An idea for an Urban Sustainable Mobility Triathlon -- ride bike share bikes, swim the local river, and run on the streets

The Washington Post ran an article, "We had triathletes race all 6 of D.C.’s bike-share bikes. The results surprised even us," which gives me the idea...

Six equally fast triathletes, six bike-share bikes. Who emerged victorious? (Photos by Allie Caren).

Otherwise the article seemed to miss the point.

The point of bike share is biking for transportation, not racing.

But it raises the aforementioned idea, as a way to promote urban environmental goals and objectives:

- clean water and swimmable rivers
- sustainable mobility including biking for transportation
- active movement, being outside, running and walking

Note that in 2012, Jefferson Smith, a competitor in the "Nation's Triathlon," did use a Capital Bikeshare bicycle ("'If I Said It Was a Breeze, I'd Be A Liar': The Capital Bikeshare Triathlete Speaks," DCist).

Gabriel Horchler demonstrates part of his commute as he rows on the Anacostia River on Jan. 12, 2016, in Bladensburg, Md. Horchler has used rowing as part of his commute for 15 years. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

WRT the "water" portion of the race, from time to time media report about people, kayaking or canoeing as part of their commute ("‘Master of the River’: A 71-year-old librarian’s 15 years of water commutes," and "Navigating the River Road to Work," Washington Post; "One less car: Amazon engineer gets to work by kayak — and enjoys a unique perspective on Seattle," Geekwire). 

Apparently a group of CIA staff used to canoe across the Potomac River to get to work at the headquarters in Langley, Virgina ("Declassified: The CIA Canoe Commuters," Canoe & Kayak Magazine).

That could be another element within the Urban Sustainable Mobility Triathlon, an option to swim or to canoe/kayak/row as part of the water element, and walking or running as part of the "on foot" element of the race.