Weekend Athlete Hits the Elkhart Lake Triathlon in a 2009 Kia Sedona

It’s summer, and that means it’s time to switch to triathlons, camping and trail-running. The Weekend Athlete feature is also changing things up, adding a more real-life, real-use look at whatever car — sometimes, gasp! rentals — I’m taking on my adventures.

Destination: Racing the Elkhart Lake Triathlon

Car: 2009 Kia Sedona

Distance: About 338 miles

The Trip: I’ve done this triathlon several times over the past few years, and it might just be my favorite because it gives me an excuse to take a long drive in the country on one or two lightly traveled roads. The racecourse is also super-fun, with good hills.

My bike obviously comes along, and because it’s early in the year the wetsuit does too. I like to stay up in Wisconsin the night before, so I bring more gear than normal: Food, extra clothes, etc. To my mind, all of this means that it’s the best triathlon to test a car. (In a weird coincidence, the first time I did this race I had a Kia Optima sedan.)

Recall Alert: Nearly 140,000 Kia Vehicles

Kia has issued a recall for 139,844 Kia vehicles from the 2006 and 2007 models years, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Affected models include the Amanti, Rondo, Sedona, Sorento and Sportage, all of which could potentially have been built with damaged stop-lamp switches.

This could result in the brake lights not illuminating during braking, or continuing to illuminate after the brake pedal has been released. Also, the shifter may jam in the Park position, the electronic stability control light may illuminate the “ESC Off” indicator, and depressing the brake may not deactivate the cruise control. Any of these malfunctions could create a dangerous driving situation.

Dealers will replace the stop-lamp switch free of charge. Owners can contact Kia’s customer center at 800-333-4542 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236.