Cruiserman Debuts At Tempe Town Lake

Cruiserman, an event taking place the week before Ironman Arizona, is a test of humor, not endurance.

The zany competition and beer garden drew nearly 100 athletes to Town Lake for the inaugural Cruiserman race, organizer Michael Melley said.

Cruiserman is a way-laid-back take on the Ford Ironman Arizona triathlon, which will bring athletes from around the world to Tempe on Thursday for four days of race-related activities leading up to Sunday’s triathlon.

Melley, who organized Cruiserman through his Hub Event Productions business, has competed in the Ironman Arizona triathlon and in the Ironman world championship in Hawaii.

At Cruiserman the beer and pizza garden opened up at the same time the race did. The first beer was on the house. Cruiserman athletes were encouraged to wear costumes and use inflatable “floaties” to make their way across the lake for a 400-yard swim, hop on a cruiser or BMX bike for a 3-mile ride, and skip or hula hoop their way through the one-mile run.

Read more: Azcentral.com