I competed in my first sprint distance triathlon in 2002 as a dare/challenge from one of my neighbors. His training partner moved away and I think he just wanted someone to train with...I have always been somewhat athletic, but never seriously considered triathlon. I took him up on the challenge after much thought, went out and purchased a decent second-hand bike, trained hard, trained harder, and then trained some more. For our first race, he "forgot" to register for some reason. Myself, I took 5th place in my age group. Soon after that, he stopped training and competing.
So where does that leave me?...hooked on the sport, the triathlon community, the desire to push one's self beyond most athlete's comprehension, and the continuous drive to constantly better myself. In June 2006, I was able to accomplish my first 1st place over-all. I enjoy all types of sports, but I love the triathlon. If you are a first-timer, be very careful because this sport just may unexpectedly consume you.