They’re a collection of newbies and world-class Ironman veterans; last place finishers and triathlon champions; fit Boston marathon qualifiers and works-in-progress. But no matter how you view this motley squad, they’re Nacho Average triathlon team.

Ideas for this Parry Sound team began brewing several years ago when local triathletes gathered after swimming lessons to socialize over refreshments and the gang’s favourite post-training meal of nachos.
“We wanted to make the group more formal, attract more athletes and help grow the sport in the community,” recalls team president Tim Graves. “By putting some structure into it, we thought new people would find our rides more accessible.”
For team organizers, this meant finding the balance between helping those who are already competitive triathletes improve their skills and training people who are new to the sport.
By the fall of 2007, nacho-emblazoned uniforms began rolling off the assembly line and gradually started making appearances at competitive running, cycling and triathlon events across the province.
The team continued to evolve last summer, travelling to more events together.
“Most people in the province now know the Nacho call,” jokes team co-ordinator David Bialkowski. “There were several races last year when we were running down the road with the uniform on and someone we’d never seen before yelled: “You’re Nach-ohhh.”
“It’s fun. It’s kind of a cool group to be involved in,” says Bialkowski, a 2006 World Ironman finisher, who is soon on his way to the June 21 Coeur D’Alene Ironman in Idaho, to have another crack at qualifying for the world championships in Kona in October.
Chris George, 33, of Humphrey got involved with the club in 2007 when he decided to train for his first marathon. He liked the friendly training atmosphere that went along with being nacho average team members.
“I enjoy the camaraderie, support and friendship,” he says. “I've been on a few long distance trips with some of my teammates, and they’re very memorable experiences.”
He includes spending a week in an RV travelling to North Carolina to complete his first half Ironman distance as a Nacho team highlight, along with memories of completing his first marathon in blistering hot conditions in Chicago.
For the oldest member of the club, Jack Reck, it’s all about the Saturday morning predominantly-male ride.
He jokes about the Saturday morning riders as a great group of dedicated middle-aged guys approaching male menopause.
“They are doing their very best to see how long they can stay 25 after they reached 35 or 40,” says Reck, a lean and muscular local artist. “In my case I am long past that stage but very cognizant of the syndrome!”
At 76, he finds the company of the nacho average gang keeps him motivated to remain “at least at a semblance of fitness.”
“As a strictly recreational biker I have benefited greatly from the company of the more dedicated members and have learned more about bike riding in the last few years than in my entire life before,” he comments. “It’s great to see the group evolve from a loose, dedicated bunch of athletes into a more organized group of local fitness gurus. It’s a great benefit to me to be able to be part of a bunch of clean living, beer-loving Canadians, that take their sport seriously, but to just the right level of seriousness.”
While the Saturday morning rides have been a club tradition for several years, a highlight for the group last summer was the introduction of Thursday night time-trials on the paved shoulder of the former Highway 69, at the south end of Parry Sound.
“That was an event we put together just because there was some interest and some people wanted to give it a go, and it became THE event of the week,” Bialkowski says. “This year we hope to make it a little bit bigger.”
The club now has Ontario Association of Triathletes (OAT) community coaches, enabling it to sanction its spin classes, the Saturday morning group rides and Thursday time trials.
“So it gets us in a position to be confident from a safety and liability standpoint to invite anyone to come and join us,” says the team co-ordinator. “So that we can teach them and give them some success.”
Basic cycling safety clinics once or twice a month, and at least one triathlon-training seminar this summer featuring professional international Ironman athletes will premiere this season. As well, the team hopes to debut at OAT’s Triathlon Club Championships June 21, this year in Guelph.
Last fall, the team’s reputation crossed the border when a core group of Nachos went on the road to compete in the Beach to Battleship half and full Ironman competitions in North Carolina. More such team trips may be planned in future years – with the famous 2009 Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon – featuring a 1.5-mile swim through frigid waters from Alcatraz Island to the shores of the St. Francis Yacht Club, followed by a gruelling 18-mile bike ride, and then a demanding 8-mile run through the trails of the Golden Gate Recreational area in San Francisco – being tossed around as a possible race venue for some of the more intrepid local members.
So far this spring, the club has 18 members ranging from youth to seniors and organizers say the idea is for the club to continue to grow.
“At the end of the day, I’m very interested in the social aspect, so the more people we have involved in the team, the more social it is,” explains Graves.
Bialkowski describes the team’s mission as providing a venue through club events, offering services to facilitate athletes, teaching skills, and giving support.
 “We want to build a nice lifestyle through the club and give people a place to go,” says Bialkowski. “We go to races together and have our club uniforms on. It’s always fun to be part of something, which is why clubs are so successful.”
And for athletes who decide they want to do a triathlon, Bialkowski says, they can see “we’ve got the stage, the platform and the resources to get them there.”