Tri-umphs

Tri-umphs

By Jim Starr

It's early in the season and several major events have already transpired to debut local triathlon racing. As we go to press, Montgomery County's young glamour couple, Desiree Ficker (23) and Philippe Kozub (24), acquitted themselves well in three season openers. Both are part of the Bonzai Sports racing team and have already won coveted Hawaii Ironman spots at the 19^th Annual Blackwater-Eagleman Half-Ironman Triathlon in Cambridge, MD (see elsewhere in WRR for a complete list of winners of Hawaii Ironman slots at Eagleman). Did they do so well at the June 4, 2000 race because they rested on Memorial Day (the Monday before Eagleman) by helping this columnist and his wife (aka the Bean) put on their local (Montgomery County Road Runners Club) Over Hillandale 5-mile race instead of competing (and undoubtedly being among the frontrunners) in it? Assuredly!

In addition to her stellar performance at Cambridge, Potomac's Ficker, a first-year professional duathlete in only her second year of multisport racing, won the traditional season-openers at Salisbury and Columbia. Meanwhile, Kozub of Bethesda was second in the tough Open Men's division at both races. In both cases, Kozub lost to his coach from Fitness Concepts, Dunn Loring's Eric Sorensen (30). Sorensen, a frequent top-echelon finisher at previous Columbia Triathlons, broke through to win this year.

Coors Light/Pepsi Triathlon

Many local triathletes (388 finishers) inaugurated the season on May 7 at Schumaker Park in Salisbury, MD, with a quarter-mile swim, 14.5 mile bike and 3.65 mile run. Kozub left the water almost half-a-minute up on Sorensen. The two had virtually identical bike splits but Sorensen caught Kozub about one mile into the run to win the race in 1:05:56. Kozub's 1:06:50 clocking bested the time (1:08:16) of Crownsville, MD's Paul Ryan (35).

Ficker kept outdistancing men throughout the race and essayed the course in 1:12:48 which was good for 14^th place overall and the lead over the 127 women finishers. She beat Suzy McCulloch (19) of Ellicott City handily (1:15:18). McCulloch was nearly a minute ahead of Kirsten Black of Arlington who finished in 1:16:14.

Crofton's Peter Ferrigno (40) took the male masters title with his 24^th-place finish in 1:14:55, a scant twelve seconds better than Steve Teslik (46) of Baltimore who came on strong during the bike leg of the race. Teslik beat Ben Hetzer (44) of Philadelphia by over a minute.

The women's master's champ, Cindy Eckert (41), was consistent. The Fairfax, VA resident (1:26:44) beat Bel Air, MD's Tracey Tucker (1:27:43) who could not overcome a weak swim split. Connecticut's Vianna Zimbel was the third woman master in 1:28:09. It is interesting to note that this race, whose shame it is that it offers no awards in any senior age-group division, still had a senior winner. John Elliot (61) of Columbia took the 55+ honors with an impressive 1:22:44 showing.

Russel Subaru 21^st Annual Columbia Triathlon

Columbia provides a tough, hilly test at the international triathlon distances, 1.5K (.93 mile) swim, 40K (24.85 mile) bike, 10K (6.21 mile) run, to be contested at this year's Olympics. This course is so tough that even the swim seems hilly. Race-day rain brought a few bike accidents and worked at cross-purposes with a somewhat shortened and more favorable bike course. The rain and changes produced little net change in typical race times.

Ficker again dominated this event although she won by only 1:16 in a perennial quality field. Her dazzling running speed (38:37) was nearly 1:30 ahead of the next-fastest woman runner. That helped her to a 2:07:36 time as she won over Baltimore's Amanda Gillam (27), whose 2:08:52 bested Tjasa Crofoot's (28) time (2:10:00).

Kozub again tested Sorensen. Kozub emerged 20 seconds ahead from the swim in Lake Centennial. He also outdueled Sorensen on the bike. Once again, however, Sorensen was 35 seconds faster on the run with a 35:05 clocking. Kozub only lost this race by 18 seconds on a longer course. His improvement led to a 1:56:34 clocking compared to 1:56:16 for Sorensen. Kozub beat his mentor at Eagleman. Could we have a budding friendly rivalry here?

Locals were nearly shut out in the masters class. Jeff Ritchie (41) of Williston, VT earned top honors in 2:04:40. Steve Giorgis (45) of Herndon edged Finksburg, MD's Greg Schaffer (40) by 28 seconds for fourth male master with his 2:08:02 clocking. Roseanne Dougherty of Glenwood, MD was the top women's master (and thus the Judy Flannery memorial award winner). No other local women were among the top masters.

The theme continued among the age groupers as 25 age-group winners included only eight individuals from all of MD or VA (and none from DC). The results are powerful testimony that RD Robert Vigorito has nurtured an event (at the site of two previous National Age Group Championships and a USA Triathlon "Race of the Year") that is a national draw for triathletes.

Flannery Fitness Rok'n Relay

Duathlon is alive and well in the region too. Triathlantic continues its ambitious series of on- and off-road events that have provided the most consistent source of races to area multisporters. This year, Capital Running Company (publishers of Washington Running Report) made a maiden voyage into multisport racing.

The Flannery Fitness Rok'n Relay Duathlon is one of only a handful of multisport races to ever be held in Montgomery County, Maryland. The event, (like the Columbia Tri) in memory of Judy Flannery, raised money for "Christmas in April," the charitable organization that helps repair homes for the needy. Under the auspices of race director Stephanie Cohen, Capital Running Company enlisted the aid of Team USA duathlete Steve Smith on logistics for the 16-mile bike, 5K (3.1 mile) run course. The race featured an unusual bike-run format that has been used previously in the area at the Seaford (DE) race. (The format is obviously more congenial to those who are used to the pack-riding that occurs in draft-legal races).

Germantown, MD came up a double winner as veteran masters duathlete Sue Neurath (41) captured the women's crown in 1:14:54 and Steve Smith (33) took men's honors with a time of 1:03:35. Neurath was followed home 34 seconds later by Whitney Johnson (29) of King George, VA and Bethesda's Paula Pels (32) in 1:18:42.

Smith edged Brian Weightman (22) of Woodbridge by a skimpy eleven seconds. Steve Ruckert (50) finished third (and was the top master) at 1:05:17 into the race.

Be Careful Out There!

Like most triathletes, this writer gets in the miles where he can--biking to work, for example. In early May, while biking to my university, I was struck by a mammoth SUV at 22^nd & O Sts. in DC. As I started through the intersection, in my peripheral vision I saw the SUV moving to make a right turn (over me!). I quickly turned right, too (despite wanting to go straight) but was bounced off the side of the vehicle and again off the ground. The driver sped off without stopping.

I sustained several injuries on the left side of my body, the most severe of which currently includes limited mobility and pain in my shoulder and pain in the knee when I move laterally. It seems that there are increasing instances of vehicles hitting bikers, even among cautious riders (among whom I number myself). Two of the events above prominently memorialize Judy Flannery. There is no better reminder to exercise caution while biking.

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