Firecracker Triathlon's oldest entrant is determined not to take the longest

At 70 years and 6 months, Stember is the oldest competitor in The Holualoa Firecracker Triathlon. Race directors believe he's one of the oldest athletes to compete in the event, which began in 1995 and — after being canceled last year due to construction — is back for its 14th running.

"That means I'm going to win my age group, right?" Stember said with a laugh. "I mean, I figured I'd be one of the oldest, but I had no idea."

It's a wonder Stember, a Tucson business coach, is competing at all.

The fitness enthusiast tweaked his back while cycling about nine months ago. During a long and often tedious rehabilitation, Stember made a deal with himself — if he could get back into racing shape, he'd enter the Firecracker. Stember has raced in one triathlon before, the 2005 Tucson Triathlon at the University of Arizona; overwhelmed by the physical demands and lacking the correct bike, he finished second-to-last in the men's division.

"I was going to sign up for this one to celebrate my return to good health," he said.

Some celebration.

Today's race begins with a 750-meter swim at Hillenbrand Aquatic Center. Competitors then cycle 12 miles around the university area and finish with a 3-mile run.

The Firecracker is part of the three-race Tucson Triathlon series, which also includes the Tucson Triathlon and Tinfoilman Triathlon.

Firecracker differs from the other races because it uses a "serpentine" swimming format; competitors will dive into the pool in 15-second increments and swim up and down each lane.

Though it seems intense, race directors insist the Tucson Triathlon series is actually a good fit for newcomers. The calm water at Hillenbrand Aquatic Center and the flat bike-and-running-courses make the race manageable for those attempting a triathlon.

"We have a very high percentage of first-timers, or second- and third-timers," said Jim Stites, the race's co-director. "We'll get a few seasoned pro athletes, but in general, we have a lot of weekend warriors starting their first triathlon."

The Firecracker may be attainable, but it's not easy.

"You can't just wake up one day and decide, 'I want to do a triathlon'. You have to plan it a couple months in advance," Stites said. "You have to schedule where you're going to be regularly swimming, biking and running throughout the week."

Stember's last few months were filled with sunrise swim sessions at the William Clements Recreation Center pool near his East Side home, grueling bike rides and long runs. In his down time, Stember read books — "I must own 15 about triathlons," Stember said — and watched instructional videos. He fine-tuned his diet and perfected his swimming stroke.

Most would be bored by the preparation, but Stember said the three elements of a triathlon — running, cycling and swimming — keep the training interesting.

"When you do all three things together, there's a music to it," he said. "The way they blend together is attractive, seductive almost. You have to not only be good at one thing, you have to be good at three things — and be good at all the transitions."

Seemingly everything eluded Stember in the 2005 Tucson Triathlon, his first — and, so far, only — attempt at completing a race of this magnitude.

Stember brought his mountain bike from home, the wrong kind of wheels for a timed race, and struggled with both the swimming and running portions. The race's winner finished in 55 minutes; it took Stember 2 hours 2 minutes 50 seconds.

"I came in second-to-last in the whole race," he said. "I won't come in second-to-last this time."

If his training times are any indication, Stember could shave at least 25 minutes off his Tucson Triathlon time, even though he's four years older than he was in 2005. Stember feels better, too — a trip to his doctor this week confirmed that he's in excellent shape.

"The doctor told me, 'Whatever you're doing, keep doing it,' " he said. "I see other people who are younger than 70 but look quite a bit older. This is my way of staying young."

THE NUMBERS

Today's Holualoa Firecracker Triathlon includes:

750 meters

The pool swim

12 miles

The bike ride

3 miles

The run