TriWaco carried on as “BiWaco” without swimming portion on Father’s Day

Published: Jun. 16, 2024 at 3:46 PM CDT

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - The TriWaco triathlon was really the “BiWaco” this year, as the swimming portion of the triathlon was canceled earlier this week due to unsafe conditions and debris in the Brazos River.

Some athletes were upset to fid out they’d be missing out on the swim, but others weren’t too bothered by it.

“The swim is my weakest length,’ said TriWaco athlete Timothy Wallace. “It didn’t bother me.”

As a result of the canceled swim portion, this year’s TriWaco had a few less athletes competing. Around 400 athletes competed in this year’s TriWaco compared to over 600 from the TriWaco in 2023. Another reason for less athletes may have also been because it was Father’s Day.

“We’re an athletic family,” said Wallace. “It’s always fun coming out and competing together.

For Timothy and his son, Paul Wallace, it was just another day. The father-son duo from Australia trained and competed together in this year’s TriWaco.

“This is probably a normal Father’s Day for us, we always do something,” said Timothy. “Whether it’s a training run, or I always used to do a half marathon on Father’s Day, so this is actually quite typical for us.”

Though it was a pretty unconventional triathlon on Father’s Day, the message was still clear: fathers still serve as inspirations.

“I mean, he didn’t initially inspire me to take on triathlons,” said Paul. “But he definitely inspired to be a better athlete.”