West Union Triathlon nets $1600 for park equipment

Thu July 10 2008
Posted Jul 10, 2008
5,846

By: Jennifer Bissell, Sports Writer The threat of rain and windy conditions didn't stop the participants at the West Union Triathlon last Sunday, June 29, from finishing the race. Fifty individuals and eight teams, 73 people total, pushed themselves through a 5K run, 16-mile bike ride and 200-yard swim. "It was fantastic. We got favorable comments from everyone, those who participated, workers, people who watched. I didn't hear one negative comment," said Kathy Guyer, West Union Parks and Recreation Director. About $1,600 was raised to purchase new playground equipment for Clark Park in West Union. The West Union triathlon was run the opposite of the Olympic order. Participants started with a 5K run on the North Fayette High School cross country course. They then biked 16 miles on the Ossian blacktop. They finished the race with a 200-yard serpentine swim at the Aquatic Center. Devin VansCoy of Elkader crossed the finish line first, completing the race in 1:12.35. VansCoy was also a part of the first place finishing team at the Hy-Vee Triathlon in Des Moines June 21. Local residents weren't the only ones to participate. Some athletes were from as far away as Minneapolis and Shakopee, Minn., and Springfield and Island Lake, Ill. The triathlon was an opportunity for former residents to come back home and get a good morning of exercise. Jessie and Jaci Grafenberg, students at the University of Iowa and 2003 graduates of North Fayette High School, are members of the TriHawks triathlon team at Iowa and used the West Union race to stay in shape. Jessie and Jaci, the daughters of John and Jan Grafenberg, found their love of triathlons while in college. Jessie was a sophomore at Iowa State when her friends encouraged her to come to practices. "I didn't want to gain the freshman 20 in college. I swam every summer and we were on the swim team," said Jessie. "There were people at Iowa State that swam that did triathlons, and they got me involved." Hearing about practices from Jessie, her twin sister, Jaci, a pharmacy student at Iowa, joined the TriHawks team her junior year. "There are just such great people who do this," she said. "Just with the training, you can get a group of friends together and go for a bike ride just for fun." "It's a great way to stay in shape," said Jessie. "It's very healthy. If you're having a bad day with your knees, you can bike. It's just great exercise." Jaci has competed in 11 competitions while the West Union Triathlon was Jessie's second. "You've got to be a little crazy to do this," Jessie admitted. This past April, Jessie and Jaci competed at the Collegiate National Triathlon Championships in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Jaci competed at the Olympic distance, which is about double the distance of the West Union Triathlon. She finished in 2:52:00. Jessie competed at the collegiate distance and shorter sprint distance (750 meter swim, 20K bike, 5K run). She completed the race in 1:34.41. Both Grafenbergs admit the running part of the race is their least favorite part, so they were glad to complete that first in West Union. Despite the heavy wind, Jaci was the first place finisher for women 18-25. She completed the race in 1:27.02. Jessie finished in 1:54.51. "I thought it was fun to do the reverse," said Jessie. "The swimming part of it was confusing. They need to do something about that for next time." "The high winds and the rain, this was the worst conditions I've ever even trained in," said Jaci. Rachel Jellings, Marissa Bouska and Kelsey Feldman (team name, "The Monkeys,") were the youngest participants at the triathlon at 13. All will be eighth graders at North Fayette Middle School this fall. Active in athletics at school, Jellings said the girls were looking for a summer challenge. "We wanted something to do this summer that would be good for us," she said. As participants in cross country, basketball and track, the girls formed a team, with Jellings running, Bouska biking and Feldman swimming. The Monkeys spent the first part of their summer training for the triathlon. Jellings said accumulated 24 miles this summer. Feldman is on the swim team and practices two hours a day. Bouska said she spent much of her summer riding her bike in Hawkeye, where she lives, but also bike county road W-42 in advance of the triathlon. The Monkeys completed the race in 2:19.27. Afterwards, Jellings summed up the race saying, "I feel accomplished." All three plan to compete again next year and get a better time. They also hope to encourage more of their classmates to participate. The team of Nicole Clements, Ron Saboe and Stephanie Drewes was the first co-ed team to cross the finish line. They completed the race in 1:39.10. Drewes said she was approached by Clements about forming a team to compete. It was the first time they had competed in a triathlon. Even though the race was just completed, Guyer is already thinking ahead to next year. "I haven't met with the committee yet but the one thing to think about would be to change the triathlon from Sunday to Saturday because more businesses are open and that gives people an extra day of travel to go home," she said. "Everyone liked the course. There are some minor things to clarify on the swimming. For the most part everyone really liked it." Claire Shannon-Klann of Elgin commented that the course was well marked, and if there were holes in the ground, they were well marked. She also liked that there were people all along the running and bike course so they knew they were on the right path and there were people there to cheer them on. Daniela Williams of North Liberty, the first place finisher for women, said it was a great race and she was glad she signed up. "The race was well-run for it being an inaugural, local event. The entry fee was low for what you received. The volunteers were very helpful and friendly." "I was thrilled with the numbers," said Guyer. "Seventy-three in a first time event is amazing." See more triathlon photos in this week's Fayette Leader.