Five wins is fab

BIG LAKE — With a record turnout and near perfect weather conditions, Anchorage athletes dominated Sunday’s Big Lake Triathlon.

More than 80 racers tested their mettle against the course, one of the few in the state to feature an open-water swim.

The wetsuited group started at the North Shore State Recreation Area, swimming 900 meters in Big Lake. After stripping down to their bike shorts, they rode a 25-kilometer loop down Big Lake Road to the Parks Highway, down Johnson Road and back on Hollywood Road to Steve’s Foodboy. There, the athletes swapped their bikes for running shoes and ran 5 kilometers, finishing back at the store.

Despite the intense physical nature of competing in a triathlon race, there was little drama at the end. Jens Beck finished more than two minutes ahead of the next competitor with a final time of 55:59.67.

This is the fifth time the racer from Anchorage has competed in the Big Lake Triathlon, and it’s the fifth he has won. Swimming in a lake beats swimming in a pool anytime, Beck said, especially when the weather is perfect like it was on Sunday.

“This race is so well put on. There’s a great, laid-back atmosphere,” Beck said. “But, it gets a little more competitive each year.”

On the woman’s side of the race, Shannon Donley dispatched with the competition just as easily. The racer, also from Anchorage, was the top woman and finished in third place overall with a time of 1:02:08.03. She is also a repeat winner who loves the outdoor swim.

“This race is totally fun,” Donley said. “With the warm weather today, the swimming was very comfortable. It was a bit hectic at the start, but you get into a grove more so than you do in a pool.”

First place for the relay event went to the team of Amy Adams, Jessie Donahue and Michon Templin. Andrew Duenow and Adam Miller finished second and third for the men, and Larrell Lockard and Amber Stull rounded out the top three for the women’s race.

“It’s great to see some of the same people coming back year after year and compare their times,” race organizer Kathleen Cole said. “Jens cut 3 minutes off his time from last year.”

Both Beck and Donley said they are planning to race in the Eagle River triathlon later this summer, and Beck hopes to qualify for the Best of the U.S. Amateur Triathlete Competition in Mission Viejo, Calif., with a first place finish in the state championship this year.

BIG LAKE TRIATHLON

Final results

Saturday, Big Lake

Athlete Time

Jens Beck 0:55:59.67

Andrew Duenowa 0:59:27.28

Shannon Donley 1:02:08.03

Adam Miller 1:02:37.98

Taylor Seavey 1:02:41.23

Larrell Lockard 1:02:45.17

Amber Stull 1:04:07.28

William Friar 1:05:11.29

Jenny Kimball 1:05:30.28

Michael Masuda 1:05:45.53

Justin Nash 1:05:59.83

Michael Wheatall 1:06:28.87

Jim Anderson 1:06:39.47

Jennifer Kohout 1:07:23.26

Charles Machado 1:07:25.25

Jim Winegarner 1:08:14.56

Suzanne Wheatall 1:08:16.93

Todd Helgeson 1:08:36.79

Mick Bakker 1:08:48.87

Andy Underwood 1:08:55.51

Angela Elmore 1:09:50.23

Aaron Morrison 1:09:55.17

Laurel Brady 1:10:21.36

Robin Smyth 1:10:30.56

Janet Mamikunian 1:10:45.18

Roger Learn 1:10:51.83

Joleen Smith 1:12:24.43

Pam Todd 1:12:44.17

Joseph Spann 1:12:59.36

Christa Besing 1:14:01.22

Angie Brennan 1:14:11.17

Corrie Smith 1:14:46.67

Janus Reyes 1:15:03.50

Joseph Hunner 1:15:15.86

Jeff Campbell 1:15:24.64

Kelly VanHoek 1:15:46.03

Stephen Ferris 1:16:01.47

Alesia Thon 1:16:17.84

Shad Barnett 1:16:37.64

Bob Smith 1:16:54.26

Julie Vogler 1:18:50.11

Ed Banas 1:19:07.79

Cindie Fox 1:19:09.97

Stacy Dayley 1:19:18.70

Lynetta Marcellus 1:19:20.20

Peter Mejia 1:19:36.90

Lisa Christensen 1:20:01.86

Melissa Toffolon 1:20:45.97

John Adamson 1:21:00.84

Tracy Morrison 1:21:06.45

Bethanne Clary 1:23:03.34

William Barron 1:23:21.62

Steven Gordon 1:23:34.26

Kyla Hagan 1:24:38.68

Gary Steffens 1:25:53.61

Kristine Vahlsing 1:26:43.54

John Jones 1:28:48.79

Michelle Dietz 1:29:01.14

Linda Wilson 1:32:34.59

Lorna (Jamie) Elswick 1:33:17.90

Eileen Floyd 1:33:17.90

Carla Goldberg 1:36:05.26

Jeffrey Carter 1:36:43.26

Keri Clark 1:37:25.54

Andrea Kettler 1:37:30.48

Mary Lee Wilson 1:37:37.54

Jon Nauman 1:39:22.50

David Haggard 1:40:40.34

Alice Anderson 1:42:27.33

Don Berberich 1:44:47.36

Jamie Patterson-Simes 1:47:34.36

Tanya Boedeker 1:50:04.36

Tobin Brennan 1:55:23.45

Kerry Nelson 2:03:41.93

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.