Triathletes soaked in rain, sweat
by Simon Levine
Thirty-two current students, graduates, faculty and members of the greater Richmond community all packed into Weber Pool early Saturday morning to compete in Earlham’s 26th annual Triathlon.
At 7:30 a.m., a larger group of triathletes started their one-mile swim. A smaller, more experienced group followed them at 8:30 a.m. After their swim, participants completed a 19.2-mile bike ride and a 6.2-mile run up Abington Pike.
In the men’s group, community member David DaPrato reached an early lead thanks to a blazing 22:25 minute swim, but a flat tire during the biking leg slowed him down. This opened up the opportunity for another community member, Kory George, to grab the win.
George finished with an overall time of 2:05:43. Finishing in third was senior Galen Wilder, with a time of 2:15:51.
In the women’s division, senior Mary Trinh won with an overall time of 2:41:26. The second place spot went to Religious Life Director Kelly Burk whose total was 2:47:20. In third place, senior Amy Boxell completed the race in 2:57:20.
The team division was won by the team of Taylor Felker, Steve Williams and Thomas Hale. Felker swam in 27:56, Williams biked in 53:30, and Hale ran in 49:01 for a team total of 2:11:01.
The second place team consisted of senior Emily Doering and junior Molly Fallon. Fallon swam in 34:35 and ran in 51:09. Doering added a bike time of 1:09:30 for a team total of 2:35:29.
In third place were Trinh, senior Ian Cross, and senior Tom Wilson. Trinh swam in 26:05, Cross biked in 1:20:30 and Wilson ran in 47:38 for a total of 2:35:58.
Fallon was enthusiastic about the race, adding that she would compete “next year, for sure.”
Fallon’s teammate, Doering, was candid about her struggles and triumphs in the race: “The bike route is super hilly and at one point I was crawling up a hill, gasping for breath. Once I got off the bike to do the run, I felt like I had jellyfish limbs for the first mile. After that, though, the running got better. By the end, I was feeling great.”
When asked why she took on such an arduous task, Doering pointed to her desire for a challenge.
“The triathlon simultaneously intrigued and terrified me,” Doering said. “I signed up for the tri class with my coach Pat Thomas and once I got to training I began to think of it as a huge challenge and having a goal is always exciting”
Many students cited similar reasons. Third-place men’s finisher Wilder said, “It’s fun. It’s a challenge to see how hard you can push yourself.”
Wilder, who has competed in three Earlham triathlons, was among those students with prior experience, but for some, like senior Andres Guzman, the Earlham Triathlon was their first foray into the sport.
“I’d never done it,” said Guzman, who finished with a time of 2:50:36 and was influenced by his brother, who had competed in triathlons before.
Asked how he felt about the event, Guzman responded, “I was very happy with it. It was well organized.”
The event drew only moderate attendance, likely due to the early Saturday start time and the drizzling rain, which varied in intensity throughout the event. However, those who attended were emphatic.
Senior Kristen Georgia said, “It’s exciting. They’ve worked really hard all semester. It’s fun to see it all come together.”
Senior Will Katz enjoyed the communal nature of the event, saying, “It was cool to be out there and to see the Earlham and Richmond communities come together like that.”
Director of Wellness Operations Shanna Nolan and Pat Thomas, coach of the cross-country teams, organized the triathlon. Thomas described his involvement with the event as, “More timing and results” while crediting Nolan as the force behind organizing logistics.
Earlham’s first triathlon was in 1984. Alumnus Andy White with 1:54:21 holds the record for fastest men’s time, while Holly Kitson holds the women’s record with 2:13:44.
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