Multisport Expo

MIT Campus, Cambridge, MA, 3/19/2011


One of the most exciting things for any triathlete is spending money. We spend money on all the best gear; we spend money on all the best supplements; we spend money on all the best trainings/coaches; and we think it all actually makes a difference. The place where this can all happen at the same location was at the Multisport Expo at MIT.

Here, athletes were able to enjoy walking around to all the different vendor booths (and there were a lot!). There were a ton of booths that were selling products, from gear to drinks to clothing to whatever you could need in the multisport world, and almost all of them at really reduced pricing. Many booths were giving away samples of their products, which was really cool. The first 1,000 people to register for the expo got a "swag bag" for you to carry around and put flyers, or different samples into. But there was no list of people registered, so if you just said that you were in the first 1,000 to register, then you got one, ha-ha. There was also a lot of groups and organizations that had information on events they were putting on later this year, either for charities or other causes, and gave people the opportunity to sign up for those if they wanted to.

Another cool thing they did this year was put on a team challenge. It consisted of a 5km run on the track/campus of MIT, a 10km indoor time trial (ITT) on computrainers, and a 1600m-relay swim in the MIT pool. Teams could register 4-12 people for the challenge, but could only have 4 people do each event (the same 4 people can do each event). In the run, the times of all 4 members of the team are added up, with the lowest combined time being the winner. The same was for the ITT. While for the swim, each person swam 400m. The run was 2 laps around the MIT track, then 2 laps around campus, and then finished with another 2 laps around the track. The ride on the computrainers was my first time on one, and it was tough! The computrainers simulate an actual ride, increasing the resistance on the bike when we were going uphill. Although, it was sort of unrealistic because you had to pedal going downhill. There was no coasting! MIT has the NICEST pool I have ever swam in. The pool was so clean, I couldn't taste an ounce of chlorine or any other chemicals while I was swimming. I felt like I could've drank the water if I wanted to. It was also the perfect temperature for swimming in. It was chilly, but not cold enough to shiver. I wanted to swim all day long.


Overall, it was a great day, one that I am looking forward to repeating next time the expo is in town. It was a great event for all athletes. I recommend going to this event to anyone that does or is interested in anything multisport: triathlon, duathlon, aquathon, running, cycling, swimming, walking, whatever. There was something for everyone (almost everyone).