Text and Photos
By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WINONA LAKE — Benjamin Stone views winning this year’s Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club’s Sprint Triathlon as “a comeback.”

That was due to him having two hip surgeries last year.

Stone, 27, Indianapolis, finished first in the 30th iteration of the event held on Saturday, June 24, in Winona Lake, with a time of 55:14.

It was his third victory in a row, with him having won five of the last six triathlons.

“I was recovering from (a hip surgery) when I did this race last year and the day before I came up to do this race I had just gotten the diagnosis that I needed a second hip surgery, so this was kind of a last hurrah last year,” he noted. “To me, this is the sign that if my time is similar to what it was in 2021 that I’m finally back from a performance standpoint, and I really enjoy having the opportunity to come out and race on a course that I know well and can compare myself to year over year.”

Stone referenced two men competing Saturday, Fred Hemsath and Don Ransome, who’ve entered every year since the event was held.

“I’m sure that they (compare their times) each year. They might feel that they’re getting a little slower, but if they don’t get too much slower each year, it’s always a positive sign,” he said.

Stone’s time was about two minutes faster than last year and 30 seconds faster than 2021.

He shared why he opts to keep returning to compete at the site of his first-ever triathlon six years ago.

“I grew up in Fort Wayne … I just really enjoy the hometown kind of feel (the triathlon) has, and it’s a great run event, so I really appreciate it being put on each year,” he said. “It’s a nice course. It’s safe (and) it’s fun.”

Top Female Finisher

Amanda Hoffer, 35, Hamlet, was the top female finisher at 1:09.47.

It’s only the third time she’s competed in it, with her just swimming in one of those as part of a relay.

“It feels pretty great because I came from the bottom,” she said. “I started in 2014, and I really wasn’t very good, and so I’ve just really worked my way up.”

Her time Saturday was more than 10 minutes better than when she did the full race before.

Hoffer said she tries to do as many triathlons as she can each summer.

Winona Lake Police Compete

Competing for the first time this year were three Winona Lake Police Department officers.

Sgt. Joe Bumbaugh and officers Shawn Kantenwein and David Swain participated as team, with Kantenwein swimming, Bumbaugh cycling and Swain running.

Their time was 1:28.35.

“We just got together and were talking about the number of years that we’ve spent doing traffic control and things like that and just thought it’d be a good idea to represent the PD in the triathlon for a change,” said Bumbaugh. “We decided who was the best swimmer, runner, stuff like that. I told them I’d love to ride the bike for it.”

“Dave’s been working out, running a lot. Shawn Kantenwein said that he’d more than happy to do the swim and so it just worked out,” he added. “I would love to do it again. I absolutely would. I’ve actually only been training for about a month because I just got my bicycle … and today was my personal best as far as time goes. I’d love to do a repeat next year and see if we can’t improve.”

The officers also shared the importance of being able to support the community through participating in the event.

For The Kids

Helping others was the main purpose of Saturday’s event.

Like other Optimist Clubs, Warsaw’s breakfast one gives funds raised to help children in various ways.

Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club President Chris Plack mentioned the club grossed $23,000 in funds from the triathlon.

“This is one of our favorite events because it not only is a fundraising event so we can continue our mission of supporting the youth in this county, but look at this turnout,” he said.

The approximately 230 competitors marked “a record turnout,” said Plack.

“It brings people here to Winona Lake so they can see everything that this community has to offer, and it’s just a fantastic event,” he added.

Plack thanked sponsors and club volunteers who manned the race and started at 5 a.m. “preparing breakfast for local law enforcement” and snacks and meals for participants.

He was grateful to the local police for overseeing the route.

“It’s just the kind of event that makes you proud to be an Optimist and … a member of this community,” said Plack.

Top Results

Female 15-19 years old
First Place: Annie Scholl, 16, Warsaw
Second Place: Alydia Mellady, 16, Waynetown
Third Place: Elise Neher, 17, Roanoke

Female 20-24 years old
First Place: Allison Miller, 24, Warsaw
Second Place: Gracie Scholl, 21, Warsaw
Third Place: Riley Meredith, 20, Craigville

Female 25-29 years old
First Place: Kalene Stanley, 29, Apple Creek, Ohio
Second Place: Alison Jankowski, 27, Warsaw
Third Place: Audrey Schroeder, 28, Warsaw

Female 30-34 years old
First Place: Alyssa Hansen, 33, Hoffman, Ill.
Second Place: Heather Graham, 30, Warsaw
Third Place: Nicole Pitts, 30, Warsaw

Female 35-39 years old
First Place: Amanda Hoffer, 35, Hamlet
Second Place: Jessica Turner, 39, Winona Lake
Third Place: Amanda Weybright, 37, Milford

Female 40-44 years old
First Place: Jennifer Mains, 41, Wolcottville
Second Place: Megan Chadler, 42, no town listed
Third Place: Laurel Gensic, 43, Fort Wayne

Female 45-49 years old
First Place: Kristen Long, 48, Winona Lake
Second Place: Julie Brubaker, 49, Fort Wayne
Third Place: Kimberly Davis, 46, Dyer

Female 50-54 years old
First Place: Daphne Glover, 51, Fort Wayne
Second Place: Ann Barker, 50, Winona Lake
Third Place: Rachel Johnson, 53, Warsaw

Female 55-59 years old
First Place: Eda Davidman, 58, Chicago, Ill.
Second Place: Robin Tinsley, 57, Columbia City
Third Place: Tracy Reinholt, 57, Warsaw

Female 60-64 years old
First Place: Tamara Shuler, 63, Constantine, Mich.
Second Place: Resia Rinker, 61, Syracuse
Third Place: Trina Chapman-Smith, 60, Auburn

Female 65-69 years old
First Place: Paula Turk, 65, Elkhart
Second Place: Alicia McClean, 67, Valparaiso

Male 15-19 years old
First Place: Samuel Klopenfenstein, 19, Goshen
Second Place: Malachi Scholl, 19, Warsaw
Third Place: Noah Bontrager, 15, Shipshewana

Male 20-24 years old
First Place: Kaden Lindsey, 23, Lebanon
Second Place: Jeremy Johnson, 20, Warsaw
Third Place: Ryan Knowles, 23, Warsaw

Male 25-29 years old
First Place: Benjamin Stone, 27, Indianapolis
Second Place: Paul Cater, 26, Fort Wayne
Third Place: Greyson Barringer, 28, Fort Wayne

Male 30-34 years old
First Place: Johannes Olind, 32, Rolling Prairie
Second Place: Randy Sterk, 33, Winona Lake
Third Place: Grant Bucher, 33, Fremont

Male 35-39 years old
First Place: Timothy Murray, 37, Goshen
Second Place: Luke Penner, 37, Goshen
Third Place: Mark Robarge, 36, Fort Wayne

Male 40-44 years old
First Place: Craig Bontrager, 41, Goshen
Second Place: Mark Watson Jr., 44, Angola
Third Place: Rolf Froidevaux, 42, Warsaw

Male 45-49 years old
First Place: Chris Fruehwirth, 46, Granger
Second Place: Brandon Shiflett, 47, Bremen
Third Place: Jonathan Purvis, 47, Greenwood

Male 50-54 years old
First Place: Tedd Girouard, 51, Las Vegas, Nev.
Second Place: Danny Balos, 51, Niles, Mich.
Third Place: Jay Sutton, 50, Pickerington, Ohio

Male 55-59 years old
First Place: Terry Lavery, 56, Oak Park, Ill.
Second Place: Paul Baker, 59, Howe
Third Place: Jeffrey DeVries, 57, Goshen

Male 60-64 years old
First Place: Patrick Sullivan, 60, Warsaw
Second Place: Steve Savage, 63, Warsaw
Third Place: Ken St. John, 64, Indianapolis

Male 65-69 years old
First Place: Eddie Drudge, 65, Claypool
Second Place: Doug Stanley, 65, Goshen
Third Place: Justin Frericks, 68, Syracuse

Male 70 and over
First Place: Jay Campbell, 70, South Haven, Mich.
Second Place: Jeff Miller, 70, Warsaw
Third Place: Robert Stephens, 73, Lakewood, Fla.

Full results from the race may be viewed at rubletiming.com. People should then click on “Warsaw Triathlons.”