Clayton/Henry at Play: Athlete finds his 3-sport niche
Swim training leads to sprint triathlon victory
Kent Mitchell - Staff
Thursday, June 26, 2003
Chris Gower would still be playing pickup basketball games and volleyball, feet firmly planted on dry land, if he hadn't broken his collarbone in 1998.
That accident caused a major change in his sporting lifestyle, including 2-mile swims in McDonough's Lake Dow , that led to a victory in the Sweetwater Triathlon on June 7 --- something the 31-year-old general contractor never would have considered if he'd remained healthy.
"I couldn't do anything" because of the broken collarbone, Gower said. "When I got to the point where I could run, I started doing it just to get the exercise. Then I got into bicycle riding."
And that led to swimming two years ago, when Gower read about a small sprint triathlon and decided to try it.
"I got hooked and dropped everything else," the McDonough athlete said. "The three different events rolled into one are more of a test of yourself. You're competing against other folks, but the satisfaction of finishing appeals to me."
In only two years, Gower has moved from just one of the pack to winner.
He was overall champion in the Sweetwater Triathlon at Lithia Springs this year after finishing 14th in the event last year.
"Chris has come a long way in a short period of time," said professional trainer Chris Andrus of McDonough, who swims at Lake Dow with Gower. "Chris has tremendous potential. If he can continue to speed up his swimming, he can be a threat in sprints."
Mention triathlon and most think of the Ironman competition (2.4-mile swim/112-mile bike ride/26.2-mile run) seen on television, but there are many kinds of triathlons.
Sprint triathlons such as the Sweetwater, which feature a swim of 200 yards, a 10-mile bike ride and a 5K run, open the sport to a much larger group.
The 6-foot-4, 184-pound Gower had little problem with the run, and cycling bothers him only in cold weather, but the swim intimidated him, as it does most competitors. "I was a below-average swimmer," Gower said. "It took a year for me to be able to swim two miles."
Andrus showed him how. "Far and away the most anxiety-producing aspect of a triathlon is the swim," said Andrus, "but I can see, typically, the greatest improvement in the shortest period of time."
Equally difficult to sustain is the self-discipline required to train for three sports while building homes. Gower runs, bikes and swims on a strict schedule, but at odd hours, and does his weight training --- sometimes at 4 a.m. --- at Workout Anytime in McDonough, a 24-hour gym.
Training never stops for a triathlete.
*Chris Gower was referred to his coach; Chris Andrus, through The Sport Factory website.
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