Triathletes, pre-race, are nothing if not preoccupied and overprepared.

All nervous energy, they mill about the transition area at Rancho Seco Park in the morning stillness, futzing with bike chains and tire air pressure. They arrange their cycling cleats and running shoes just so. They perform the ritual push-tug-hip shimmy dance to don clingy wet suits.

They are, it seems, all business.

Then Mark Shaw takes the microphone and the vibe immediately changes.

"Goooood moooorning!" Shaw says over the crackling PA system at last month's 26th Tri for Fun sprint triathlon (half-mile swim, 16-mile bike, three-mile run). "How about a shout-out for our first-timers? Raise your hands!"

About two dozen hands reach tentatively in the air, and a few joyous hoots punctuate the polite applause.

"We're gonna get 'em hooked," Shaw continues. "Here's the deal: Be nice to the first-timers today. We want them to be part of the multisport lifestyle. Remember: no headphones, no foul language. Be nice to each other."

What? Is this a triathlon or a fitness lovefest?

Well, maybe both.

The goal of Total Body Fitness – prime mover for triathlons, mountain bike races, trail runs and open-water swim events in the Sacramento area – goes beyond putting on well-run races featuring some of Northern California's most skilled endurance athletes.

Founder Bill Driskill, along with co-owner Shaw and training partner Dan Foster, seek nothing less than to make the sedentary sweat and get them to enjoy every minute of it. Through their races at various locales and ongoing training classes in and around Folsom Lake, they strive to restore a sense of joy in movement long rendered dormant in most people.

"For me, as I've gotten older," says Driskill, 48, "I like to teach play, teach people to have fun in the outdoors and not live such boring lives."

All indications are that Driskill and Shaw have succeeded. The two friends since high school (Foothill in Pleasanton) have had more than 10,000 participants at triathlon events since staging their first race in 1999, even more if you count mountain bike events and duathlons. (Their next events will be triathlons Saturday and Sunday at Rancho Seco.)

No participant left behind

And while Total Body Fitness has served as a launching pad for elite triathletes such as Jamie Whitmore and Lydia Delis-Schlosser as well as national-champion junior cyclist Evan Huffman, Driskill and Shaw say the focus is on promoting fitness to the masses.

They call it the "multisport lifestyle," and it's more than just the swim-bike-run regimen. In fact, the very use of the term "regimen" makes them shake their heads. Too many negative connotations.

There is no time cutoff for TBF events. Driskill and Shaw and a small army of volunteers stay until the last person crosses the finish line. And sometimes it takes awhile.

"The final finisher is just as important, if not more so, than the first-place finisher," says Shaw, 47. "Our typical client is a 39-year-old mother of two who wants to get in shape. A lot of our races are sprint distances, even shorter. They are worried if they'll finish last and be accepted. They can take pride in knowing they can find a family, support and confidence."

Such was the case with Connie Wilson, 60, who has competed in six triathlons and dropped 42 pounds in the process.

"I like the Total Body races because it's so friendly," she says. "It's not so serious. I did the Auburn Triathlon (put on by another organizer) recently and it was pretty cutthroat competition."

Not to say that TBF races don't cater to serious athletes.

Marianne Hernandez, 47, of the Mad Cows Racing team, finished third among women in the recent Tri for Fun. She's raced in TBF events since the beginning and says, "These guys know, from an athlete's perspective, what we need in a race."

They know from experience

Maybe that's because Driskill, Shaw and Foster are accomplished triathletes themselves.

In their post-high school lives, they balanced careers with competing on the short-lived Bud Light United States Triathlon Series in the 1980s. They were not quite good enough to turn pro full time, but the experience spawned a love of adventure that led them to chuck their corporate shackles and make a go at earning a living in the exercise and fitness industry.

Call The Bee's Sam McManis, (916) 321-1145. Read his postings on The Bee's Sacramento Health & Fitness blog at sacbee.com/blogs.