Fencl said. “They believe they can accomplish the goal of finishing the race, and we do all we can to help them accomplish the goal. Each discipline, the course is simple to follow.”

Some may think the world of triathlon is difficult to break into. That it asks for too much and is an impossible task disguised as a possible one, but truly all it takes is time, effort and the willingness to try. And what better place to try than in Story County?

“Sometimes people think, like, ‘Oh, I need to have a fancy bike, and I need to have all of this training in’ — and all you need is just a bike, to be able to swim and not die in the water.” Van Quanthem said. “Then pretty much you can walk-jog the run. Just do it, just pick one and sign up, then go do it.”

With this year’s race times recorded and athletes resting their weary legs, it’s time to begin training again. To jump back into the pool, onto a bike, and into some preferably comfortable shoes because next year’s race is right around the corner. The crowd will be waiting for the next horde of athletes to try their hand at the sport. What better time to start training than now?

Race results and more information are available on the Ames Triathlon website.