At 60, I Got Off the Couch to Do My First Triathlon

Newly retired and wanting to mark a milestone birthday, I took up the challenge

Greg Dooman,

AARP

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Published June 26, 2025

Greg Dooman is pictured celebrating his first triathlon

Out of shape and looking to lose a few extra pounds, Greg Dooman (left) signed up for a sprint triathlon at age 60.

Courtesy Greg Dooman

When I turned 60 and retired to Burlington, Vermont, during the pandemic, I was inspired to try to do a triathlon: It turns out marking six decades with a triathlon is a thing in this outdoorsy little city. But to be completely honest, at that point, while I’d jogged through a few 5ks in my life, I had never been in a bike or swimming race. I was also out of shape — retirement and then COVID-19 had thrown several extra pounds on.

But I wanted to try and found out there is a version called the sprint triathlon, which means swimming 600 yards in a lake, biking 14 miles and running 3.1 miles — a 5k. The bike and run seemed doable, even if I just went slow. But the swim leg would require some real training. So all summer I swam in outdoor pools that were considered COVID-safe, and eventually was swimming 600 yards at a time, no problem.

I signed up for a sprint triathlon at the beautiful Lake Dunmore near Middlebury, Vermont. My goal, from the get-go, was just to finish, and I won’t lie: I had several moments of extreme doubt.

How to get started

1. Pick a race. Search online; there are hundreds of races every year throughout the country.

2. Follow a training plan. Find a swim-bike-run plan online for your skill level; it’ll take 8–16 weeks, depending on fitness levels.

3. Don’t forget resistance training. Weights, planks, squats and stretches are critical.

4. Incorporate rest. Taking 1–2 days off each week is key for recovery.

For instance, a friend told me that until you experience the transition from a 14-mile bike ride to the 3.1-mile run, you aren’t ready. So we did a trial bike ride around Lake Dunmore, to be followed by a run. But at the end of the bike ride, my legs were toast. No way I could run. I learned that pacing is critical I needed to bike more moderately if I was going to be able to transition to the run. (I also learned that it’s best to avoid getting a COVID vaccine the day before a workout!)

I also began having serious calf muscle pulls and foot arch pain while training. I was on the verge of quitting when a bit of luck came my way. One day after I had some work done on my bike at a local outdoors store, they asked if I needed anything else. I jokingly said I needed new feet for an upcoming triathlon. They brought me to their footwear department, introduced me to a brand of famously comfy running shoes — and voilà! My arch and calf problems simply went away.

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On race day, I realized that I was one of the few casual participants, and my nerves began to jangle. Many of the competitors had sleek Spider-Man wet suits and space-age bikes with Star Wars-style bike helmets. I showed up in a regular bathing suit and ran in a T-shirt made by the local craft beer company. My bike looked like something for delivering newspapers.

"My goal, from the get-go, was just to finish, and I won’t lie: I had several moments of extreme doubt," said Dooman (left) of his first sprint triathlon.

Courtesy Greg Dooman

Then the swim began, a furious churning of the icy lake waters. I hung back, thinking I’d let the speed demons go ahead, then glide along behind. Nope! A few minutes later, there was more churning, and I was literally tapped by flailing arms and legs. The fast women swimmers, who had started two minutes behind the men, were now blazing by me. I coughed and floated a bit, let go of my hurt feelings and then just got into a good mental groove, finishing easily near the back of the pack.

On to biking. I felt energized when the hardcore cyclists (mostly women) kept flying by, generously shouting encouragement at the gray-haired guy on his old Husky bike. My transition to the running segment went well — my legs were ready — and I kept telling myself that I wasn’t a race car but a diesel. The crowd cheered me across the finish line, 20 minutes ahead of the time I had targeted. And boom, my first triathlon was in the books. A year later, I ran one leg of a relay tri, but I have my eye on another sprint triathlon, now that I more or less know what I’m doing.

AARP essays share a point of view in the author’s voice, drawn from expertise or experience, and do not necessarily reflect the views of AARP.

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