DAPHNE — City Councilman John Lake is busy preparing for the Springhill Medical Center Grandman Triathlon on Saturday, marking the second time he’s entered this Fairhope event.

No matter how he places, Lake will be pleased if he goes the distance.

That’s because there was a time when Lake, 46, couldn’t compete physically due to his size.

“In 1991, I know that I weighed at least 355 pounds. But I don’t know exactly how much more I weighed because my scales stopped there,” Lake said, pausing momentarily as he looked at a photo of his former body.

Those days are gone. Lake currently weighs 223 pounds and exercises regularly, usually 2.5 to 3 hours per day.

He also runs several miles daily.

And he believes he’s ready to tackle the triathlon, which includes swimming one-third of a mile in Mobile Bay, biking 16.4 miles and running 3.1 miles.

“The big thing I did this year was buying a bike to help me train,” Lake said, adding that he has already been riding the triathlon course in preparation for the event.

Participating Saturday isn’t about winning or losing, Lake said.

“It’s just important to me to know that I can do it,” he said. “Plus I distinctly remember how good it felt to finish last year.”

There’s no denying it will be tough, he said.

“Last year I finished in about an hour and a half, while the winner finished in 55 minutes,” Lake said.

“But still, I can’t really describe how good it felt to be in this race with those other folks; knowing that I belonged too.”

Lake will have plenty of company this weekend, since race organizers are expecting one of the largest fields of competitors in the triathlon’s seven-year history.

Mobile Baykeeper executive director Casi Callaway, who is helping to organize the race, said that 460 athletes from 13 states will be participating.

Only about 400 have participated in the past couple of years, she said.

This year’s athletes will be coming from as far away as Wisconsin, California, New York and Virginia, Callaway said.

The event will benefit Baldwin County Trailblazers, Camp Rap-a-hope and Mobile Baykeeper.

“We’re really excited about both the quality and quantity of folks who will be participating Saturday,” Callaway said.

“This is a great race, especially for first-time participants,” she said. “It’s also special because Fairhope is beautiful; people really enjoy swimming in the bay.”

Participants will be swimming on the north side of the Fairhope pier, she said.

She said the bike-riding portion of the race is approximately 6.5 miles longer than last year.

Callaway said the race will begin at 7 a.m. and should be completed by mid-morning. It will be followed by an awards ceremony.

She’s hoping that lots of folks will watch the action.

“The more cheering we have, the more fun it is for the athletes,” Callaway said.

Additional volunteers are still needed to help on race day. To volunteer, call 433-4229.

For more information on the race, see its Web site, www.grandman@mobilebaykeeper.org.