All-in-all I would rather be a triathlete from the mid-Atlantic region during the last two months. While much of the rest of the country sweltered, the mid-Atlantic has had brief spells of humbling humidity punctuated by glorious-to-bearable weekends. The tough training allowed many triathletes to test their mettle without unusual worries over hyperthermia. One case in point was the Eagleman Blackwater Triathlon in Cambridge, MD. Perhaps less fortunate were the athletes who vied for Team USA spots at the national championships held in June in Clermont, FL.

Eagleman Blackwater Triathlon

Twenty years ago as a young college professor on sabbatical, who occasionally tooled around on his bike, swam, and had (in a previous life) run, this writer was fascinated by the handwritten copied signs that popped up in several places on the University of Hawaii's Manoa campus in Honolulu. They advertised something called the (first) Ironman Triathlon with unequivocally impossible distances that included a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike, and a marathon run. That race was the first edition of what has become the defining event for the sport. As is true with other defining races such as the Boston Marathon, open entry soon gave way to a qualification system. In our region this year, there are two such events--both at the Half-Ironman distance.

For the second year in a row, the Eagleman Triathlon on June 7, in Cambridge, MD served as an Ironman Qualifier for the event now held in Kona. Although the heat was bearable, weather was a factor. The swim took place in the aptly named Choptank River. Gusting winds and a strong current battled the swimmers. Carefully-placed markers (using GPS (global positioning system) technology) became "whipping-buoys" (as did the swimmers). Bikers know that tail winds are rare and that any wind other than a tail wind is problematic. This bike course was problematic. The half-marathon seemed a blessed relief from the travails of the day.

Troy Jacobson of Lutherville, MD, a pro, coach, bike-shop owner, and creator of a best-selling piece of triathlon training software, handily won the event in 4:11:03. He posted the fastest bike split of the day. Jacobson, who broke four hours in his first-ever Half-Ironman on this course last year, took nearly one-third again as much time to complete this year's swim.

Jacobson's coaching also won the day as several athletes benefitted from his tutelage, including women's winner Lee DiPietro. The 40-year-old DiPietro, a pro from Ruxton, MD, was fleet of feet as she ran down second-place finisher Tjasa Crofoot (27) of Bethlehem, PA and beat her by nearly 4:30 with a 4:40:03 clocking.

PowerBar representative, George Altieri (40) of Columbia, MD, was the top master's finisher in 4:21:57, earning fourth place overall. They passed down Altieri’s Ironman slot to the next over-40 athlete because Altieri had already qualified for Hawaii as the top master’s triathlete at St. Anthony's triathlon in St. Petersburg, FL in April. Kathleen Hughes from Columbus, OH was the fastest amateur master’s woman in 5:11:18.

In most age groups, Ironman qualifiers represent the top finisher. (In two of the most populous age groups, they went two deep. Racers who were not successful here and wished to go to Hawaii had to compete in other specially-designated qualifying races or enter via a very few lottery slots). Thus, it is not surprising that nearly 400 of the 650 contestants were from outside DC, MD, and VA. Other local Ironman qualifiers included Tanner Schilling (23) of Richmond, VA and Cynthia Carpenter (35) from Street, MD.

There were several other good stories at this race. One has to be Steve Petitt. The former local, now living in Atlantic Beach, FL, qualified for the trip to Kona. At thirty-seven, Petitt is still a formidable racer but less driven than he once was. He now has time for a significant other. Steve married shortly after the completion of the race.

Another remarkable tale has to be that of Lyn Brooks. The 50-year-old Baltimore athlete is notable on several scores. She was part of the illustrious women's team featured in this column that did the (bike) Race Across America last year in memory of Judy Flannery. (Flannery was the world-class multisporter killed by an unlicenced 16-year-old driver while she was biking in a remote area of Montgomery County). Brooks has also qualified for the Hawaii Ironman with her 5:45:56 time that earned first-place in the 50-54 age group. This will be Brooks' 19th running of the 20-year-old event. Most remarkably she has completed all of her previous attempts. No one, not even the redoubtable Scott Tinley, has completed more Hawaii Ironman competitions.

On a personal note, the Bean's mom (i.e., my mother-in-law) came through a difficult 85th year as she successfully underwent multiple heart and eye surgeries in the past months. It was great to see one of her attending physicians finish this race strongly. He was coached by world champion handicapped triathlete Ken Mierke. Thanks, Art St. Andre. You have taught us that one can do important work and still train to go the distance.

US National Triathlon Championships

USA Triathlon has developed a state-of-the-art training center for triathletes in Clermont, FL outside Orlando. Eventually they will run most of the governing board’s business from there. So it is not surprising that they decided to exercise their proprietary rights and usher in the facility by staging the national championships in their backyard. Unfortunately, with the ITU Triathlon World Cup scheduled for August 2 in Newfoundland, the nationals were held June 21. Several age-groupers who qualified for the nationals opted out citing the heat or expense of the trip to Florida.

The superbly-conditioned pros raced on the previous day and several suffered varying degrees of heat stress for their trouble. Age-groupers had the advantage of a 6:45 A.M. start. (They had slated the race to start at 6:20). Still, they boiled in the waters of Lake Mineola (upper 80's) and finished by biking and running in brutal heat. Most of the athletes took pains to stay well hydrated and times were slow, but racers managed to avoid the dire predictions of some officials. Some MD and VA athletes even survived the death march to qualify for Team USA by placing in the top twelve in their age group. They earned a chance to compete in the international event in Newfoundland.

The fastest local woman to qualify was Reston's Suzanne Scoggin whose 2:22:16 was good enough for sixth place in the tough 30-34 age group. She led a group that included Vienna's Ashley Cordell (fifth place in the 20-24 age group in 2:25:34), Britt McCormick of Ellicott City (11th in the 25-29 age group in 2:26:01), master's triathlete Deborah Dudas of Annapolis (fourth place in the 40-44 age group in 2:28:34) and Annandale's Marge Stahl (fifth place in the 65-69 age group in 4:34:57).