City’s triathlon has come long way since humble start

With inspiration from an early “Magnum, P.I.” episode, the impact of a misstep and good old Chicago help from somebody who knew somebody, the Chicago Triathlon was born.

“[Magnum] did an Ironman,’’ organizer Jan Caille remembered a few days before this weekend’s 30th edition of the city’s definitive swimbike-and-run competition. “I thought what a great idea. I did some research and found out about the Ironman and planned to do it in 1983.’’

That idea vanished with a misstep and broken leg.

“I was not suicidal, but close to it,’’ Caille remembered. “I couldn’t train.’’

Instead, he organized a triathlon with a friend who owned a bike shop and another who owned a running shop.

It’s still going. The Life Time Tri Chicago is Sunday. A fitness expo begins today. Associated races and events are Saturday. The cluster events draw thousands to Chicago for an extended weekend.

But more than 30 years ago, prospects for the first one didn’t look promising. Organizers had built contacts with Mayor Jane Byrne’s administration. Those connections were gone with the historic election of Harold Washington.

“We had to start all over again,’’ Caille said.

In the grand tradition of Chicago, organizers lucked into somebody who knew somebody. Stewart Weltman, a young attorney and triathlete, wondered what was going on with his application for the first race and called, only to find out the event might be dead before it started.

“When I heard that, I got pissed off,’’ Weltman said Wednesday. “It was lucky stars. My boss was politically connected to the Washington administration. My mother knew one of the board members, Sydney Marovitz, at the Park District.’’

A political primer for those who forgot: the city had nearly ground to a halt with fighting between the

Where: Top prize: Chicago Multisport & Fitness Expo: Saturday. Fleet Feet Sports Supersprint Triathlon: Foster Avenue Beach, 7:30 a.m. Saturday. Chicago Kids Triathlon: Foster Avenue Beach, 9 a.m. Saturday. Info: chicagotriathlon.com.

Sunday. First wave begins at 6 old guard, who still ran the Park District and parks, and Washington’s City Hall, which controlled Lake Shore Drive and the streets.

“It took a couple weeks to get it lined up,’’ Weltman said. “We had a meeting at city hall.’’

One key figure was Joe Pecoraro, a lakefront legend who had worked up from lifeguard to become superintendent of the beaches and pools for the Park District.

“I remember he said, ‘What do we have to do to get this Tricathlon — his word for it — done?’ ’’ Weltman said.

Once Pecoraro understood the importance of the transition area — where swimmers mount bikes, then return, dismount and begin the run — he got behind it.

In the current setup, the swim is in Monroe Harbor with the transition area at Randolph and the lakefront; the bike ride is Randolph to Foster on Lake Shore Drive and back to the transition area with the run ending just south of Balboa on Columbus.

Now the city bends over to accommodate one of the top participatory sporting events in Chicago. But for the first one, the sticking condition was that LSD not be shut down. Weltman credited a gentleman known as Dan for walking Lake Shore Drive and coming up with a way for bicyclists to use it while traffic could continue to flow.

From several hundred participants for the iffy first one, the second Chicago Triathlon doubled to more than 1,400. And the race was on.

By the third year, they added a relay component. And soon the expo, kids triathlon and Supersprint, which all added more people and days to the mix.

No other major urban area had a triathlon at first.

“Most were held out in the country,’’ Caille said. “We hung our hat that the Chicago took place in a metro area, but in one incredible and beautiful and rich city.’’

From the beginning, Chicago attracted local triathletes, and a strong pro field. It still accommodates both groups. Caille has an affinity for the early pros, those ground-breakers such as Scott Molina and Scott Tinley. Caille treated them like stars and they had a place to build and pump their sponsors on a major urban stage.

And they helped build the weekend and Chicago as a destination.

Before the 1987 race, Caille told former Sun-Timesman Brian Hanley, “They come for a mini-vacation.’’

It’s still true, just thousands more to swim, bike and run for an extended Chicago getaway.