OCEAN'S ELEVEN
TRAINING FOR THIS YEAR'S TRIATHLON BRINGS LARGE FAMILY
CLOSER TOGETHER
8/3/04 By
MARK PATTON
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
 The
Funk family will follow mom anywhere, even if it's onto
a grueling triathlon course.
Susie Funk had so much fun training last year with the
Momentum 4 Life group that she's brought 10 family members
on board this summer -- husband Kent, four of their kids,
a brother, a sister, two nieces and a nephew.
"It's good for the body and the mind, and it's also good
for our relationships," she observed. "We've spent a lot
more time with each other, exercising together, because
of this."
Susie was the Funks' only triathlete last year. She was
introduced to the Momentum 4 Life group by her friend, Dawn
Schroeder.
"It changed my life," she said. "And after a whole year
of being dedicated to it, and having it become so much a
part of my life, everyone else started thinking, 'Maybe
I want to do something like that this summer, too.' "
Eight family members will compete in the Santa Barbara
County Sprint Triathlon on Aug. 28.
Three of the younger Funks -- Parker, 11; McKenzie, 8;
and Tanner, 5 -- have already competed in a mini-triathlon
last month after attending Momentum's two-week Children's
Triathlon Camp, conducted by Marcie Kjoller.
The mini-triathlon, which was held on the San Marcos High
campus, was won by Parker Funk. McKenzie finished in the
middle of the pack while young Tanner brought up the rear
--completing the race even though he accidentally rode two
extra laps on his bike.
"Tanner was the youngest, and I wasn't sure I should let
him do it, but he kept begging me," said Susie. "I finally
just called Marcie to ask about it. She said if he could
swim to the end of the pool, then it was okay. "He doggy-paddled
for three or four laps, and so he was in."
Mom did worry that Tanner would dread the workouts.
 "But
Marcie made it fun," said Susie. "Tanner calls her, 'The
lady who shouts hurray a lot.' "
And now there is only one Funk on the sidelines this summer:
2-year-old Madison.
The Funks' eldest son, 14-year-old Spencer, is training
with his father, Kent, in Momentum's Men's Sprint Group.
"The key this year was getting my husband to do it," Susie
observed. "The way I finagled it was by telling them that
this would be a perfect father-son activity. "Kent was
probably the most reluctant, since it meant he'd have to
swim in the ocean. But having his son take part was my trump
card."
Kent admits that he never would've joined a triathlon
group on his own: "My 11- and 14-year-old sons put me to
shame in the water," he said sheepishly. But at a recent
workout at Leadbetter Beach, "I swam (the length of) four
buoys, so I think I'm getting there."
Also training for the triathlon are Susie Funk's brother,
John Paulson; her sister, Shannon Sorensen; and three of
Shannon's eight children -- Jennifer (20), Charlotte (19)
and Jacob (16).
"It seems like everyone in the group is related to me
one way or another," said Spencer, who plans to run cross-country
when he enters San Marcos High as a freshman next month.
"My dad has been my basketball coach before, but this is
really the first time we've ever done the same thing together
-- and it's been a lot of fun. "Some nights we'll go
into our pool and swim together. He'll ask me how his stroke
looks, and I'll ask how I'm doing."
Susie's brother, John, decided to join Momentum 4 Life
after helping her get through last year's race.
"When I took off on the swim, I'd look toward the shore
and see him walking my pace, waving at me," she said. "When
I got out of the water, he was right there -- taking pictures
and running with me until I took off on my bike. "And
then he skateboarded behind me through the whole run. He
was so totally supportive."
Susie said her sister, Shannon, was one of the most reluctant
to join. With eight children, she was worried about the
time commitment. "But she's been there every Saturday
for the workouts and has been having the greatest time,"
she said. "It's had a snowball effect, changing her life
and her attitude towards exercise."
Although Susie's father was concerned when he first heard
that she was trying a triathlon, he's now even helping with
the family's training. "We'll vacation up in Gig Harbor,
Wash., where my parents live," she said. "They have a place
right on the water, and so before we go up there, dad marks
out a mile swim in the bay. Every morning while we're on
vacation, we'll do swim workouts."
Spencer admits that his mom is faster in the water, and
perhaps even on the bike, "but I think I might be able to
catch her when we get to the run."
"My mom thinks she's pretty fast," he said, "but I think
I can beat her."
The training may have brought them closer together, but
Spencer's counting on it giving him some space at the finish
line, too.
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