A group of students pedal hard up and down the hills of the Ithaca College campus. They fearlessly plunge into the Hill Center pool, heads down, their bodies straight. They shoot through the water like arrows as they pound through lap after lap. They hit the track at Butterfield Stadium and stretch before they run with sweat dripping down their faces.

These 25 students make up this fall’s triathlon and multisport training class taught by Gabe Luvara, an assistant coach of the football team. Because triathlons consist of three different sports — swimming, running and biking — Luvara said he gives students different workouts in each sport, making every week of class different.

“I try to keep it as fresh as possible because you don’t want it to get stale for the kids,” Luvara said. “If that happened, it wouldn’t be fun for anybody.”

Senior Laura Kucsan said she plans to use techniques she’s learning in this class to prepare for a triathlon next fall. Kucsan is a member of the women’s swimming and diving team, and competed in her first triathlon last August in Wildwood, N.J. Kucsan said the class has given her the confidence to compete in the running and biking parts of triathlons.

“I call myself a unique exception to the world of triathlon, because I’m a swimmer, and usually that’s the weakest part for everyone in a triathlon, but for me that’s the strongest part,” Kucsan said.

The class requires rigorous physical activity, but Luvara said he doesn’t discourage nonathletes from attempting the course. Luvara said those who enroll range from athletes to regular students who are just looking to get in shape. He said about 16 students this semester are nonathletes, and the structure of the class allows everyone to work at their own pace.

“It’s not a sink-or-swim class — we’ll take anyone and try to make them a little better,” he said.

Luvara has been teaching the course since he started teaching at the college three years ago and said the class is full most semesters. While he has never competed in a triathlon, Luvara said he has run a few short road races in college and has taken aquatic classes. Luvara said his aquatic training gave him the confidence to teach this class because students tend to struggle with that aspect of triathlon training the most.

“For the majority of students, knowing how to run or ride a bike is not a big deal, it’s just going out and doing it,” he said. “But really knowing what you’re doing in the pool is a little harder for people who aren’t really experienced swimmers.”

Luvara requires students to keep a log of their workouts. He said he recommends that students document times and distances of their jogs, bike rides and swim workouts, as well as how their bodies feel and how that relates to their diets. Sophomore Zach Doell said journaling helps him recognize his progress.

“I remember getting in the pool at the beginning of the semester and thinking, ‘Oh 10 laps, that’s a lot to do,’” Doell said. “Today we did 40 laps, and when it gets to that, you’re like, ‘Oh, whatever, what’s 10 more laps?’”

Kucsan said solely working out in class would not fully prepare them to compete in a triathlon, though.

“People need to do outside work,” Kucsan said. “They can’t just expect to just take the class and be prepared to do a triathlon, but it’s a great way to set you up and to motivate you and to show you the ropes of how to prepare to do a triathlon.”

Senior Erica Gordon, a member of the women’s crew, said her motivation for joining the class was to help her get in better shape.

“Swimming and cycling is something that I don’t often do in my sport,” she said. “It’s nice to use other muscles that I’m not using.”

Gordon said she has considered doing a triathlon, but not until after she graduates.

Doell, like Kucsan, also plans to compete in a triathlon next spring. Kucsan said she plans to devote time each day next summer to train to compete in another triathlon. Doell said he plans to keep training throughout the spring to stay in overall shape in preparation for his competition. Both students said Luvara’s triathlon training techniques are the basis for their competition preparation.

According to the course description, students participate in an intracampus sprint triathlon twice during the semester. Luvara said that he does short races during class, with the winning students receiving a prize of a day off from class without being penalized. While he said having a mock triathlon would be worthwhile, limited resources at the college restrict the potential for this type of competition.

“We can’t supply 25 people with bikes, and this makes it hard, logistically, just to get a full triathlon together at the end,” Luvara said.

He said he does not require that the students train additionally outside of class, but most of the students work out regularly anyway.

“Most of the people in the class are not the type that only want to work out twice a week and call it quits after that,” Luvara said.

Kucsan said the class supplements her regular workout for the swim team, which includes two hours of swimming and either an hour of weight lifting or an hour of running, squats and lunges. Doell has been on the men’s crew for two years, and he said he also uses the class to balance the workout he gets during crew training.

“After a row in the morning, jumping in the pool and going swimming is a really good way to just ease the strain on your muscles and really relax,” Doell said. “It really gets your heart rate going.”

Kucsan said the workouts in class help break up her day and allow her to do something active in between traditional classes.

Doell said Luvara consistently puts each individual student to the test.

“The challenge is good,” Doell said. “I wouldn’t want to go to a class where I know I’m just going to be sitting around in a pool or on a track. I want to actually be doing something and getting a workout.”

Doell said he feels Luvara has taught him the tools he needs to succeed in triathlon training, and he said he feels confident to compete in the future.

“In class, you’re sweating a little bit,” Doell said. “Your heart is beating. It’s really rewarding. What you put into it, you get out of it.”