Just out., March 03, 2006, Page 21, Image 21

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The encouragement prompted Tompkins to research triathlons and to sign
up for the Gay Games.
“I had no idea what a triathlon even was, hut I decided to sign up,”
Tompkins says. “1 knew that if I signed up and paid the money, it would com­
mit me.”
Tompkins, 48, began participating in triathlons to prepare himself for the
Games and in the process became dedicated to the sport. Just months before
departing for Chicago, he is in the best shape of his life. But getting here has
been challenging.
In addition to sustaining serious injuries after being hit by a car during a
training ride, Tompkins also relocated to Oregon from Texas and had to find a
new trainer. Despite the roadblocks, he is making excellent progress.
“1 have hired a coach and focused on training,” he says. “Having a coach
has radically improved my performance even in just six weeks. I definitely
could have gone and participated and had a great time, but 1 knew that I
wasn’t going to place in my age group if 1 didn’t get some instruction.”
Tompkins still does not consider himself an athlete, but he does have high
hopes of placing in his age group. He also hopes that attending the Games with
partners Colley and John Lafrentz brings the trio closer together.
“This is a chance for me to be something that I never thought I could be,”
he says. “It means a lot that the three of us are going to do it together.”
John Lafrentz
It was the power of persuasion that led John Lafrentz to commit to running
10 kilometers through the streets of Chicago this summer.
His partners, Dabney Tompkins and Alan Colley, convinced him that
attending the Gay Games together would be a chance to cheer each other on
during their first international sporting competition.
“I knew both intended to go and wanted me to go with them, and I decid­
ed that I didn’t just want to go and watch,” says Lafrentz. “1 could participate
in 10k races all summer and never leave Oregon. The idea of participating in
the Games with people from all across the United States and all around the
world and enjoying the festive atmosphere sounded like a lot of fun.”
Lafrentz, an athlete who is active in sports ranging from running and rock
climbing to skiing and snowboarding, had never considered going to the Gay
Games. His decision to sign up was a means of showing support for his part­
ners.
“We started planning our lives together, and {participating in the Games]
together makes sense to us,” he says. “We figured that if we were not going to
do it together it was not worth doing. We have a really good energy in our rela­
tionship, and we want to take it to Chicago."
Though he has not started training for the.Games, Lafrentz is looking for­
ward to joining his partners for long training runs as the event draws nearer
and supporting them at the finish lines of their respective events. He has also
set personal goals for his performance.
“1 am not going to place; there are people who are going to run six-minute
miles,” he notes. “1 would like to run the 10k in under 45 minutes, which is
about a seven-minute mile. It is achievable, and 1 can train for it between now
and the Games even with a 9-to-5 job.”
Lafrentz, 54, also believes that power of persuasion will be pervasive at the
Games. His hope is that the participants send a message to the rest of the
world.
“There are a lot of good athletes who have stayed in the closet because they
are afraid of what it would be like to be out as an athlete,” he says. “The Games
are a good venue for us to represent ourselves, whether it is in swimming and
diving events or in a road race or triathlon, and show that people who are gay
ate doing the same things as people who are straight and we are excelling.”
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Alan Colley
The triathlon might not seem like the ideal event for a man who hates to
run, but Alan Colley is determined to participate in the event at the Gay
Games in July.
He initially planned to participate in the bike race but realized that the
schedule was not conducive to spending time with his partners, Dabney
Tompkins and John Lafrentz, who were participating in events that fell at the
beginning of the Games. Instead of backing out of the event and going as a
spectator, Colley decided to enter the triathlon.
“There are two groups of people who participate in triathlons,” he says.
“There are people who participate with the intention of beating the clock or
placing in the top three, and there are people who want to finish something or
achieve a personal best or to honor someone who is not able to participate.”
Colley falls into the latter group. The 57-year-old transplant from Texas is
an avid cyclist and swimmer and plans to train hard to run in the event. He
admits that he has a chance to place in his age group but confesses that his
goals for the Games are not just about winning.
“For the first time in my life, 1 want to set a goal for myself and complete
it,” he says. “In terms of athletics, I just never believed that I had enough
strength or endurance or chutzpah to do it.”
It has taken years, but Colley now realizes that he has had the power to
compete all along. The realization has inspired him to attend the Gay Games
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"The Games are a good venue for us
to represent ourselves...and show
that people who are gay are doing
the same things as people who are
straight and we are excelling."
—John Lafrentz
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Alan Colley, an avid cyclist and swimmer, plans to train hard for the
running segment of the triathlon.
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