PALMER  — By now it’s cliché to say Alaskans are tough enough to handle extreme cold during the winter months. But a triathlon Sunday gave the claim a whole new meaning.

By the time the race was over, frosty eyelashes, frozen beards and an ambulance run for frostbitten feet were the norm.

More on that later.

(Use arrows above to view more photos)

First, what kind of person willingly runs, bikes and swims (indoors for the swimming) during one of the year’s coldest months?

On Sunday, it appeared to take someone with tough nerve endings willing to endure the icy chill of wind whipping in their face, all the while breathing in frigid air that one would assume nearly froze the lungs. Those are just some of the challenges that faced athletes in the ninth annual Colony Christmas Triathlon that began at Peak Fitness in Palmer and ended at the Palmer Pool.

Contestants could compete solo or form teams with members taking a single or multiple legs of the race.

Todd Weaver, a Palmer resident, was one of the hearty to turn out for the race.

Decked out in black running attire — enough to almost keep him warm but not impede his movement — Weaver joined his opponents and pedaled six miles, ran three and swam 500 yards for the race. By the time he was finished with his run, Weaver’s beard had turned Santa white and sweat accumulated during the exertion began to freeze into icicles on his face.

Weaver was in good spirits, however.

“It was cold at the beginning, but warmed up as you went along,” Weaver said.

The trial he just went through wasn’t lost on Weaver. “It’s a nice extreme thing to do around Christmas time.”

When most people think of triathlons, images of the famous Ironman in Hawaii come to mind. There, among palm trees and sandy beaches in warm temperatures, fit racers swim, bike and run more than 100 miles.

But competing in the tropical climate of the islands and in sub-zero Palmer are two different contests. Not only do athletes in Alaska have to handle the cold, they also watch out for slippery ice, giant plow trucks and the risk of frostbite.

Still, the midwinter triathlon is a good way for hard-core health enthusiasts to keep their training up, said Ann Riggs, owner of Peak Fitness and organizer of the race.

“For those who don’t like to shut down, it gives them incentive,” she said, referring to athletes in winter months.

Riggs said Sunday’s race was a bit out of the ordinary in terms of temperature, but still turned out to be a success.

With only one casualty of the trail — a female contestant who froze her feet while bicycling, only to continue on with the running part of the race and take the swim — Riggs said the 2008 triathlon was a success.

The challenge now has become running the race and tallying times as the number of participants continues to grow.

“It’s grown so big that it’s harder to calculate the times because there’s over twice as many,” Riggs said.

But the more the merrier, and Riggs reiterated the race’s potential to keep workout plans and health regimes on course during the sometimes sluggish winter months.

As the race ended Sunday, red-faced participants were all smiles. The cold, the pain and the frosty skin seemed unable to dampen spirits.

“Everyone seems to go away happy,” Riggs said.

Contact Michael Rovito at michael.rovito@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.

9th Annual Colony Christmas Triathlon

Individual Results

Women

Name    Run/Bike    Swim    Overall

Alisa Kincaid    0:51:08    07:04.2    0:58:12

Nylene Wicks    0:51:21    09:14.3    1:00:35

Katie Puvolo    0:53:29    08:06.1    1:01:35

Anne Thomas    0:56:43    08:34.4    1:05:17

J. Mamikunian    0:57:12    08:34.1    1:05:46

Alesia Thon    0:55:23    10:30.4    1:05:53

Amy Erickson    0:57:49    09:20.4    1:07:09

Nancy  Meade    0:59:55    07:56.6    1:07:52

Debbie Cropper    0:58:27    09:37.6    1:08:05

Veronica Vania    0:59:46    08:58.0    1:08:44

Kristi Shea    0:58:34    10:11.5    1:08:46

Rose Theisen    1:01:28    10:07.0    1:11:35

Alys Culhane    0:59:59    13:06.2    1:13:05

J. Correnti    1:07:10    13:01.1    1:20:11

Buffie Cubit    1:12:16    08:41.6    1:20:58

Kristin Wilkinson    1:13:00    08:57.8    1:21:58

Nancy Wingate    1:12:59    09:07.9    1:22:07

Wendy Logtin    1:02:42    19:34.7    1:22:17

Toni Gorman    1:13:29    10:26.7    1:23:56

Eileen Floyd    1:14:32    11:56.1    1:26:28

Lauri Sinnott    1:21:52    10:25.6    1:32:18

Noel Guinotte    1:20:14    13:07.9    1:33:22

Amber Finley    1:24:15    10:48.9    1:35:04

Patti Judd    1:23:40    13:47.2    1:37:27

Stephanie Lyken    1:26:22    12:57.0    1:39:19

Kristen Phillips    1:28:23    11:03.4    1:39:26

Echo McDonald    1:34:11    10:14.5    1:44:25

Kristi Ivanoff    1:31:02    14:00.0    1:45:02

Cara Lucero    1:35:23    12:48.9    1:48:12

Dawn Hansen    1:35:24    14:27.8    1:49:52

Jeanette Jean    1:37:06    22:17.7    1:59:24

Denise Demetree    1:53:09    13:10.0    2:06:19

Men

Name    Run/Bike    Swim    Overall

Jason Potsander    0:42:02    07:15.7    0:49:18

J. Lamoreaux    0:42:05    07:45.3    0:49:50

A. Duenow    0:44:54    06:26.1    0:51:20

Nathan Cross    0:47:25    07:20.6    0:54:46

Adam Miller    0:49:18    05:42.4    0:55:00

Jeff Warner    0:46:25    09:04.3    0:55:29

Taylor Seavey    0:49:17    06:19.9    0:55:37

Bob Ulbrich    0:51:54    08:35.9    1:00:30

Ty Hampton    0:50:13    10:22.1    1:00:35

Bob Smith    0:54:46    09:16.4    1:04:02

Chris Wilson    0:53:07    11:23.6    1:04:31

Howell Powder    0:55:43    08:53.9    1:04:37

Tim Thomas    0:56:26    08:50.4    1:05:16

Gary Steffens    0:56:45    08:42.7    1:05:28

Tim Lebling    0:57:58    08:20.2    1:06:18

Matthew Butler    0:58:34    09:45.1    1:08:19

Andrew Corey    1:00:02    08:32.8    1:08:35

Gary Weaver    1:01:22    10:23.7    1:11:46

Stephen Brown    1:10:24    11:17.8    1:21:42

Tony Oliver    1:10:42    12:09.6    1:22:52

Greg Misbach    1:13:53    12:50.7    1:26:44

Gary Wright    1:21:06    19:55.1    1:41:01

Daniel Hartung    1:37:05    08:40.8    1:45:46

   

Teams

(team best times reported)

Team    Run/Bike    Swim    Overall

Clemetson           

Scott Clemetson    0:56:08    09:57.9    1:06:06

Diana Clemetson    0:56:08       

Alicia Clemetson

   

Arctic Amblers               

Bettina Mileur           

Eva Brown    1:21:54    11:06.2    1:33:00

Darcie Topp           

Blonde Bombs   

Ashlen Welch    1:22:14    10:36.1    1:32:50

Joani Welch           

           

Unlikely’s           

Robert McClung    1:05:56    08:56.4    1:14:52

Brian Laufer           

Greg Strandbeng               

Arctic Spiders II           

Richard Moran           

Ron Stokes    1:02:04    12:52.2    1:14:56

Kathy Pratt           

Excellerators           

Sundi Hondl    1:05:54    09:26.8    1:15:21

Hilary Scheib           

Kimberly Wright           

Chocolate Marshmellows           

Priscilla Barnes    0:53:52    14:19.4    1:08:11

Eric Hines           

Juli Phelps           

The Reivers           

Sergio Acena           

Trula Acena    1:05:35    08:40.5    1:14:15

Meagan Lynn        08:40.5   

Super Cool Vig’s               

Madeline Vig    0:54:30    10:47.6    1:05:18

Kevin Vig    0:54:30       

           

1 Last Time           

Peggy Egelus    0:59:36    11:06.8    1:10:43

Keegan Egelus    0:59:36       

Pat Egelus

           

Team Parkison           

Anna Maria Parkinson    1:06:56    13:48.5    1:20:44

Alan Parkinson           

               

Nelson Family           

Meagan Nelson           

Joan Nelson           

Ron Nelson    1:17:19    12:26.4    1:29:45

Dos Frio Gringos           

Tyler Maxwell    0:50:28    10:00.2    1:00:28

Christoper Lutes           

               

Team America       

Sarah Colle    1:06:33    13:56.2    1:20:29

Theresa Martin

The Dancers           

Valerie Schleich           

Stephanie Zuk    0:57:48    08:06.6    1:05:55

Keirsten Wilber           

Eight Below           

John Cuzzocreo    1:03:35        1:03:35

Sammye Pokryfkl        10:03.5   

Bill Hogan