A wide range of well known celebrities competed in the Nautica Malibu Triathlon, this past weekend. Though Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey received the most attention, other Hollywood icons raced with them. Some of my favorites? William H. Macy, Mark-Paul Gosselar, and Anna Kournikova.
The extensive publicity surrounding their success at the race is sure to invite the standard responses. Some will ooh and aah over famous actors and actresses competing in the event. Others will decry the attention pointing to the thousands of "average joes" who compete in a wide variety of races without so much as a peep out of the media. Still others will wonder what all the fuss is about.
I, for one, am glad to see articles about well known people pursuing endurance events. First, they have a much larger audience than I have. While I might be able to motivate several, even dozens of people to pursue a running race or triathlon. Jennifer Lopez completing a triathlon has the potential to motivate tens of thousands, particularly young ladies. The combined "star power" of those competing in Malibu this past weekend vastly increases that potential. And anything that helps grow the sport is wonderful.
Second, I believe actions speak louder than words. J-Lo made a comment that it might be neat to do a triathlon. That got some attention. Her training might have garnered a bit more coverage. Actually starting and finishing the race was the real news. Rather than blathering on to the news media about things outside her control or expertise, Lopez put in the training she needed to succeed. And while we can't all be famous in Hollywood or the music industry, we can all succeed in pursuit of a healthier lifestyle.
Finally, I celebrate the personal achievements of anyone who decides to pursue any endurance event. J-Lo's celebrity status in no way diminishes her accomplishments. Her situation might make certain aspects of the journey easier. Then again, I've never tried to train for a race while juggling a family, a singing and acting career, and all the demands that go with it. She deserves a great deal of credit and recognition, as do all of the others who finished the race, celebrity or not.
It's been said before that one of the great things about the sport of triathlon is the way it brings people together. Very rarely in the rest of life will you find yourself competing toe-to-toe with the top performers in the sport. Now, we also find celebrities racing in our midst.
Lopez is like us in at least two ways. First, the swim is her biggest fear and worst discipline. Second, she is a triathlete.
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