When John Guastella decided to start his own triathlon club at the beginning of 2012, he thought he might get 50 people to join in the first year.
Less than nine months later, Guastella’s Bethlehem Tri Club has approximately 150 members, and it continues to grow.
`It’s unbelievable how quickly it’s growing,` said Guastella. `There’s a lot of new people getting into the sport. And it’s not just our club — all of the area tri clubs are growing.`
Three newcomers visited the club’s Warners Lake training site Aug. 2 including Dave Lancaster, who recently moved from Atlanta to Glenmont for work. Lancaster had previously trained and competed with the Peach Tree Triathlon Club.
`I’d always biked and swam, and I was turning 30,` said Lancaster of his decision to become a triathlete. `So, I thought I’d get in shape.`
Guilderland resident Sylvia Decarr — another recent Bethlehem Tri Club addition — had a similar reason for joining the club.
`I love to bike and run,` said Decarr. `I had ACL surgery, so in my attempts at running marathons or half marathons, my knees couldn’t take the training for that. This (triathlons) allows me to stay active without putting too much impact on my knees.`
Guastella said the Bethlehem Tri Club is geared towards all athletes, whether they are using the sport to get in shape or to compete at the highest level.
`We nurture everyone from the beginners to the people who have done the Ironman in Lake Placid like me,` said Guastella.
Guastella had been training with the Capital District Tri Club when he decided he wanted to form his own club.
`There was a bunch of us (from around Bethleheme) who had trained with the Capital District Tri Club, which trains at Crystal Lake (in Averill Park),` said Guastella. `We spent so much time with each other, we said to each other, ‘We have to travel so far. Why don’t we try to find somewhere closer?’`
Guastella found the location he wanted at Warners Lake — a small lake in East Berne approximately 14 miles from Bethlehem Central High School. The only issue was trying to find a place on the private lake where he and his fellow triathletes could have access to the water for swimming, one of the sport’s three elements along with biking and running.
That’s when Guastella met with Will Osterhout, who lives on Warners Lake. Osterhout agreed to let Guastella use his property to gain the lake access they needed as long as the Bethlehem Tri Club donated money to the Warners Lake Improvement Association, which Guastella said the club gladly does.
`If it wasn’t for him (Osterhout), we wouldn’t have the Bethlehem Tri Club,` said Guastella. `He wanted the lake to be used.`
Once the Bethlehem Tri Club had its center of operations, word quickly spread through the triathlete community about the new training site. Soon, people from all over the immediate Capital District started flocking to Warners Lake.
Member Tony Felitte said being able to use Warners Lake for open water swim training is a key to the club’s rapid growth.
`It’s not easy for triathletes to get into lakes (to train),` said Felitte, a Delmar resident. `To have this is awesome. You have lifeguards stationed out there, you can swim all you want and you can swim with friends.`
East Berne’s rural roads have also been a plus for Bethlehem Tri Club members. They can bike and run the road courses laid out by the club with little interference from traffic.
Having the option of training in one, two or all three triathlon disciplines gives Bethlehem Tri Club members variety in their training regimens, which they appreciate.
`I like endurance sports,` said Middleburgh resident Sarah Strock, who started triathlon training this year. `I did one marathon in my life, so I wanted to do more endurance sports. That’s when I found this.`
`I started running two years ago,` said Delmar resident Marty Gordinier. `I was over 200 pounds at the time I started running. I wasn’t winning any races. So, I thought I’d try something different.`
Ultimately, though, what keeps people coming back every Thursday night to train with the Bethlehem Tri Club is the atmosphere.
`The people are really nice,` said Decarr. `They’re not super competitive. They’re welcoming to everyone.`
Guastella has been so encouraged by the positive response towards the Bethlehem Tri Club that he said he’s looking to expand its role in the local triathlon community.
`Our goal next year is to put on our own triathlon up here,` said Guastella.