(5-27-09) Submitted by Dave Campbell - What a field for this fun little race...and what a nice day. The "recently resurrected and reconfigured" Heart of the Valley Sprint Tri was held Monday (Memorial Day) at the Osborne Aquatic Center in Corvallis, OR. It took six heats with six swimmers apiece in the eight-lane pool to get everyone through the 750-meter swim and out onto the 20-kilometer bike and 5k run course. The festivities also included a duathlon (won by Dave Florence of Canby in 1:13:02 and local Olivia Klinkner in 1:31:36 for the 5k Run/20k Bike/5k Run format) and kids triathlons.
26-year-old local John Arzner flew through the swim in just 9:56 to take the first lead, but was soon eclipsed by John Boal, another Corvallis athlete who was more experienced on the bike and only 12 seconds behind out of the water. 39-year-old Warren Bloomberg of Salem, a strong athlete in all three disciplines, unfortunately, missed out on his chance to challenge for the overall title when he blew right through the first bike turnaround shortly after taking the lead and rode extra mileage to eventually hit Highway 99 headed out of town. He recovered to amazingly win the 35-39 age group (1:09:17) but his race for the overall was over.
This is where I came into the picture...seventh out of the water (11:33) but the torturous, windswept, relentlessly hilly bike course was just my style, albeit a pain-inducing ride. Riders truly used every cog on their cassette to navigate this hilly little serpentine suffer-fest. Although I came into T2 with a large lead, I was reminded that no lead in these "pool swim tri's" is safe, due to the 10 second starting intervals, earlier heats, and the presence of many strong runners, four of whom ran under 18 minutes on the day. The best bike split, in fact, was not me (32:19) but rather my nemesis from the WOU Sprint Tri last month, 23-year-old Brendan Treacy (a self professed swim hater) of Corvallis (31:46) clawing back from a 15:08 swim that had him out of the water in 91st place.
Brendan did, in fact, log the fastest run of the day (17:27) and won the 20-24 age group but he fell 1:09 short of catching the oldest guy (40) in the top 10...me! My time (1:04:45) was about a minute slower than when I won this event overall in 2007 but it was nonetheless a fun day and an effort I could be proud of. 22-year-old Zach Yeager of Lake Oswego was a close 3rd, only 3 seconds behind Treacy. 4th overall Sam Bradshaw, also of LO, won the 30-34 age class, while local Eric Edgar, 10th overall in 1:10:48 was top 25-29.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of triathlons for me, a high school teacher, is running into so many former students who now race. This time it was Trevor Hoagland, a Taft Graduate and rival in Cross Country and Track who now is part of the OSU Tri Club and fiercely competitive. Keep an eye on this young man...7th overall and the winner of the 19 and under age group while still on an old road bike and new to the game.
The women's race also rewarded "experience" with local Susan Fox coming 8th out of the water (right behind me) and leading the whole way through to break the tape in 1:10:28, an impressive 10th best overall! The bike was the key on such a challenging course and no one came close to Fox's 36:22. It was over six minutes before second placed 43-year-old Jennifer Henkel of Bend finished in second. Third overall, Tara Rich of McMinville, won the 35-39 age group, and fourth overall woman Tracy Phillips of McMinville took the 30-34s. Megan Sullivan of Springfield was fifth and 25-29 champion while 22-year-old Ann Carson (fastest women's runner in 19:44) won the 20-24 in 1:23:31. The fastest relay on the day was an all-woman team from Portland and Lake Oswego - "The Way you Move" - with Jill Schuldt swimming and running and Natasha Dolezal biking.
Our Northwest triathlon community lost a talented athlete and a true sporting icon this week suddenly, tragically, and way before his time - Steve Larsen of Bend. I have known Steve for 24 years, having met him at the Junior December Cycling Camp at the Olympic Training Center in 1985. He was, quite simply, the most talented rider of my generation and was a major factor in National and International Road, Mountain, Cyclocross, and Triathlon events for over 20 years. He, in fact, is the only rider to compete in the World Championships in all cycling disciplines as well as triathlon. He was also a doting father and a driven businessman who lived his life to the absolute fullest and gave everything he did his very best. As a competitor he was absolutely fierce and unrelenting but off-the-bike was easy-going and fun. He may be gone but his example remains and it is a fine one to follow.
With the "pool swim" triathlon season is now unofficially over and such Pacific Northwest triathlon open water institutions as Blue Lake and Pacific Crest await us in the coming weeks. Warm, dry weather is here to stay and as we were so poignantly reminded: we never know what exactly tomorrow holds, so we better seize the day we have in front of us. Train smart, have fun, and I will see you at the races!
Complete results for the Heart of the Valley Triathlon & Duathlon can be found at www.racecenter.com.
