Swimming, biking and running are sports often done in solitude. But in the case of two triathletes, Erlanger sophomore Allie Groneman and Richmond junior Katelyn Robbins, it brought them together.

As new members of the eight-member triathlon club at Western, the two began to notice their paths crossing while enjoying separate runs on campus.

“Sometimes we would run into each other while we were running,” Groneman said. “Then we kind of decided, ‘Why don’t we just run together anyway?’”

Robbins, who had only run a couple miles before joining the club, said she has found a helpful running partner in Groneman.

“When you are running together every day for almost an hour with someone, you become really close with them,” Robbins said.

While preparing for sprint triathlons, the two run anywhere from three to six miles together every day, in addition to swimming and biking.

A sprint triathlon consists of a 750-meter swim, a 20-kilometer bike ride and a 5-kilometer run.

Club Coach David Haynes has been competing in triathlons since 1996. He took over the triathlon club 18 months ago after competing in the WKU Tri-Topper Classic, which the club hosted.

“I wish there had been something like this when I was at Western,” Haynes said. “I started doing this when I was in college, but I was kind of on my own. It’s really nice to be able to see them get together as an actual team and be able to go to these races together and work out together.”

During MASTER Plan’s information fair at the Preston Center, Robbins and Groneman signed up to learn more about the Triathlon Club. After attending the first meeting, they decided to continue attending and started training together soon after that.

Robbins said that joining the club has made a noticeable impact on her college experience.

“I am balancing my diet now,” she said. “I am more awake in my classes. I get better sleep. I do very well in my classes and am a 4.0 student. It helps me manage my time. It helps to be involved in a sports club and meet a lot of people through this.”

Going to the races together and having teammates cheering for them gives the athletes the motivation they need to complete such a difficult race, Haynes said.

“Someone might be in front of you or behind you,” Haynes said. “It gives you a little extra motivation of the teamwork, trying to work together, and you are able to compete with someone you know. You aren’t just out there racing with a bunch of strangers.”

Both Groneman and Robbins said they planned on being involved in extracurricular activities in college, but never imagined triathlons would be their niche.

“Before, I had never run more than a mile in my life, and now I am running about 25 miles a week,” Robbins said. “This is a lifetime sport. Once you get into it, you just can’t stop.”

She said there’s no better feeling than completing a triathlon.

“It’s the most gratifying thing in the world to cross that finish line — whether you walk it, run it — you struggle through it,” Robbins said. “Regardless if you think you are an athlete that can do it or not, you can, and we will support you.”