Winamac welcomed local community for 3rd annual Tri-Tender Triathlon

Members of the Winamac community came together to celebrate the 3rd annual Tri-Tender Triathlon on Saturday, September 26.

The Tri-Tender Triathlon is an opportunity for people of all levels to participate in a race that features running, biking, and kayaking. As the host of this year’s event, Main Street Winamac orchestrated an event that filled participants’ hearts with joy and a competitive spirit.

“It’s something to do on a Saturday morning while the weather’s still pretty decent,” said Nathan P. Origer, a member of Main Street Winamac. “Unlike a normal triathlon, we kayak instead of swim. The real twist on it is the breaded tenderloin sandwiches, which are about the size of a human face. You’re not done until you eat the tenderloin, which is not usually a normal thing to go after running, biking, and kayaking.”

While the first Tri-Tender Triathlon in 2024 drew an impressive crowd, the event has only continued to blossom over time.

“Growth has been pretty slow. This is only the third year, but we saw an increase of five or six people from the first and second year. We did lose six people this year, but even though we lost a number of people, we did increase the number of out-of-town participants. We also had 13 brand new participants who have never done it before,” said Origer.

The race opened up at the intersection of Main Street and Riverside Drive. Starting with the biking portion, which was 3.3 miles, racers went down Winamac streets, around the Eastern Pulaski Schools campus, and through the Winamac Town Park. Once the 3.3 miles was completed, participants traded their pedals for paddles. The kayaks, provided by Riverside Rentals, were necessary to complete a 4.3 mile section of the race on the Tippecanoe River. At the end of this section, the contestants finished the remaining 3.03 miles on foot to a trailhead of Panhandle Pathway in downtown Winamac. Family, friends, and staff members all greeted the participants as they crossed the finish line.

After the 10.6 mile race, competitors inhaled the famous tenderloin sandwiches from local restaurant One-Eyed Jack’s in the final leg of the Tri-Tender. One-Eyed Jack’s is an important vendor for the event, as they donated tenderloins to everyone who participated. Local businesses and organizations make it a point of emphasis to support the community members who come out for the Tri-Tender.

“We don’t have a lot of sponsors in the traditional sense. Main Street Winamac has the funding to put stuff on on its own. As far as the actual competition, it is critical. A local restaurant donates the sandwiches, which is a huge thing that helps us keep the costs down. We have a local livery that provides the kayaks, so no one has a competitive advantage, and no one that doesn’t own one has to rent one. So those ‘sponsorships’ are really critical for this to happen,” Origer said.

Additionally, this year’s race theme was All-American, as a tribute to the 250th birthday of the United States.

“It gave us another chance for the community to celebrate that, and also gave us the chance to spiffy things up a bit. Last year we had a costume contest, and this gave us a built-in theme. Last year we did superhero costumes, this year it just made sense to go with America 250 patriotic costumes. It also meant that we could get Pulaski Country Celebrates 250 involved. The organization put up signs and American flags along the route. It was a great way to bring different community groups together,” said Origer.

As the Tri-Tender completed another successful year, the Winamac community is already excited for what next year’s event will bring.

“My hope is that they can expect more competition. I’m hoping we get to the point where we have to divide it into men’s, women’s, and/or age categories. Right now it’s kind of a ‘free-for-all.’ We’re also going to start planning earlier. I don’t think we’ll see any changes to the basic set up – we’ll use the same river route, the same running route, maybe make some tweaks to the bike route. But we’re going to keep offering the opportunity to do this,” said Origer.

To learn more about the Pulaski County Community Development Commission, you can visit pulaskionline.org.