Push Fitness brought its annual triathlon to a new home this year, moving the swim leg from Lilydale Pool and Yacht in St. Paul to V3 Sports in North Minneapolis, a shift organizer Connie said gave the growing event more room to expand.
For six years, the triathlon was held at Lilydale, which Connie credited with taking a chance on the event when it launched in 2020, in the middle of the pandemic. But last year’s field of 100 participants pushed the pool to its limit, she said, and V3’s newer, wider 25-yard pool offered space for more swimmers, with an Olympic-sized pool from V3 potentially on the way in future years.
“Their mission aligns very much with my own mission, which is to give people of color access to movement,” Connie said of V3.
The partnership grew out of a personal connection. Luke Day, facility director at V3 Sports, said board member Dr. Ayanna Rakhu had participated in the Push Triathlon in past years and knew the triathlon was one of V3 Sports’ original programs. With several other board members interested in rebuilding a triathlon program, Rakhu suggested Connie connect with the board.
“There was clear synergy between the missions of Push Fitness and V3 Sports, and that shared vision led to V3 Sports becoming a host for the event this year,” Day said.
Day said hosting the triathlon fit into V3 Sports’ broader work in North Minneapolis.
“V3 Sports has long recognized the importance of creating pathways to holistic wellness and making movement more accessible to the community in North Minneapolis,” Day said. “Hosting a triathlon is another way for V3 Sports to help close the access gap for Black communities that exists around activities like this and introduce more people to a lifelong sport.”
On the pool itself, Day said the indoor setting gave racers more consistent conditions than an outdoor venue could offer.
“Hosting the event in an indoor pool means we can provide consistent, ideal conditions for racing,” Day said. “The calm water, fantastic lighting and easy access to changing rooms should make for a great swimming experience for participants. And because they’ll be racing at V3 Sports, we can bring the noise and create an energetic environment to cheer everyone on.”
As for the Olympic-sized pool Connie mentioned as a future possibility, Day said V3 Sports was still working through design plans, but the facility already owned the pool it intended to install: a 50-meter racing pool used to name the 2021 U.S. Olympic swim team, purchased by V3 Sports after its use at the Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska, then disassembled and brought to Minneapolis. Day said V3 Sports was also designing an indoor track, wood courts and additional training facilities as part of that next phase, with the goal of making V3 Sports a regional destination for multiple sports, including triathlon.
Day said this year’s hosting arrangement was a starting point rather than a settled long-term deal.
“We’re excited to host the Push Triathlon in 2026 and see this as an opportunity to build a strong partnership around our shared commitment to making movement and wellness more accessible,” Day said. “We’re looking forward to seeing how the event comes together this year, learning from the experience, and exploring what this partnership could look like in future years.”
Now in its seventh year, the triathlon remained built around accessibility rather than competition. Participants could complete the full swim-bike-run course solo or split it with teammates, an entry-level format Connie said has helped first-time athletes build confidence over multiple years.
“Many folks aren’t familiar with the triathlon,” she said. “They say, ‘I can’t do a swim, a bike, and a run,’ and I say, ‘Great, do one of the three,’ and then I find other people to do the other two legs.”
The run was a three-mile route that many participants walked, Connie said, encouraging anyone hesitant about the distance to sign up regardless.
This year’s event was supported by longtime sponsor Healing Justice Foundation, led by Dr. Joy Lewis, which has partnered with Push Fitness for four years and funds full participation fees for scholarship recipients, along with Old National Bank. Push Fitness set aside two scholarship slots this year specifically to support its ongoing goal of having at least 50% of participants be people of color, a mark the event surpassed last year.
The triathlon took place Saturday, Sept. 12, starting at 6 a.m., opening with the Black National Anthem before the swim, bike and run legs, and wrapped by 9:30 a.m.
“It really isn’t a competition,” Connie said. “It is people cheering you on … community saying, ‘You got this.'”
Community members who did not participate were also able to support the event by attending to cheer on athletes, and a food truck was on-site with nutritious options.
Push Fitness organizers say the goal isn’t to create triathletes, but to show people different ways to move. “Some of us swim, some of us bike, some of us run, some of us do all three,” Connie said. “Lots of options.”
For Day, the partnership was also a chance to introduce V3 Sports to people who may not know it yet.
“We’d love to welcome anyone who is interested to come experience V3 Sports for themselves, whether that’s becoming a member of the V3 Center, supporting our work as a donor, or joining us for future events and programs,” Day said. “There are many ways to be part of the V3 Sports community, and we hope people will come see what we’re building.”
For more information on PUSH Fitness, visit www.pushfitnessforyou.com/. For V3 Sports, visit www.v3sports.org/.
Jasmine McBride welcomes reader responses at jmcbride@spokesman-recorder.com.