Karan Vatwani (12) stands with his bike in the St. Louis Rowing Club boathouse Oct. 20 at Creve Coeur Lake in Maryland Heights. Vatwani is a member of the Wheelhouse Racing Team, participating in several triathlons each year that consist of long-distance swimming, cycling and running. He competed at the USA Triathlon Olympic Distance National Championship in Atlantic City, New Jersey in September, which qualified him for the 2025 World Triathlon Championships Finals in Australia. A rower since his freshman year, Vatwani began training for triathlons with his friends over summer break in 2023. “It started out as just kind of something to do for fun,” Vatwani said. “I just decided it’s something I should pick up over the summer when I’m not rowing or biking.”

Karan Vatwani (12) jogs on the Lakeview Loop Trail at Creve Coeur Lake Oct. 20. Vatwani’s triathlon training mainly consists of running, as he cycles on a regular basis outside of training. “Maybe I’ll go eight miles one day, 10 miles [another day],” Vatwani said. “I think with triathlons, for the run portion, at least, it’s less about fitness and more about just keep going on the run.”

Vatwani checks his cycling statistics on the Strava app, an activity tracker with social media features. He uses the app with his smartwatch to keep track of his practices and training. “You can like other people’s workouts, see what they did, upload pictures,” Vatwani said. “It’s pretty fun and you’ll see a lot of athletes on there.”

Tucked down on his bike’s aerobars, Vatwani cycles down the Lakeview Loop Trail. The accessory is popular among triathletes, helping them increase their speed and efficiency. “The place you can make up the most time in is the bike just because you’re going the fastest, and it’s typically the longest distance in the triathlon,” Vatwani said. “I feel as if where I lose out on the swim, I make up pretty well on the bike, and I think the bike, by itself, has probably led to my qualification to the world championship or even nationals.”

In the pool at the Center of Clayton, Vatwani practices his swimming Oct. 21. He placed 326th out of 2,622 in the 2023 Chicago Triathlon, which included a 1,500 meter swim in Lake Michigan. “I typically swim with friends,” Vatwani said. “My friend’s uncle, who used to do a ton of Ironmans, gives us a lot of workouts, which consists of 3,000 meter pieces where we do a 3,000 meter piece, then we’ll stop, take a break for five minutes and do it again, and do it again. [It’s] just [about] getting used to long swims and hard pieces.”