At this time of year, there are few grumpy multisporters (at 
least among those who are healthy). It's the heart of the 
season. If you're healthy and your conditioning is at all 
reasonable, you are probably racing. Still, this year we can 
probably find one or two unhappy folks who have drifted through 
our region. The reason: There were problems at one of the 
premier events in our area--

The Blackwater-Eagleman Triathlon

Race Director Robert D. Vigorito has made this race a major 
national draw as attested by the geographical diversity of the 
participants. Eagleman offers a splendid, fast, half-Ironman 
course that serves as the mid-Atlantic's only qualifier for the 
fabled Hawaii Ironman Championship race. In most years, the only 
complaints are about heat, humidity, or wind.

Indeed, the race boasts a number of remarkable human-interest 
stories. In its earlier incarnation under the ageless Fletcher 
Hanks, the women's winner for the first four years of the race 
(1981-84) was the redoubtable Lyn Brooks of Baltimore. Brooks, 
former RD of the defunct Baltimore triathlon, holds the record 
for most Hawaii Ironman races completed (even outlasting Scott 
Tinley). In 1994 the winners were George Altieri and Bea Marie 
Fritsch. They were later married. Both were perennial top 
performers at area races until they moved to Florida a year or 
so ago.

While this year's race was not a tragedy, the problems started 
when a race volunteer marshal on the bike course apparently 
underestimated the time that it would take race leaders to reach 
his station. Fourteen of the leaders went off the course at that 
station. Motorcycles are widely used during the bike segments of 
a triathlon. USA Triathlon (USAT) officials ride on the back to 
judge violations and reporters and medical personnel may use 
them as well. Apparently a motorcycle went off course with the 
early leaders. The motorcycle may have carried a USAT official 
who allegedly advised wayward triathletes to continue on the 
route. Head Official Stuart Harper eventually and appropriately 
DQd the athletes under USAT rules.

Regional Coordinator of USAT Officials Donald A. Hodgen is 
following up the situation with interviews and believes that the 
officials followed their charge. At this stage, Hodgen has 
learned that the motorcycle in question may have carried a 
reporter. Harper, based on post-race debriefings of personnel, 
indicated to Hodgen that the driver, experienced in both 
triathlon and on this course, asked the off-course athletes to 
return to the mapped course. The driver allegedly was ignored, 
perhaps because he was not a USAT official.

My wife (aka the Bean) and I have both been USAT officials. If a 
USAT official made a mistake by telling the racers to continue, 
he or she should be reprimanded. Moreover, the type of 
contingency that led to this sort of error should provide a 
basis for training officials. Sadly, several regions, including 
our own, are understaffed with officials. They are overworked 
and under-appreciated. Burnout can come quickly. More officials 
are needed. Still, like most running events, the triathlete is 
responsible for knowing and accurately completing the course. 
Equally important, volunteers (also often in short supply) need 
to be better trained. Athletes need to learn the critical 
importance of knowing the course, especially if you are a front-
runner. The unfortunate part of all this is that valuable slots 
to Hawaii were on the line, as well as race laurels. A total of 
17 athletes were DQd--most of them for not completing the 
course.

The Cambridge, MD race, consisting of a 1.2 mile swim in the 
Choptank River at Sailwinds Park, a 56 mile bike through the 
stillness of the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge, and a 13.1 mile run 
on lightly-traveled local roads, was won by Ben Hastings (30) of 
Lewis Center, OH. Hastings parlayed the best bike split of the 
day into a win. His 4:14:45 time for the triathlon was actually 
bested by a pair of Pennsylvanians. Todd Wiley (31) of 
Doylestown (4:01:26) and Gabriel Urban of Wayne (4:08:32) were 
both DQd for not completing the entire course, however. Their 
disqualification meant that no mid-Atlantic region triathlete 
broke into the top five.

George Newsome (27) of West Nyack, NY lost about seven minutes 
on the bike that he couldn't make up despite averaging a pace 
nearly ten seconds per mile faster than Hastings in the half-
marathon. He took second place in 4:18:11. Tim Monaco (34) from 
Oakland, CA followed a remarkable 53 seconds behind Newsome 
(4:19:04). Jim Vavra (31) and Matt Dixon (27) rounded out the 
top five with clockings of  4:20:37 and 4:20 :43, respectively. 
A scant 6 seconds separated these two South Carolinians, 
noteworthy in a race of this distance. The first mid-Atlantic 
triathlete to finish was sixth-place Dan Peairs (24) of 
Blacksburg, VA in 4:21:02.

A pro, Austin TX's Andrea Fisher (28), won the women's race in 
4:37:22, good for 46th place overall. Fisher emerged from the 
Choptank River in 29:01, the fastest swim split of the day by 
over 30 seconds. Her nearest rival was another woman. The first 
man was 1:10 behind Fisher. Amy Farrell (24) of Ogdensburg, NY 
parlayed a 6:45 per mile pace in the half-marathon to garner 
second-place honors (54th overall) in 4:39:11. Canadian star 
Kirstie Kniaziew (26) of Leamington, Ont. earned third place 
with her 63rd overall placing in 4:40:50. Catherine Phillips 
(26) crossed the line two minutes later in 4:42:56. The Madison 
Heights, VA resident avoided a top-five shutout of mid-Atlantic 
women, by placing 73rd. Laurie Sigloch (36) of Arlington, VT 
essayed the course in 4:45:42, taking 84th place to round out 
the top five women.

Floridians swept the top three male masters spots as Joe Bonness 
of Naples celebrated his entry into the 45-49 age group by 
leading the crew home with his eighth place finish in 4:23:55. 
He was followed by transplanted local Steve Petitt  (40) of 
Atlantic Beach  (13th place overall, 4:28:40).  Robert Roller 
(42) of Tallahassee was 19th in a time of 4:30:01. A local man 
took the Grandmasters (> 60) title. Reston's Antonio Panizza was 
clocked in 5:22:49. Panizza beat almost sixty-five percent of 
the 1,285 finishers.

Women's masters division winners included Kathleen Hughes 
(4:53:59), Stephanie Landy (5:08:21), and Katharine Roche 
(5:09:16). The trio from Ohio, New York, and Michigan again 
effectively shut out mid-Atlantic competitors. Ocean City, NJ's 
Linda Horowitz took the women's grandmaster (> 50) crown in 
5:33:45.

The Riverwatch Duathlon

Riverwatch weekends always draw lots of multisporters to North 
East, MD. That's because the small town regularly hosts RD Brad 
Jaeger and his TriAthlantic Association cohort for a triathlon 
and a duathlon there starting at their community park at the end 
of July. This year was no different as about 200 duathletes 
sandwiched a 16-mile bike between two 3-mile runs. The 524 
triathlon finishers substituted a 3/4-mile swim in the North 
East river for the initial bike. That race will be covered in a 
later column. In the duathlon on July 29, temperatures 20 
degrees below normal in a threatening but rainless sky provided 
optimal racing conditions--or so Frederick, MD duathlete Dwayne 
Neal thought.
 
Neal (37) had been interval training in order to take the 
initial run out too quickly for his major competition, Ellicott 
City's Trey Cassidy (formerly of Silver Spring) and Neal's bike 
training partner Matt Adams of New Market, MD. Neal's hamstring 
was tight before the race and he managed only a second place on 
the initial run as the hamstring knotted progressively more 
during the run. In the end, the wheels came off totally as Neal 
dropped from second place after the initial run to eighth at the 
end of the race. Cassidy and Adams, both 32, finished one-two in 
1:17:38 and 1:20:17, respectively. Adams, who is moving to 
Colorado, was followed home by George Kotukis (34) of 
Philadelphia a minute later (1:21:18). In a fierce battle for 
the masters title, Arlington's Jean Pierre Bacle (50) edged 
Jeffrey Timm (49) of Bethlehem, PA for seventh place (sixth if 
you discount the Team finisher) by 16 seconds in 1:22:53. The 
remarkable Warren Taylor (61)  was the first  home in his age 
group with a 25th place finish in 1:30:31.

Bethesda's Alida Anderson (31) set the women's pace with her 
18th-place finish overall. Her  time of 1:29:15 trounced second 
place woman and master's winner Bonnie Stoekel by six minutes 
(1:36:15). Stoekel overcame a 1:07 deficit on the second run to 
edge fellow master Audrey Wendolowski (1:36:26) of  Allentown, 
PA by eleven seconds. Judi Carbary (50) of Columbia was the 
first women home in her age group with a 1:39:39 clocking. 
Andrea Distefano (34) is Neal's fiance. She was the fifth woman 
finisher in 1:39:00 by coupling an amazingly consistent two 
runs. Most duathletes lose a minute or so between the two runs.