Former Center Grove athlete Gabrielle Harrell is a member of the University of Indianapolis’ inaugural triathlon team.
In a roundabout kind of way, former Center Grove runner Gabrielle Harrell finds herself categorized as a three-sport athlete.
The University of Indianapolis began its triathlon program in August, and Harrell is one of nine women physically and mentally challenging themselves during practices and competitions alike.
Each triathlon begins with a 750-meter swim, followed by 12.4 miles of cycling and a 5-kilometer run.
In short, two fairly large strides previously out of Harrell’s comfort zone.
Harrell, who in only three years graduated from UIndy with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science in 2023, was previously part of the Greyhounds’ women’s cross country and track and field teams. With athletic eligibility remaining, she felt the urge to try something new in this, her second year of physical therapy school.
“I’ve been running since I was little, but I was kind of wanting a new challenge,” said Harrell, 22. “I had to learn how to swim properly, and how to bike properly. The swimming, you have to learn how to grip the water.
“And with biking, it was all the gears, and learning how to use your glutes instead of your quads. Swimming, for sure, was harder. It’s just a different aerobic challenge.”
Harrell wears the same one-piece, full-body outfit throughout competition.
She incorporates goggles and a swim cap for her time in the water. Following that portion of the triathlon, athletes go to what’s called a transition area, which is where Harrell discards the goggles and cap, puts on a helmet and biking shoes and moves on. Following the bike ride, she returns to the transition area to replace the biking shoes with running shoes.
Because every second counts, Harrell and her teammates spend time rehearsing those in-between aspects of their routine.
UIndy opened with a victory in its very first triathlon, the Fox Island event hosted by Trine University. Harrell and another former Greyhound cross country runner, Lex Wilhelm, finished 13th and seventh, respectively.
Harrell has since placed sixth at the team’s own Greyhound Super Sprint, sixth among Division II athletes at the Beaver County Tri Cup and most recently fourth at the Prairie State Cup in DeWitt, Illinois.
“I’m having an absolute blast. My running is still my best event, and swimming is the hardest,” Harrell said. “But I’m definitely feeling a lot more confident.”
UIndy’s next triathlon takes place Saturday at the USA West Regional Qualifier in Springfield, Missouri. The Greyhounds’ goal is to fare well enough that they are able to cap their first season with a trip to nationals Nov. 9 in Clermont, Florida.
Besides Harrell, the UIndy triathlon team is made up of four of the school’s former swimmers, another who like Harrell competed in cross country and track, two students with previous triathlon experience and one who just sought a new challenge.
Doug Robinson, who was hired in June to be the Greyhounds’ coach, reveals that there are 42 such triathlon programs nationally spread across Division I, II and III. He’s impressed with how quickly his athletes have adapted.
“Gabrielle was one that came and recruited me. She was accepting of the challenges, and wanted to try something new,” said Robinson, the co-founder, owner, and head coach at Phoenix Fitness and Training LLC, based in Indianapolis. “She’s doing great. Both her and Lex Wilhelm, they have such a tremendous work ethic.
“They’ve moved up from a 20-minute (5K) race effort to 75 minutes, which is a big jump of hard racing. Gabrielle’s willingness to push for that long of a time is not a skill set athletes in that age group have.”
