Lori had trained months for her first triathlon. She chose the most picturesque event sight she could imagine: a 750 yard swim in a California mountain lake, an 18 mile bike course through vineyards, and a 5 mile run through the trails of a redwood forest.
She arrived early the morning of the event, anxious to take in all the sights and sounds. The morning air still carried the light scent of early morning dew.
As she meandered around through the crowd, a voice from behind her asked, "Are you looking for the check-in tent?"
Lori spun around to find a strapping twenty something. Six feet, two inches of sinewy muscle, dark hair cut short, and searing blue eyes. He was wearing warm-up pants and a sweatshirt. Lori was in her thirties, average height for a woman, about 5'5", with a slender athletic build and dark brown hair.
"Hi, I'm Jake. Are you looking for the check-in tent?" he repeated.
"Yes, this is my first triathlon. My name is Lori," she stammered.
"The tent is right over there," as he motioned to a red and white tent near the lake. Lori turned and walked toward the tent, trying to concentrate on the impending race, but impure thoughts began to creep into her mind.
After checking in, Lori made her way to the transition area to set up her bike. She picked a bike rack and laid out her race gear. She scanned the crowded bike racks hoping to catch a glimpse of Jake. She spotted him a couple racks over, finishing his race preparations. Jake didn't notice Lori staring at him as he stripped off his warm-ups. As his sweatshirt peeled off, Lori's jaw dropped at the sight of Jake's finely tuned body. From behind, he had the perfect swimmer's outline, almost triangular. As he turned slightly, Lori could make out his six-pack abs and cut chest. He removed his pants to reveal the tight triathlon shorts he would be competing in. They left very little to the imagination.
Jake finished his preparations and turned to walk toward the lake. Lori hurriedly finished also, so she could conveniently bump into him as he passed by. Her tight triathlon singlet showed off all her better attributes. The two made small talk as they made their way to the lake.
The cold lake water jolted Lori back into reality. She needed to concentrate on the job at hand. As the gun sounded, 350 men and women set off on the swim leg. Lori kept her intended pace, and entered the transition area right on schedule. She glanced over to see if she could catch a glimpse of Jake, but he was already out on the bike course. The men had a slightly longer course to ride, so Lori hoped to bump into him during the run.