David Oakes flashes a mile-wide smile after completing last year's inaugural Reverse the Cycle Sprint Triathlon. The 80-year-old made his way to Cullman from Kosciusko, Miss., for the 2014 event and is hoping to make a return trek next Saturday.

Cullman’s most unique — not to mention only — triathlon is back for a second year.

The Reverse the Cycle Sprint Triathlon is set for Saturday morning at the Cullman Wellness and Aquatic Center. The Link of Cullman County will once again put on the event, with the Urgent Care Center of Cullman serving as the title sponsor.

All proceeds will benefit The Link, which board member Bo Shirey — also a local athletic trainer with Encore Rehab of Cullman — said is a non-profit, faith-based organization “trying to reverse the cycle of poverty.”

Hence the play on words in the triathlon’s name — and the order of its events.

Instead of the usual sandwiching of bicycling with swimming and running, participants in the Cullman race can expect to start on their feet and finish in the pool.

The kids competition, which consists of a 1-mile run, 2-mile bike ride and 50-yard swim, will get things going at 7:30 a.m. An hour later, the adults will take the course for a 2-mile run, 8-mile bike ride and 200-yard swim.

Helmets must be worn while bicycling. The only requirement for swimmers is that they touch the walls.

“I don’t care how you get there,” Shirey said. “You can walk the shallow end and swim the deep end. It’s just a fun race.”

Relay teams are also an option for those only wanting to handle one leg and leave the rest up to others.

Overall male and female, adults and kids winners will be crowned. The field will also be broken into several age divisions.

Registration is currently available at active.com — just search for Reverse the Cycle — and at The Link, the Aquatic Center and other locations throughout the community. It’ll remain open up until race time, though shirts won’t be guaranteed the closer it gets to the event.

Last year’s triathlon featured 150 adults and 50 kids representing seven different states and ranging from ages 5-79.

Of the 100 brave souls already signed up, Shirey said maybe 20 are from inside county lines, a number he hopes grows exponentionally as late registration heats up.

One local he doesn’t have to worry about coming back to give the quirky triathlon another try is Rick White. The 73-year-old is already raring and ready to go after finishing second in a competitive 60-and-older age group in 2014.

Not too shabby for his first-ever triathlon.

This year’s will mark only White’s second, and he’s eager to return mostly to show his support for a non-profit like The Link that “very practically” attends to “some of the underserved needs in Cullman County.”

Another draw for White is the atmosphere. Shirey said many racers in the inaugural event didn’t leave without commenting on how rare it is to have spectators line the course with signs and cheer on the participants as they pass.

According to White, that same friendliness isn’t reserved solely for the fans.

“There’s a competitiveness, but there’s not a cutthroat competitiveness,” he said. “It’s a fun competitiveness.”

White, who moved from Tupelo, Miss., to Cullman about two and a half years ago to be closer to his grandkids, was near the back of the pack after the running segment a year ago. His spin classes at the Aquatic Center paid off when he hopped on the bike, however, allowing him to pass 15 people before hitting the water.

Not familiar with spin? White has you covered.

“It’s a (stationary) bike with no brakes, no speedometer and a lady that yells at you,” he quipped.

While speed was certainly on his mind on the bicycle, merely finishing the first and third legs was good enough for White.

“That’s the only suit I have to play,” he said with a laugh. “I just kind of participate in the others.

“If it were a triathlon with a longer distance, I probably would not have volunteered as readily as I did last year. But the shorter distance makes it a lot more accessible for the weekend warrior, so to speak.”

White’s company in the male’s oldest age group will hopefully include David Oakes, a fan favorite at last year’s event.

At the ripe young age of 79, Oakes made the 200-mile trek to Cullman from Kosciusko, Miss., in 2014 and completed the course in just less than an hour and 20 minutes. Now 80, the triathlon ace is excited at the opportunity to return — so long as his health allows it.

Oakes said “it’s still up for grabs” whether he’ll be able to attend because he hasn’t been feeling well. That was the case a year ago as well, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to stop him from entering.

“Being a year older, I feel like I can beat my time — if I feel like doing it,” Oakes said. “Some mornings I get up and I can’t hardly put one foot in front of the other. But on some mornings I feel great and I go out and take a good workout.”

Oakes started competing in triathlons around 1988 and bike races close to 1996. At his peak, he’d take in about 10 or 12 of each a year.

That adds up to a lot of triathlons — and Oakes isn’t shy about sharing where Cullman’s stacks up.

“I thought for a first time it was great,” he said. “It was one of the best organized and best presented that I’ve ever been to. The facilities y’all have are just as good as any I have seen.”

Should Oakes decide to try his luck again, he plans to bring his wife this time. He’d like her to see what Cullman has to offer and explore the area a bit more than he did during his first visit.

Who knows? They might not be visits before long. Oakes said Cullman is high on his list of “retirement places” he’d consider.

For now, though, he’d be content just to be a tourist by this time next weekend.

“I sure hope that I feel like coming,” Oakes said, “because I’m looking forward to it.”