Over 330 athletes participated in 35th Annual Triathlon this morning at Soldier’s Memorial Park in La Porte, Indiana. The conditions were ideal and the volunteers and athletes were ready to take on the challenging course over the next few hours. The USAT sanctioned event featured a 1/4 mile lake swim, 12.4 mile bike ride and 3.3 mile run.
“There are so many amazing stories here today. From the U.S. Army Reserve Team, the Sole Sister Tri team from Chicago, to the couple from Spain, to the athletes preparing to compete next weekend at the national level. It goes to show how we are able to run a good race that attracts athletes from all over,” said Ben Fout, Membership Engagement Director at the La Porte YMCA.
Athletes began preparing early as they placed their gear in the transition area starting at 6:30 am. It was first come, first serve on the bike racks that were color coded by flags at the end of the rack. This allows more casual athletes to be mixed in with some of the top participants in the race.
“This is a fun event and one of many in the area,” said Bill Dickinson, resident of Chesterton. “It is a great way to improve from one race to the next and learn from each race.”
The race started promptly at 8:00 am after last minute instruction and directions from Healthy Living Director at the Y and race director Elizabeth Bowen. The heats were divided by gender and age, and took off every fifteen minutes. Just like any race, it cannot be successful without the help of volunteers, and they were present at each phase of the race guiding athletes where to go, when to mount and dismount the bikes, and then into the final phase of the race.
Lt. Col. Garrett Kolo, U.S. Army Reserve, participated in the triathlon, but was also joined by a relay team from the same battalion. “We picked this event because we have units in South Bend, Michigan City and one in Hobart, so this was a central location. We really like do things in La Porte and this was a great event to participate in for our soldiers.”
The unit has upcoming training in Kingsbury with Chinook helicopters, air drops of Humvees and a twelve mile road march that supports our training efforts. The relay team fared well in their first event of this type. Staff Sergeant Bonillo, who did the swimming portion of the relay said, “I loved it. I was expecting the water to be freezing, but it was nice once I got in. I could see myself doing this again in the future. From what my team members said, the scenery was beautiful.”
The overall winner was 21-year old Luke Sullivan from South Bend with a time of 59:13. Sullivan is currently a Midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy, and is preparing to compete next weekend in Milwaukee at the National Qualifier.
“The course was great. It was nice and smooth and this was a great race to prepare for next weekend,” Sullivan explained.
When asked what his favorite part of a race Sullivan’s response was “there is no favorite part, but the bike is probably the easiest. It gives you a chance the catch your breath and get ready for the run.” His goal is to get a qualifying time and make the world team. After this morning’s performance it appears that he is ready to challenge the field next weekend. The female top finisher was Jennifer Zimmer with a time of 1:10:45.
Congratulations to all who competed today!
