She stands at the starting line, awaiting the long race of swimming, biking and running before her. The thoughts of nervousness that creep into her head are quickly shut down with the mental preparation prior to the race. Surrounding her are competitors of all ages, most bigger, older and more experienced, but all she’s focused on is the country roads in front of her.

Sophomore Olivia Neunaber is no stranger to triathlons. As a child she watched as her mother Meghan Neunaber, an accomplished triathlon competitor, participated in various difficult courses including a very difficult course called the Iron Man. Seeing someone who’s so influential in her life participate in so many of these events made her want to follow suit.

“As long as I can remember my mom’s been doing it,” Olivia said. “She’s really good at it, so when I saw her doing it, I always thought it would be cool to do.”

She turned that thought into a reality by doing a few courses with her mother here and there throughout her childhood. Olivia and her mother did courses about once a year for fun and to participate in something together. It wasn’t until last year, when she saw various high school triathlon clubs at a race she was participating in, that she decided to pursue taking this hobby and turning it into something more.

“I think it’s pretty cool that she’s taken it [triathlons] up,” Meghan said. “I’m glad she’s excited about it. I’ve been doing them since she was in preschool so
I don’t think I ever would’ve thought that she would have taken it this far.”