Rain and cooler temperatures provided nearly ideal conditions over the weekend for nearly 1,100 registrants in the ninth annual Best in the West Triathlon series, held Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 7-8, at Lewis Creek Park.
“It was great for racing,” said Race Director Blair Bronson Monday during the “soggy” cleanup.
The Half Ironman and Olympic events were held Saturday morning, with the Sprint Triathlon on Sunday.
The top overall finisher among the 133 competitors in the Half Iron – a 1.2-mile swim, followed by 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run, was John Brenteson of Hillsboro, who finished in 4:25.42.
Shannon Coates of Portland was 13th overall and the women’s winner, in 5:12.35.
The Olympic Triathlon included a 1500-meter swim (nearly a mile) in the lake, followed by a 40K (just under 25 miles) bike ride along North River, Pleasant Valley and McDowell Creek roads to a turnaround point a couple of miles south of Waterloo, then back to the park, where contestants finished with a 10K (6.2 mile) run.
Aaron Seipel of Sandy was the overall winner among the 174 finsihers, in 2:12.51. The women’s winner was Kristen Lipscomb of Corvallis, in 2:27.55, 14th overall.
Sean Martin led the Sweet Home finishers, clocking 2:50.39, good for 62nd overall.
Kelly Sautel and Rachel Tyler of Sweet Home came in neck-and-neck in 3:55.49, good for at tie at 161st.
In the Sprint Triathlon, which involved a 500-meter swim in Foster Lake, 12-mile bike ride on North River Road and a 5K (3.1-mile) run on North River and Quartzville roads, Benjamin Snodgrass of Portland finished first, in 57:08, in a field of 239.
The women’s winner was Batya Beard of Corvallis, who finished in 1:06.14
Keith Sautel was the top Sweet Home finisher, 143rd overall in 1:36.56.
Janine Bondesen was 152nd, in 1:39.12, just ahead of Mindy Cummings, 156th in 1:39.29.
Gerritt Schaffer, competing as a paralympic athlete, was 235th , in 2:62.02.
In the Super Sprint, a 250-meter swim, 4.8-mile bike ride and 1.5-mile run, Sweet Home finishers were Kirsten Sautel, 12, sixth in a field of 22, in 40:27, and Khloe Sautel, 9, 13th in 49:50.
The triathlon series included 21 events.
Sweet Home competitors in the Kids Splash and Dash on Saturday were Isaac Hurst and Josiah Hurst.
Ken Bronson competed in the Half Aqua Bike, which comprised the swim and bike legs of the Half Iron, and Ivan and Rebecca Wolthuis finished the Olympic Aqua Bike.