John Heller, Post-Gazette Eric Limkemann: A whole new world of competition. Click photo for larger image.

When he was a freshman swimmer at Pitt, Eric Limkemann got talked into entering an open-water race in Maryland.

The ocean doesn't have lane lines to follow, though, and Limkemann got a little off course.

"At one point, I think I was perpendicular to the shore," Limkemann said. "Chuck [Knoles, Pitt swim coach] had told me I had a chance to win the race, but I got beat by girls, I got beat by everybody."

Limkemann went on to become a four-time Big East Conference champion as a distance freestyler and is a Pitt assistant coach.

Now he's back in the open water, this time doing much better there as he takes on a new pursuit: triathlons.

After a year of competing in mostly regional events, Limkemann, 24, is beginning to hit his stride on a more national circuit this summer.

A month ago, he finished fourth overall and first among amateurs at the Columbia Triathlon in Maryland. His time of 1 hour, 58 minutes, 58 seconds beat last year's winning time.

A week ago, Limkemann was fifth in his division, 36th overall in 2:34:41 in the large Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon in San Francisco -- and that was despite being slowed by having to finish the bicycle portion on a flat tire after both blew. He carries only one spare.

"I've worked really hard for it, but to be at the levels where I am right now, it's surprising," said Limkemann, who normally competes every two or three weeks and is aiming for the City of Philadelphia Triathlon in two weeks.

"Last year I had a pretty good summer learning the ropes. I started to realize that I think I could be pretty good at this stuff."

Limkemann is young in a sport where the pros -- who earn that status through qualifying standards -- are closer to 30.

Although the Olympics, which added the triathlon in 2004, might be a long shot, Limkemann hopes to at least get into some international events, along with one day being competitive at the Ironman distances, including the world championship in Hawaii.

The Ironman races have a 2.5-mile swim, a 112-mile bike race and a marathon road race. Most, though, including the Olympics, are what seems a more reasonable 1.5-kilometer swim, 40k bike race and 10k road race.

Limkemann, a swimmer from a very young age, used to bicycle and run as a means of cross-training. Now he works equally on all three, taking tips from Pitt track and strength coaches and joining Tuesday night races at the Pittsburgh Bike Oval on Washington Boulevard.

He's up around 4:30 a.m. for a workout before reporting to Trees Pool for work, and usually hits a second sport later in the day. He also is working on his thesis to complete a master's degree in exercise physiology.

For his early local triathlons, Limkemann used the same bike he had from cross-training. He now has an expensive lightweight racer thanks to a sponsorship from local equipment shop Trizilla.

Limkemann said coming from a sport that requires a Speedo and goggles, it was staggering to realize the cost of competing in triathlons.

He also is sponsored by CSE, a safety equipment manufacturer, and is working on an affiliation with Blue Seventy, which makes wetsuits.

Wetsuits don't cover your feet, though, and Limkemann's went numb during the swim portion of the Columbia Triathlon. That made the ensuing bike and running legs more difficult.

For San Francisco, he had foot warmers for his shoes when he climbed out of the 55-degree water after swimming 1.5 miles from Alcatraz Island to the shore.

"Every time I do a race, I learn something new," Limkemann said.

With Columbia, it was about foot warmth. With San Francisco, it was a reminder that humans aren't the only creatures in open water.

Although the bay there was notorious for sharks when Alcatraz was a prison, Limkemann said they are small and harmless.

"The big thing was these huge sealions in the water right by you," he said.

Who needs lane lines when you've got beasts to keep you from straying off course?