Another Successful Triathlon For Optimist Club
WINONA LAKE – Humid weather and overcast skies were the setting on Saturday morning as triathletes from ranging from Chicago to Fort Wayne competed in the Warsaw Optimist Triathlon. The rain held-off just long enough to keep the fans dry, but the competitors were soaked from the beginning.
The event begins with the swimming portion as competitors plunge into Winona Lake and swim out and around a designated marker. Upon returning to shore they jump into the biking portion. The bike stage takes the race down Pierceton Rd. and back, for a 13.5-mile ride leading into the 3.5-mile running portion to finish out the three events.
Matt York of Kokomo would take top honors for the males as he finished with a time of 1:07:07. York, 39, also took first place in the 35-39 age group for males. York finished seventh in the event last year. Amy Kuitse, 51, took top honors in the 50-54 age group for females and would be the top placing female overall with her time of 1:14:39.
York and Kuitse led the pack, but the day was about more than winning for those in attendance. Final standings were seemed to be of no concern for many people crossing the finish line. Many finished with the look of overwhelmed joy and exhaustion, but a strong sense of accomplishment and confidence as loved ones greeted them with big smiles.
Click here to see the first runner cross the finish line at Saturday’s triathlon.
The event coordinators wanted to make this year’s event more family friendly while still keeping its competitive edge. It’s safe to say that goal was met after watching large numbers of youth competitors cross the finish line with parents and grandparents just feet away cheering for their child’s effort.
Caleb Darr, 16, of Bourbon clocked in at 1:15:14 to take top honors in the 15-17 male age group. Olivia Von Gunten, 15, of Berne finished in 1:21:22 to grab first in the 15-17 female age group. Collin Price, 19, of Warsaw (1:19:17) and Emily Neice, 19, of Granger (1:27:40) took first place in the male and female 18-19 age group, respectively.
But the spotlight was not just on the youth in Saturday’s race. Bob McKeague, 89, of Villa Park, IL and Bill Pauley, 79, of Valparaiso both won an award for inspiration as they were the field’s oldest competitors, though they did not run like it. McKeague turned in a time of 2:02:43 while Pauley had a time of 2:18:16.
Barb Martz, a Winona Lake resident, took first place in the female 40-44 age group with here time of 1:21:58. Another local triathlete grabbed a plaque on his way home as Warsaw’s Steve Knouff took top honors in the male 65-69 age group with a time of 1:29:41.
Seth Prince (male 20-24), Laken Lefever (female 20-24), Shawn Sullivan (male 25-29), Emily Tyson (female 25-29), Brad McCracken (male 30-34), Sharla Berger (female 30-34), Sara Randolph (female 35-39), Gene Crusie (male 40-44), Mark Ziegert (male 45-49), Peggy Hasse (female 45-49), John Sakelaris (male 50-54), Marc Laudeman (male 55-59), Brenda Worrell (female 55-59), Jim Cunning (male 60-64), Jean Anne Yackshaw (female 60-64), Sandra Jackson (female 65-69), and Fred Hemsath (male 70-74) were the other division winners at Saturday’s triathlon.
Full results can be found by visiting this link to Online Race Results.
The 21st annual triathlon is put on by the Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club and its sponsors. This was the second year that there was a mini-triathlon held for the youth. The youth were once again recognized separately during the awards portion of the day.