Few triathletes can claim swimming as their forte, judging by the post-race stories swapped between mouthfuls of watermelon and peanut butter sandwiches at the Biltmore Lake Triathalon last weekend (Sept. 3).

Most athletes lamented their slow swimming time, grumbling about the need to train more. Others wrote the swimming leg off as a lost cause altogether, and instead calculated how much faster they would need to get in the running or biking portions to make up for their performance in the swim segment.

But for Eric Murray of Maggie Valley, his strength in swimming is what catapulted him to win fifth place overall in the men’s division — no small feat for a 15-year-old competing in just his third triathalon against seasoned ironman competitors.

“Swimming has gotten me everywhere in triathlons,” Murray said. “Swimming is my strong point.”

Murray is on the Smoky Mountain Aquatic Club, a year-round swim team based in Haywood County. The team practices six days a week, thanks to the indoor pool at the Waynesville Recreation Center. Members of the team have won state swim titles and made times that have earned them national rankings.

Of course, the triathalon is a little different than swim team. No clear blue water with lane markings on the bottom of the pool to guide swimmers. No starting blocks to dive into the water from. Instead, the half-mile swim in the 72-degree Biltmore Lake had swimmers wading out waist deep and surging forward in a mass of splashing and kicking at the race start.

“It is kind of chaos. You try to avoid as many people as you can,” Murray said. Getting out in front of the pack works for a while, but most triathlons have staggered starts, which means there are packs of swimmers ahead of you.

Murray caught up with two groups of women who had started in earlier groups three minutes and six minutes ahead of him. Trying to navigate the polka dots of yellow swim caps scattered across the water while tracking a straight line toward the orange buoy bobbing in the distance is tricky.

In an open water race, you have to look up, Murray said. Of course, you lose time each time you look up, Murray said, but not as much time as you would if you veered off course or crashed into another swimmer.

“It’s a game,” he said, to find that optimum balance.

Murray’s first triathalon was at Lake Chattuge in Hayesville where the Great Smoky Mountain Triathalon Club puts on several races a year.

“That first time, I just went and did it. I hadn’t trained at all. I had gotten my bike a week before. I really hadn’t trained at all,” Murray said. “I did a lot of mountain biking but had never done road biking.”

Murray did well on the bike leg of the triathalon, too, finishing with the fourth best time. But when it came to the running portion, Murray was 39th.

“Running is my weak point,” Murray admitted.

He also lost a smidgeon of his lead in the transition area, where the swimmers put on their sneakers and jerseys, down some water and hop on their bike.

It took Murray nearly a minute and a half in transition from swim to bike, twice as long as others in the top slots. There can be quite an art to transition areas and learning to do it quickly comes with experience.

“I’ve tried to learn from watching other people,” Murray said.

Murray pre-places an energy gel packet in a pocket on the inside of his jersey and lays the jersey over his bike handlebars. A water bottle is strategically located for a quick sip, another one is locked in place on the bike. He places his sneakers and socks on a towel, so he can wipe grit and gravel off his wet bare feet before putting on his shoes. One speck of sand left on the heel can wreak havoc.

“What I did the first time is I had a little bucket and dunked my feet in it but that was taking up too much time,” said Murray, who ditched the bucket for a towel this time.

One of Murray’s swim team mates, Hunter Mehaffey, 17, of Clyde, had an equally strong finish in the swim leg of the Biltmore Triathlon and was poised for a strong finish also. However, technical difficulties with his bike set him back about 10 minutes.