(4-15-08) Submitted by Dave Campbell - What a beautiful day for a race! After a long, wet, cold winter of training, nearly three hundred Northwest athletes gathered joyously in warm, sunny weather Saturday, April 12 along the Columbia River just outside Portland. The Spring Classic Duathlon consists of a 5k Run, 15mi bike, and 5k run and although the roads are flat, the winds on Marine Drive make the race challenging for early season fitness testing. The courses are all simple out-and-backs with the run going in opposite directions and the bike course featuring frequently changing winds. Heading out to the first turn-around, even the strongest cyclists struggled to maintain 18 mph while going 30 in the opposite direction.
26-year-old Josh Monda from Vancouver, WA led the race from start to finish to win in 1:14:14 with a victory margin of over a minute and a half. Monda blasted through the first out-and-back run in an impressive 16:54 and was fifth-fastest on the bike behind uber-cyclist Matthew Wolpert, who laid down a blistering 36:41 en route to second overall and age group win. Monda closed out the race with the fastest second run of the day - an impressive 18:07 in the rising winds, to claim the victory. Jeff Henderson of Portland was third overall, just 28 seconds behind Wolpert. 41-year-old Sean Campbell of Klamath Falls was the Masters winner after placing 5th overall in 1:17:27.
The Women's race was much closer with Jenn Mock of Camas, WA, leading in the first run in 19:22 and hot on the heels of many of the top men, including me. Kristy Aalberg posted the fastest bike split in 42:50, but 40-year-old Angela Thatcher was just four seconds slower, and the new leader going into the final run. Thatcher, of Sherwood, OR who had been a minute down in the first run was the second-fastest woman in the finale to take the victory overall and in the Masters, with 1:26:44 and Mock just 42 seconds back and winning her age group after a tough second run. Aalberg, another Masters athlete was third, just five seconds behind. 60-year-old Lauren Binder of Portland was one of the most impressive performers of the day, less than nine minutes behind the winner is a stunning 1:35:19.
The top relay team on the day were women: Nicole Gibbons (run) and Casey Holland (bike) of Tualatin paired up to post 1:29:50, nearly three minutes ahead of second place Team Thompson.
The next major multisport race in the area will be the Heart of the Valley Sprint Triathlon May 26 in Corvallis. The swim is in the Osbourne Aquatic Center's Long-Course Pool and should serve as a nice prep for athletes looking towards the Blue Lake Triathlon in mid-June. Despite the fabulous sun, the weather will still offer ample challenge so keep training, keep smiling, and I will see you at the races!
