TRYING THE TRAILS

PALMER — When the Tri the Trails triathlon was created, it came with a warning.

Beginners looking for an introduction to the triathlon may want to look a different direction and find the traditional road race. But athletes looking for a challenge should certainly give the trails a try.

Saturday, about 40 adventurous athletes competed in the first Tri the Trails triathlon, which sent participants into Matanuska Lake and through the woods of the surrounding area.

Anchorage’s Will Ross captured the win of the inaugural race, completing his three parts in 1 hour, 24 minutes and 31 seconds. Ross led the field that began with a 500-meter swim in Matanuska Lake, continued with a 10.1-mile bike ride over the dirt course of the nearby trail system and ended with a 4.2-mile run.

Jason Lamoreaux of Anchorage was second with a time of 1:26:50, edging third-place Jens Beck of Anchorage, who finished at 1:27:31.

Anchorage’s Amber Stull won the women’s class with a mark of 1:39:14.

The bike portion of the race follows basically the same course as the 24 Hours of Matanuska, an annual race also staged in the Kepler-Bradley State Recreation Area. The trails in the park connect with the Mat-Su Borough Crevasse Moraine Trial System.

The race is sponsored in part by Smart Energy Alaska, a full-service renewable energy contractor and systems designer based out of Palmer. But race organizer Joseph Hawkins said the event was made possible by a handful of businesses and services in Southcentral Alaska. Hawkins said there were many ideas in mind when the race was created. Organizers saw the need for a new race, but also a way to showcase the Valley and its trails.

“The long-term goal is to really make the Mat-Su Valley a destination for recreation,” Hawkins said. “The trails are wonderful. We want to showcase the trails.”

Hawkins said 65 registered for the race and about 40 participated, but he would certainly like to see the event field expand in the future. Judging by the success of the 2011 run, Hawkins said he wouldn’t be surprised to see the field hit triple digits in numbers in upcoming seasons. He’d also like to see the race attract competitors from outside of Alaska.

The race is also an event sanctioned by USA Triathlon.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/matsu_sports.