Tri Aroostook another big hit
132 participate in swim-bike-run event
Contributed photos/Dave Allen Graphics
FAMILY FUN — Renee Chalou Ennis of Presque Isle and her 8-year-old son, Cade, approach the finish line at Saturday’s Tri Aroostook. She was one of the 132 individuals who registered for the competition, finishing in 1 hour, 29 minutes and 30.1 seconds, while Cade joined her for the final few yards of the run. Ready to hand out a medal is volunteer Denise Theriault.
The second annual event was a sprint triathlon consisting of a 525-yard swim in UMPI’s Gentile Hall pool, a 10.25-mile bike course to the south of Presque Isle and a 3.1-mile run in fields and trails next to the university.
SARAH GAHAGAN AND SHAWN BERRY share a laugh after finishing Saturday’s Tri Aroostook, held in Presque Isle. The two were able to defend their championships.
DUSTIN DRABEK of Presque Isle completes a lap at the Gentile Hall pool in the first leg of the Tri Aroostook event held Saturday. Drabek was first in the male 19-and-under age division.
MATT COTE of Mapleton shows determination during the running portion of Saturday’s Tri Aroostook. Cote placed second overall in 1 hour, 1 minute and 24 seconds.
SHAWN BERRY of Caribou shows his winning form as he finishes Saturday’s Tri Aroostook sprint triathlon. Berry defended his title by conquering the course in 56 minutes and 25 seconds.
SARAH GAHAGAN of Presque Isle had a strong swim in the second annual Tri Aroostook, held Saturday, June 29. Gahagan defended her women’s title with a time of 1 hour, 6 minutes and 39 seconds.
By Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
PRESQUE ISLE — Saturday’s Tri Aroostook, headquartered at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, featured a wide range of competitors.
There were the serious athletes, including Shawn Berry of Caribou and Sarah Gahagan of Presque Isle, who were able to defend their titles from 2012 in relatively easy fashion.
Then there were people like Nate Berry and Frank Bemis of Presque Isle have been training for awhile and either wanted to “beat their buddies” or see how their times compared to last year’s inaugural event.
Some others used the triathlon to foster camaraderie, including co-workers Gregg Collins and Jacob Michaud of Caribou and Emerson Wright of Presque Isle, S.W. Collins’ employees who formed a relay team just as registrations were closing. It made sense, as Collins is a competitive cyclist, Michaud did some swim training as a member of the Husson University cross country team and Wright is a former Presque Isle High School and UM-Presque Isle cross country runner.
No matter what the reasons were for competing, a great majority of those participating appeared glad that they did, and that it what race director Jonathan Kelley says it’s all about.
“To see people come across the finish line with their smiles, and seeing family and friends greeting them, that’s it for me,” Kelley said. “To swim, bike and run any distance is an accomplishment, and for a lot of people, this is their ironman triathlon and that is fabulous.”
Tri Aroostook consists of a 525-yard swim in the Gentile Hall pool, a 10.25-mile bike course which takes riders onto the Houlton Road then connecting them to the Spragueville and Chapman roads back to the university, and finally a 3.1-mile run in the fields and trails next to the campus.
Kelley said that 132 registered for Saturday’s race, with approximately 122 actually showing up. The number of registrants marked nearly a 50-percent increase from last year.
“I think a lot of people who volunteered or watched last year decided to join,” said Nate Berry. “It’s exciting to see all the people in it.”
Kelley said there were also increases in racers from downstate and across the border, noting that there was a strong contingent from the Kittery area, Portland, Old Town and New Brunswick, Canada.
Thirty nine females and 32 males completed all three stage of the triathlon by themselves, while 20 relay teams also took part.
Shawn Berry’s time of 56 minutes and 25 seconds was just under five minutes faster than runner-up Matt Cote of Mapleton in the men’s race, while Gahagan, at 1:06:39.2, was almost six minutes faster than Tracy Guerrette of St. Agatha in the women’s race.
For Shawn Berry, who has competed in multiple triathlons over the past several years, they never get easier.
“Just when you think you get used to it, it still hurts every time,” he said, “but I felt stronger this year than last.”
He said where it usually takes him “four or five laps” to warm up in the pool, this year he got his rhythm just two or three laps in.
“I also had good, quick transitions and the cooler temperatures really seemed to help out,” he added.
Berry’s splits were 7:17.3 with the swim, which was the second fastest on the day; 28:55.1 on the bike, which was the fastest time; and 20:12.7 in the run, also the second fastest.
It didn’t go quite as smoothly for Gahagan, who ran into difficulty with cramps at the beginning of the run but persevered.
“I thought I was done … it was pretty excrutiating,” Gahagan said. “Every step hurt and the downhills were really bad, but I just kept repeating, ‘keep the pace, don’t give up, to God be the strength and to God be the glory.’
“That really helped me focus on the goal that was set before me. Also as a fitness instructor, I’m always motivating people and today I saw some of the women in my classes on the course and they were a motivation to me to keep going,” she added.
Her splits were 9:19.7 with the swim, 33:25.2 on the bike and 23:54.1 in the run.
Hal Stewart of Presque Isle is just six years removed from hip replacement surgery. He biked as part of a relay team last year but decided to compete in all three stages this time around. He placed first in the 50-59 age division with a time of 1:12.07.
“I also did one last fall and another this past spring,” Stewart said. “It was really about learning how to run again and I’ve done that. It’s getting back something that I love.
“You really gain a lot from all the energy out here. There are so many people new to the sport and it is motivating. It’s a great event,” he added.
Other age division winners were: 19-and-under female: Amanda Parker of Perth-Andover, New Brunswick, 1:21:47; 20-29 female, Gahagan; 30-39 female, Guerrette; 40-49 female, Mitzi Skehan of Hermon, 1:20:33; 50-59 female, Julie Sterling of Caribou, 1:29:44.
In the Athena 39-and-under category, Jessica Pelletier of Edmundston, N.B. had a time of 1:25:55, while in the Athena 40-and-over class, Denise Landry Nadeau, also of Edmundston, was first in 1:19:07.
For the men, division winners included: 19-and-under male: Dustin Drabek of Presque Isle, 1:06:39; 20-29 male, no competitors; 30-39 male, Berry; 40-49 male, Duane Hart of Presque Isle, 1:07:03; 60-69 male, Chip Loring of Old Town, 1:19:54; and 70-and-79 male, Richard Nichols of Fort Fairfield, 2:20:57.
In the Clydesdale 39-and-under division, Toby Plummer of Mapleton came in at 1:15:41 to take the top spot.
The winning relay team was Pine Tree Legal, which consisted of swimmer Alexis Coiley, cyclist Stephen Higgins and runner Jeff Ashby. Their time was 1:01:32. They defeated the S.W. Collins trio, who came in at 1:04:56.
The sister combination of Erin Argraves, Anna Osgood and Katie Delong, treated the event as an opportunity to be teammates on a rare occasion.
“There is an eight-year gap between Anna and I and 10 years between Katie and I, so we never got to be teammates going through school,” said Erin Argraves, “so the best part is that we finally can say we did something together athletically.”
Osgood was the one who initiated it as she was at her home in Charleston, S.C., searching the Internet to see if there were any triathlons in Maine offered during the summer. She was pleased to find one right in their hometown.
“I knew Erin swam a little in high school and I also knew that Katie wouldn’t bike, so that would be my way of chipping in. I was impressed with how well organized this was.”
Delong was a member of the 2006 Wildcat girls’ state championship basketball team and also played Div. I soccer at the University of Maine, but said triathlon is certainly unique.
“I didn’t realize how technical and how physically demanding it is,” she said, “but it was nice to take part in an event like this. It was fun.”
Al Condon of Presque Isle was part of a three-generational group of family members who relished the chance to spend time with his granddaughters.
He handled the cycling stage, while one of his granddaughters, Rachel Condon of Yarmouth, did the swim and another, Tessa Condon of Bangor, was the runner.
His significant other, Cathy Donovan, also competed on a relay team, as did his son, Chris, daughter-in-law, Denise, and other granddaughter, Abby.
“I think it’s so much fun to do things with your family. There are so many things now you can get distracted with today, but this is something everyone can participate in at any level,” said Al, who at 71 was competing in his fourth triathlon over the past two years — two in Freeport and now two here in the Star City.
“My granddaughters and I really seem to bond when we are doing stuff like this. Presque Isle is fortunate to have an event like this offered right here, with people putting the effort out to volunteer. It’s just one more way for the community to get out and participate.”
