Arlington's Fisette, D.C.'s Brown Face Off Sunday in Nation's Triathlon

Jay Fisette hates running.

Until January, he had never even been on a treadmill.

But when the Arlington County Board member decided to participate in the Nation's Triathlon, he figured it was time to become a runner.

"A lot of this is about what condition your heart is in, your cardiovascular health," Fisette said. "If you have that, then it's just a matter of learning the motions of running, swimming, biking."

Fisette has the swimming down. In high school he was an All-American swimmer, and he has kept fit through swimming ever since.

That's why the rain over the past week, with some localities along the Potomac getting up to 10 inches, has really put a damper on Fisette's plans for his first Olympic-length triathlon.

Race organizers and D.C. officials made the decision Wednesday, while the region was still experiencing heavy rain, to cancel the one-mile swim.

"We felt that the best option for this year's race was to cancel the swim," race organizers said in a statement. "Competitors will still take part in a 40K bike and 10K run."

While he is disappointed, Fisette said the swim would be a major health risk, with strong currents and debris hampering the swimmers' progress.

"They made the right decision," Fisette said. "It's dangerous for people who are not strong swimmers."

But what could hurt Fisette may help D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown.

Brown, never much of a swimmer, has been training for the last month to prepare for his first triathlon.

"I'm disappointed that the swim portion was canceled, because I was ready, I was mentally prepared," Brown said. "But that's the hardest portion of the race."

Brown still has his strongest event in the 10-kilometer, or 6.2-mile, run. As a participant in several marathons, he's more than ready.

And that's not the only advantage Washington's council member has over Arlington's. Brown, 40, is also 15 years Fisette's junior.

Fisette, who said he gets competitive in athletic events, knows the match is not exactly fair.

"He'll have to spot me some time," Fisette said. "Like 15 years worth of time."

The two council members will be in different age groups, and so won't be running or biking together.

Both had to make some adjustments to prepare for the 24-mile bike ride. 

Brown said he has never been much of a biker.

"I've done more biking than I've ever done in my life in the last three weeks," Brown said.

Fisette bikes to work most days, and has done cycling tours through Europe. In fact, the bicycle he rides to and from work is the same bike that took him from England to Greece in 1981.

He took that bike to a ride in the spring and, looking around at the others, realized how dated his equipment was.

"(Training for) biking has been the most fun because the technology has changed so much," Fisette said.

Fisette bought a new carbon bike a few months ago, along with his first pair of locking bike shoes, which took some getting used to. He fell his first couple times trying them out.

"You forget your foot is stuck in there, and you can't just take it out," Fisette said. "But they definitely help with strength and efficiency on the bike."

The race, which raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, kicks off at 7 a.m. Sunday in West Potomac Park.