More than 120 employees have signed up to compete for the Hy-Vee Tri Team on June 12. The field of 128 men and women includes 19 store directors and 43 people who will be competing in their first triathlons.

Others are slightly more experienced and will be counted on to fill a mentor’s role. One is Chuck Donnelly, store director at Dubuque #2.

TRI LIFE: I did triathlons 25 years ago for two short seasons. Family changed my time commitments so I got away from the sport. Because of my involvement with JDRF and the annual bike ride, I slowly got back into biking.

TRI AGAIN: When Hy-Vee announced our sponsorship of an elite triathlon, it gave me a way back into the sport. In the past three years I have done seven sprint- distance triathlons, two Olympic-distance triathlons and one half-Ironman triathlon. I have made the commitment to do Ironman Wisconsin (2.5-mile swim,
112-mile bike and 26-mile run) in September.

HY-VEE FINISHES: I completed 2007 and 2009. I had a wedding commitment in
2008

ADVICE: If you have a strong background in one of the three legs of a triathlon, I encourage you to participate as a member of relay team. Once you see how much fun it is, you will want to do the whole thing in the future. It is challenging and rewarding at the same time. My early goals were to just finish. I figured if I could do 36 laps in the pool without stopping, I could probably get through the swim without drowning. Now, I always want to improve my time over the previous year. It is a great sport and one that has saved my life. In just two short years, I have gone from being obese to 12 percent body fat.