Imagine waking up at six in the morning to go run, bike and swim. For some students, it’s not hard to imagine, as they do it up to three times per week.

Kinesiology professor Dr. Lisa Colvin and her students developed a ULM triathlon team.

The idea began as a bonus opportunity that Colvin offered to her students, and it grew to become a recognized student organization.

“I guess that was her goal all along: to trick us into loving it and getting into it,” Wynston Johnson-Lyman said.

Johnson-Lyman began volunteering for bonus points in Colvin’s class, but after one semester, he and several others wanted to compete.

“Dr. Colvin is like the perfect coach,” he said. “She has so much experience, and I know that I can’t learn these things anywhere else.”

The team competes in the University at USA Triathlon (USAT) sanctioned events, Mid Southwest USAT collegiate regional competitions and USAT National Collegiate Championships.