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Pocono News Section
Record 563 Athletes Compete in Triathlon
Record 563 Athletes Compete in Triathlon - Sunday, August 3, 2008 at 6:17PM EST
Reported by: Dia Wallace
Sunday, Aug 3, 2008 @ 06:17pm EST
LUZERNE COUNTY- Another race in town had competitors going the distance Sunday. One of the longest running triathlons in the United States was held in the Back Mountain.
It's billed as one of the world’s best triathlons that has been growing over the past 27 years. The race started at 7:30 Sunday morning at Harvey’s Lake Beach Club in Lake Township. Hundreds of athletes come from out of town to participate in the Wilkes-Barre Triathlon. This year a record 563-athletes competed.
The swim portion of the event is a 0.9-mile swim in the choppy water of Harvey's Lake. Then the athletes transition to a bike race.
These athletes just finished the swim portion of the event and a 24.8 mile bike race through the streets of the Back Mountain.
Here at Penn State in Lehman Township, athletes drop their bikes and transition to the final leg of the race, a 6.8 mile run to finish back at the campus.
There is huge community support for this growing event. That's evident by the huge group that gathers at each transition area to cheer and support the athletes.
Organizers credit volunteers like Ann Lew for the great response to the race and the smooth execution. “My job is to make sure that each bike has a parking space and that the parking space is relatively under control in this area and the transition to the bike to the run portion of the race goes smoothly,” said Lew.
Andrew Yoder of Columbia, PA is this years top male finisher. The defending champion keeps his title from last year. “The hardest part there is a 3-mile climb on the bike. It taxes your legs so by the time you get to that your are ready for down hill,” he said.
He says it's all about pushing your body to the limit. Last year’s female champion, Kelly Ochreiter of Shavertown, keeps her title as she won again. “I’m really excited. I never thought I would win it again.”
Ochreiter praised all the volunteers who make the race possible. “They are awesome. I think that's what makes this race so popular. The volunteers are incredible, everyone I know is here it's so great.”
The athletes say they are already planning for next year's race. The triathlon will be scheduled for the week after the NASCAR race, so that sets the date for August 9, 2009. Athletes say that’s because hotel rooms are hard to come by during race weekend.
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