Wild winter running

DARRELL L. BREESE/ Frontiersman reporter

PALMER - Getting through the holiday season is a tough task.

Struggling to select the right gift, getting through the string of Christmas parties and surviving the endless sessions of combat shopping is more than most can handle.

Christmas caroling, trimming the tree and hanging lights on the house is standard fair.

But for the hardiest of Valley athletes, the Colony Christmas Triathlon is just the thing to break up the monotony of holiday festivities.

&#8220We live in Alaska,” first-year competitor Kelly Quinn of Palmer said. &#8220True Alaskans get out and enjoy themselves.”

Quinn was one of nearly 30 participants, on Sunday, who braved the morning temperatures that hovered near freezing, and the icy Palmer trails and roads. The sixth-annual triathlon started at Peak Fitness Center and wrapped up in the Palmer High Pool.

The race began with a 10-K bike leg along the Palmer-Wasilla Highway, continued to a 3-K run and wrapped up with a 500-meter swim in the Palmer High Pool.

Quinn, home from college for the holiday break, participated in the event whether her friends at Central Washington University believed her, or not.

&#8220I told them I was going to do a triathlon when I got home,” she said. &#8220They thought I was crazy. But it's a great way to break up the season and have some fun.”

Things were not all fun for Quinn. She returned to the Palmer High parking lot with a bloody knee after slipping during the run. To make matters worse she fell again as she neared the pool entry.

&#8220Not how I would have liked to have finished the run,” Quinn said. &#8220I tried to jump a patch of ice and I guess I didn't jump quite far enough.”

Quinn's story was typical of most entrants. Nearly all of them reported falling during either the bike or running leg. Despite all the troubles, the new course was superior to what has been used in the past.

&#8220The recent warm weather was a real blessing,” said Carla Williams, an English teacher at Wasilla High. &#8220Even with the ice on the trails, it was much easier than riding in the snow. But at times it was hard to gauge how fast you could go and still keep from falling. I think I could have gone a little faster.”

Williams competed in the triathlon with two other Wasilla High teachers as the Warriors' Womens team. She tagged science teacher Cheryl Abbott, who ran the 5-K, and social studies teacher Sandy Aschenbrenner, who was the team's swimmer.

&#8220It's really an escape from the routine for us,” Williams said. &#8220Between teaching and the holidays this time of year gets a little routine. This race has become a tradition for us, it's a nice change of pace.”

Anne Thomas managed to navigate the icy course and turned in the fastest swim time of the day to win the women's race.

Thomas found the biking leg of the races the easiest because she had studs on her wheels. She struggled with the run because of a lack of cleats.

&#8220It was treacherous on the run,” Thomas said. &#8220Even the runners with cleats were having a tough time. I'm just happy that is done.”

Carey Grumelot led from start to finish, and won the men's race.

Speeding away at the start of the bike leg, he built a five-minute lead that held up until the swim where he lost some ground to runner-up Cody Priest.

Contact Darrell L. Breese at 352-2267 or at darrell.breese@

frontiersman.com.