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Most people who compete in a triathlon opt for an outfit designed to maximize their comfort and performance. However, one man in Ohio who entered one for the very first time had to wear a pair of jean shorts and was more than able to hold his own in spite of that handicap.
Anyone who decides to subject themselves to a triathlon is signing up for a fairly grueling experience, and there’s no real reason to make life any harder than it has to be over the course of a race where you’re tasked with completing a swimming, cycling, and running leg as quickly as possible.
You subsequently want to put some thought into the clothing you’ll be wearing during the race, and triathlons tend to be a sea of people clad in brightly-colored spandex and other types of athletic apparel that’s designed to help you forget you’re wearing it in the first place.
However, there was a very notable exception at a race that was recently held in Cleveland courtesy of one participant who did the entire thing in a pair of jorts.
A hero in Ohio earned a second-place finish in his first-ever marathon while wearing jean shorts
Last weekend, more than 1,000 people made their way to Cleveland for the fifth annual Tri CLE Rock Roll Run, a multi-event competition that features a “Super Sprint” triathlon where competitors are tasked with swimming 250 meters, biking 8.8 miles while dealing with an elevation change of around 250 feet, and capping things off with a three-kilometer run.
A grand total of 165 people took part in that showdown on August 10th, including James Miller, a Cleveland resident who finished in second place with a time of 44:47 (Graysen Blake earned the first-place victory by completing the race in exactly 44 minutes).
According to News 5 Cleveland, Miller was also at a slight disadvantage thanks to a bet that stemmed from a fitness challenge he and his friend, Luke Kim, agreed to take part in while discussing ways to get each other to stick to their exercise goals while attending a Cavaliers game in February.
The two of them faced off in a head-to-head showdown to see who could complete the most pushups and pullups in addition to enduring the longest wall sit. Kim ultimately came out on top, which meant Miller had to sign up for the Tri CLE Rock Roll Run and agree to wear the cutoff jorts he was sporting when he headed to the starting line on Sunday.
The best part is that there are 163 people who have to grapple with the fact that they lost to a guy who did a triathlon in jean shorts, so while Miller may have come in second, I think he’s the real winner here.