Interesting Information about the Triathlon:
450 people applied for the 1985 Reston Triathlon. 400 were accepted for the event. There were 325 finishers. Again, a booklet listing all competitors was given to each participant.
The day was very hot, with temperatures reaching into the 90s. Several athletes experienced heat exhaustion, and some were transported by helicopter to area hospitals.
A recollection of Norm Happ was that JR Davison arranged for radio station B-106 to be at the high school. The station erected a huge inflatable bee on the field inside the track. The police became concerned that they would not be able to evacuate people with heat exhaustion, so they decided to land the helicopter on the field. The wind from the helicopter blew over the bee. It was quite a sight.
Joe Fleig recalls that three members of Congress participated, including Frank Wolf. Joe also remembered one of the big concerns was getting an accurate measurement of the one-mile swim. In subsequent years, a measured rope tied onto the concrete drain structure at the downstream end of the lake and an anchored party boat at the upstream end of the lake is used to lay out the 1-mile long course.
Dr. Tom Fleeter of the Reston Hospital was recruited as Medical Director right from the start. Reston Hospital soon took over as main sponsor from Pizza Hut.
Triathlon Contributions: The Great Place, a youth outreach program of Reston Interfaith.
Sponsors: Pizza Hut and Bud Light.