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Jerri Lynn Fields hated jogging. She found it dull, and in her Iowa high school she quickly swapped the track team for basketball. But a few years ago as she was poised to enter her 40s, Fields was determined to find a way to get healthy.

"I reluctantly started running," she said.

And she picked up speed. The executive director of Sleepy Hollow's Hudson Valley Writer's Center did a 10-kilometer race and a 13.1-mile half-marathon before finding a way to enjoy the process, and she didn't stop there.

She bought a hybrid bike and found she loved to ride. She signed up for a few open-water swims in the Long Island Sound. Without even realizing it, Fields was ready for her first triathlon and in the process she had dropped 20 pounds and quit smoking.

So the natural next step was to join the Sound Shore Runners and Multisport Club near her home in Mamaroneck, and now she and her husband hold positions in the organization.

"We kind of have this network now, which is great," Fields said. "Triathlons are a pretty intimidating event, but even average athletes can try one, and there are plenty of distances which might appeal to a newcomer."

Fields, like many, started with a so-called sprint-distance triathlon last August in Harriman.

With just a few weeks of training, someone with an average fitness level can prepare for a sprint-distance triathlon. A triathlon usually consists of a swim followed by a bike ride and a run, and there is tremendous variety within those boundaries.

A sprint - which can be done full speed by an experienced triathlete or can be a way for a beginner to get comfortable with the event - might be a half-mile swim, a 16-mile bike and a three-mile run. Compare that with an Olympic distance triathlon with a 1.5-mile swim, 40-mile bike and a 10-kilometer run.

"The first time you do it all at once, it takes a lot out of you," said Stacy Jargowsky, the race coordinator for a new local series of races.

This summer at Harriman State Park there will be four sprint triathlons put on by SBR Multisports, a specialty triathlon outlet in Manhattan.

"It's a perfect distance for a beginner," Jargowsky said. "Out of all the triathlons you can do, it's the shortest."

But there are races for those who want to improve - or eliminate - their weakest event.

Some races combine two elements, most commonly the run and the bike ride, while others are more unusual, for example swapping out the swim for a kayak leg. The Liberty to Liberty triathlon on May 27 starts in New York with a one-mile swim followed by a 91-mile bike ride to Philadelphia and a 10K to finish.

On Aug. 5, the Taconic Road Runners will again host a biathlon in Mahopac that is a three-mile run and a half-mile swim. It's one of the few events that doesn't have the swim first. As the potentially most dangerous element of multisport, organizers usually put it first for safety reasons.

West Point has one of the most challenging triathlons in August. It features an 8K swim, a 28-mile bike and a 5K, but more than the distance, the heat and the hills are killer.

It's definitely not a starter race.

If this all seems intimidating, no one has to train alone. There are clubs and coaches in the Lower Hudson Valley to help athletes of all ability levels. Team in Training, the endurance sports program that is part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, offers coaching and solidarity in return for fundraising.

"We have mentors who are past triathletes, and everyone who signs up gets a mentor," said Jillian Bonelli, the campaign manager for the program.

Although Jargowsky, who got started in triathlons last year, admits that seeing a half-mile stretch of open water can be jarring after training in pool lanes, there are plenty of resources to help potential triathletes prepare.

A group such as Sound Shore Runners and Multisport Club, which holds several training sessions through the season, is just one of the support networks to connect reluctant runners with their inner Ironman.

"I just loved it," Fields said. "I absolutely loved it."