Recapping the grueling YMCA Indoor Triathlon
Earlier this month, I participated in the 28th YMCA Indoor Triathlon at the Kingston Y.
The “tri” consisted of a 15-minute swim, 20-minute bike on an exercycle dubbed the “torture machine,” and 20-minute run on the 123 meter indoor track. Winners were determined by the total distance covered.
It was 55 minutes of hard work.
Most competitors would agree the hardest part was transitioning from the bike to the run. Our quads and calves cramped and burned as we made that adjustment.
The top 3 men were Mike Halstead (10.693 miles), Don Thurston (10.572) and Bill Shashaty (10.354). The leading women were Ali Mitchell (9.534), Gabriela Martinez (9.385) and Kim Scott (9.174). John Nolis had the best run with 41.5 laps (3.2 miles). Ali Mitchell led the swimmers with 51 laps (1,275 yards) and Bill Shashaty cycled 6.95 miles.
The youngest competitor was 6 year-old Isabel Carpenter who did 16.5 swim laps, 3.78 bike miles and 18 run laps for a total of 5.399 miles. Isabel is as tough as her mom Jenny, who was the second 40-49-year-old with a total of 8.040.
The legendary Everett White, at 75 years young, combined with his partner, Alison Bier, to total 7.424 miles.
This year’s event featured the most team entries ever.
This category was won by Team Binnie made up of father Andrew and sons Alexander, age 12 and Ian, age 13. The triumphant trio had an impressive total of 10.142 miles. Quite a few teams were made up of parents and children highlighting the family aspect of the Y and this event.
Congratulations are in order for Halstead. The night before the competition, he received the YMCA’s Volunteer of the Year award at the Blue Jeans and Bow Tie Dinner. The next morning, he organized the triathlon and with a great effort, won.
Mike does it all!
Shamrock Run a success
Last Sunday’s 30th Shamrock Run went off without a hitch.
Blue skies and mild temperatures greeted the thousands who turned out for the run. The top 3 overall men were Alfredo Mazzuca (9:15), Travis Meier (9:57) and Simeon Kleinsasser (10:07). The top 3 women were Cassidy McGinn (11:39), Renee Keplinger (11:40) and Caitlin Donovan (11:59).
Once again, the Hibernians and the Irish Cultural Center of the Hudson Valley organized a wonderful day for the community.
Looking ahead
With the days getting longer and warmer, we all are eagerly awaiting the arrival of spring. As the calendar moves forward, there is an explosion of races. Every weekend there will be a variety to choose from.
On April 8, the Onteora Runners Club — the oldest running club in the area — kicks off its 18th Grand Prix series with the Dirty Sneaker 5k in Hurley. The Grand Prix is a series of 10 races that ends with the Reindeer Ramble in December.
The races are chosen to provide runners with a variety of distances, surfaces and experiences. The races selected are affordable and benefit local charities.
The Grand Prix has 3 types of awards. In each race you score points toward being one of the top 3 men and women overall. Participants also score points in 10 year age groups. Age groups start at 19 and under and go up to over 70.
Runners completing all 10 races receive the much coveted “Survivor” award. The series is a good way to organize your yearly running and is a nice challenge for runners of all abilities.
The Grand Prix is fun and friendly. For more information, go online to onteorarunners.org or contact club president Deb Domack at orcpres@ gmail.com.
On April 21, the YMCA of Kingston and Ulster County will present the Kingston Kids Classic Track meet at Dietz Stadium in Uptown Kingston. This event is for children from pre-school up to 6th grade. The meet has races from 50 yards up to the mile. As a heads up, the deadline for receiving a T-shirt with the $5 entry fee is March 31.
To register go to ymcaulster.org.
Calendar, results
Race directors, please submit information for the race calendar to sports@ freemanonline.com. Information should be in the form of a concise email with important details highlighted and included in the body of the email. No race flyer PDFs.
Race results should be submitted directly to me at ssrun54@aol.com.
Steve Schallenkamp has been active in area running circles since 1966 as runner, race director, volunteer and coach. He is a member of the Onteora Runners Club and president of the Shawangunk Runners Club.