Lakehill Preparatory School sophomore Hamed El-Feky completed his first high school national triathlon on April 27, 2018, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
The 2018 USA Triathlon High School National Championships was hosted in conjunction with the USA Triathlon Collegiate Club National Championships. The race distances for a Sprint Triathlon are a 750-meter swim, 21.45-kilometer bike, and a five-kilometer run.
USA Triathlon announced a few days before the race that the course for all races would be shifted from a triathlon (swim-bike-run) to a duathlon (run-bike-run) to ensure athlete safety. Heavy rainfall in Tuscaloosa in the week prior to the event led to the Holt Dam spillway gates being opened by local officials to avoid flooding. Heightened volume in the Black Warrior River necessitated that the gates remain open through race weekend, resulting in overly strong currents that were deemed unsafe for swimming.
El-Feky practiced an average of two hours per day to prepare for the race, focusing on the open water swim. His goals were to swim at a pace of 1:25 minute per 100 meters, bike at 20 miles per hour, and keep a pace of 6:45 minutes per mile on the run, consistent with the times for the 25th ranked participant in the 2017 nationals. El-Feky reached these goals in the weeks prior to the event. The change in the structure of the race, plus a cramp during the bike portion, put him in 53rd position out of 79 competitors.
El-Feky plans to better his finish next year, and will compete in the Sprint National Age Group Championships on August 12, in Cleveland, Ohio, to give him more experience on the national stage.
"Even with the changes to the race format, it was an amazing experience to compete in a race of this caliber," said El-Feky. "The competitive atmosphere was entirely different from anything I had done before. I can't wait to race again."
About Lakehill Preparatory School
Lakehill Preparatory School guides motivated students to learn with curiosity, lead with confidence, and serve with compassion. Our challenging and nurturing educational community inspires students to become collaborative problem-solvers who live with integrity. Talented teachers, high academic standards, and the development of leadership skills in a challenging and nurturing environment are hallmarks of a Lakehill education.
Lakehill Preparatory School's Opening Doors campus improvement project renovated 8,000 square feet of existing space and added 16,000 square feet of new space to the original building. This vital effort produced new lab spaces for science, writing, and computer science, an art studio, new classrooms, administrative offices, meeting and event rooms, and a dramatic 5,000 square foot inner courtyard with outdoor classroom and performance space.
Contact Stacey Peacock, Director of Admission, to schedule a time to visit our school and to answer any questions you may have. Please e-mail speacock@lakehillprep.org, or visit our website at lakehillprep.org for more information.
