CASSIE TOMLIN/Arizona Daily Wildcat Brian Ferguson, a junior majoring in English, carries his bike through the bike-to-run transition area.

LAKE HAVASU CITY - Where were you at 4 a.m. Saturday?

While some were probably just falling into their beds, 28 UA students were crawling out of their tents into the cold twilight at the Crazy Horse Campgrounds to fuel up on bananas and power bars, pump up their bike tires, grab their wetsuits and head to the starting line.

The UA's club triathlon team, the Tricats, traveled last weekend to Lake Havasu City for their final competition of the season, the National Collegiate Triathlon Championships.

This year, the nationals race, a 1,500-meter swim followed by a 40-kilometer bike ride before a 10-kilometer run, drew 600 students from more than 25 schools across the country, the largest crowd in the race's history.

The national race is one of three the Tricats emphasize in their scholastic-year-long season, in addition to Tucson's Tinfoilman and the Tucson Triathlon, two relatively short, fast races that are great for new triathletes, said Tricats President Matt Beauregard.

"We've got an incredibly eclectic group of people, but especially some really competitive freshmen and sophomores," said Beauregard, a mathematics graduate student. "For most, it's their first or second season and we're kicking ass."

Beauregard said the season's first races help newcomers, like Lou Maturo, taper their times and prepare for the team-orientated nationals. Maturo, a freshman majoring in English, dropped six minutes on his swim time between the first two races, honing in on his weaknesses.

"He's a phenomenal, beautiful runner, and he went from non-competitive to competitive in a matter of months," Beauregard said.

Most of the Tricats' 60 members join because they already swim, bike or run, and want to do all three, Beauregard said.

"The biggest thing is that it's a balancing act between three sports," Beauregard said. "The sport isn't about raw talent, it's about dedicating yourself to goals."

Chris Murphy, a mechanical engineering junior and first-year Tricat, said the national race was his second swimming in open water, which was slightly scary.

"We could taste the gasoline in the water," Murphy said, referencing the emissions of hundreds of motorboats crowding the man-made London Bridge Channel less than an hour after swimmers left the area, in which swimming is normally prohibited.

First-year Tricats Allison Hammond, a retailing and consumer sciences junior, and Brianna Loecher, a retailing and consumer sciences senior, finished their first triathlon, although both sustained some pain.

"My coochie has never been more sore in its life," said Loecher, a former UA swimmer, referring to the pain she endured from long-term contact with her bike seat.

Emily Edgar, a senior majoring in Spanish and Latin American studies, and Theresa Hill, a senior majoring in English, explained their pre-race mantras.

"We visualize our biggest fears as our strengths," Edgar said. "I hate transitions (between swimming, running and biking). They're a pain in the ass, but they're just as big a part of the race as everything else."

The two said the team practices together twice a day, every day, except only once on Fridays.

Practices range from 30-minute swims to three-hour bike rides and are not mandatory, but both said practicing with teammates is the best form of motivation.

"We support each other, but we don't work together," Hill said. "At the same time, your teammates get pissed if you don't do well."

Some Tricats noted the binding ties keeping the group together.

"One of the biggest draws of the sport is that people are really chill," Murphy said.

Edgar noted races are a great time to get together with people who share interests.

Hill, a third-year Tricat, said the sport is not about competition but about beating her personal record.

"I know I'm not going to be in the top 10, so it's about getting better," Hill said.

Hill finished her second Olympic-distance race in two hours, 28 minutes - 12 minutes faster than her best time.

The awards banquet following the race brought in no accolades for the Tricats, who finished ninth overall.

Cameron Green, a mechanical engineering sophomore, said he was not disappointed.

"We didn't expect it," said Green, who finished in two hours, 29 minutes. "There's certain people you compete against, but for the most part it's not about that."

Matt Wesenberg, affectionately known as "Weezy" to the rest of the Tricats, said the scores didn't matter to him, either.

"We had a good time supporting all of the college teams, and ours did the best we could do," said the psychology senior, who crossed the finish line in two hours, 25 minutes. "For me, it's the most school pride I'll ever feel."

After a late night of revelry and some alleged "naked running" at Crazy Horse with neighboring campers from Purdue and the University of New Mexico, the Tricats packed up their gear yesterday morning and headed back to Tucson. Thus marks the end of the collegiate triathlon season, but Beauregard said despite how team participation will dwindle, some Tricats will continue practicing together through the summer.

Beauregard and Craig Pansing, an optical sciences graduate student who was the first Tricat across the finish line (finishing in the top 20) will train all summer for a half Ironman in August and an Ironman in November.

Beauregard said the most important part of the club is for the members to hit the goals they set for themselves.

"If you have that push, there's a higher chance you'll stay with the club, and that's what we need," said Beauregard. "The goal of the club is to provide a supportive, healthy, educative environment about triathlons. It shouldn't cater to elite professionals, but it's a diverse club."