COUPLE COMPETE IN NEW BIATHLON SPORT; EVENT BRINGS TOGETHER RUNNING, SHOOTING

Joy and Gary Gilbert likely would try any sport that included middle- or long-distance running.

So it's not surprising that when the Cape Girardeau couple learned three years ago of a new summer version of Olympic biathlon, which combines cross-country skiing with target shooting, they were eager to give the sport a try.

The Olympic sport's summer version combines running with target shooting, and on the national level some of its top competitors also are on the U.S. National Biathlon Team.

"It's an event that grew out of the Olympic biathlon," said Gary Gilbert, 59. "That sport includes cross-country skiing and shooting at stationary targets, while the summer version has running and shooting."

Gilbert said running is a passion he and his wife have shared for years. They both compete in full marathons and other races throughout the year.

And although they've only been in summer biathlon a couple of years, Joy Gilbert said they usually finish in the top three places for their age group when they compete. She's 53.

At last year's national competition in St. Louis, she finished 11th overall good enough to earn $350 in prize money.

"I usually average about six or seven targets, but only got five," she said. At 11th place, she missed winning a new .22-caliber rifle by four places.

One difference between summer biathlon and the Olympic version of the sport is that the runners don't carry their weapons as do the cross-country skiers.

"The biggest thing with summer biathlon is that the event has to be held close to a shooting range," Gary Gilbert said. "Once you get near the shooting range, you're required to walk to the targets."

He said the race includes a mile run followed by shots at five different stationary targets. The first five shots are fired from a prone position.

"Then you run another five miles, shoot at five targets while standing, then finish the race with another mile run," he said.

But the second set of targets is much more difficult to hit because the athletes have to fire while standing.

"When you go out and run that second mile then come back and shoot five shots standing, that's very difficult because that target just won't stand still," Gary Gilbert said.

For each of the 10 targets an athlete misses, seconds are added to his race finish time.

Combining the physical exertion of running with the concentration and "steady-handedness" of shooting at small targets 25 meters away makes it difficult to excel at the sport without ample practice.

"You run a hard mile, then you need to zero in on that target and get that heart rate down," he said. "It's not easy. Even the best shooters will miss two to four shots."

Joy Gilbert said they own targets and a practice rifle that fires .177-caliber pellets suitable for their residential neighborhood at Hilldale Circle. But, she added, it's difficult to practice without a full shooting range.

"I told Gary that this sport will become too expensive if we have to buy property in order to have a place to shoot," she said. "But practice is helpful. We get around these people who are really good and you feel really inadequate."

As a former marksman in the Marine Corps, Gilbert said it's embarrassing to miss shots, particularly when prone.

"I did some shooting in the Marine Corps, but that was 40 years ago," he said. "It's especially embarrassing if I miss a shot prone. I ought to make all those shots."

Gilbert said he competed in an event in Bloomington, Ind., last year, which included the University of Indiana ROTC.

"They would run their mile, and within seconds their heart rate would be normal," he said. "I don't know how they did it.

"No matter what I do, whether I run hard or slower, the prone seems relatively easy, but the standing shots are difficult."

Joy Gilbert said that as a long-distance runner the relatively short one-mile bursts aren't difficult. But she also has difficulty hitting all the targets.

"A lot of people aren't competitive runners," she said. "A lot of them primarily are shooters.

"When it comes to shooting, really, concentration is the big thing; trying to relax and hit the target while your heart's pounding.

Gary Gilbert said that while standing most biathletes try to use their body as much as possible to support the rifle. He said the slightest movement even the kind of panting a competitor would expect after just running a mile can result in a missed shot.

But Gilbert said he wouldn't do the sport if it wasn't fun. "We all have a lot of fun," he said. "One guy in St. Louis in two years has not hit a target.

"People have told him he'd be better off just skipping the target portion of the race and try to get a better time running, but he said that's what makes the event fun."

The Gilberts have competed in Indiana, Tennessee, St. Louis and Alton, Ill., in between the numerous running events they compete in annually.

They both use the same rifle when competing, which forces the couple to plan carefully where they'll be during the race.

"We have to make sure we're spread enough in the event so we're not waiting on each other to use the rifle," he said.

Gilbert said that if they were able to compete in more events, they likely would buy another rifle. "There aren't that many events around this area, and we're not going to go to Michigan or Vermont just to compete some weekend," he said.

Joy Gilbert said the sport is something she and her husband do strictly for fun and recreation. Although they've won a number of T-shirts and coffee mugs, there's really no way to compensate for the expenses involved.

"It's just a lot of fun," she said. "It's a new sport and a new challenge. It's something we can do together. We can get out there and see what other people are doing and start setting goals."

Gary Gilbert admitted they aren't likely to win any national competitions. But that doesn't prevent both of them from stirring their competitive fires to continually aim for improvement.

"We always want to get better," he said. "I suppose if we hit 10 targets, we'd probably wished we'd run faster."