By Beau Wicker, Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, Ind.
Aug. 3–When Michael Anderson was running down the stretch of the Tower Park Triathlon for Kids on a hot and sunny morning Saturday, the finish line couldn’t have seemed any farther away.
After completing a 200-meter swim, a 5.6-mile bike and a 1.6-mile run as fast as he could in 52:01, the 15 year old said he was “completely and horribly” fatigued.
“I felt like I was going to pass out,” he added.
“I didn’t have too much trouble with the swimming and biking. When I started the run I had a little bit of trouble.”
But Anderson, like most triathletes, enjoyed the overall experience.
“I enjoy challenging myself to do things that I find to be pretty difficult,” he said.
A total of 16 boys and girls competed in the inaugural event. Anderson, who will be a sophomore at Logansport where he runs cross country and swims, was the lone competitor in the 15-18 boys division.
Sasha Neumann won the 13-14 boys division in 55:49 and Zach Ulrich was runner-up in 59:29.
Ashley Fawcett won the 13-14 girls division in 1:08.45, edging out Kassie Neumann by .01 of a second.
The younger-aged kids had different distances to complete. Both the 11-12 and 9-10 age groups were faced with a 100-meter swim, a 4.6-mile bike and a 1.3-mile run.
Dylan Bice won the 11-12 boys division with a time of 36:31. Alexi Neumann was second in 42:36, Landon Neumann was third in 46:27, Spenser Ulrich was fourth in 49:15 and Carter Ulrich was fifth in 54:52.
Jennifer Crafford was the lone competitor in the 11-12 girls division, winning in 53:01, and Damien Gordon was the lone competitor in the 9-10 boys division, winning in 1:00.56.
The 8-and-under division had a course that included a 50-meter swim, a 1-mile bike and a 0.3-mile run.
In the 8-and-under boys division, Owen Bice won in 10:14, Calvin Brown was second in 10:46, Alex LeDonne was third in 10:47 and Jacob Myers was fourth in 13:08.
Anderson’s older brother, Alex Anderson, who will be a senior at Earlham College, organized the event towards completion of requirements for his internship for college credit. Alex Anderson deemed the event a success.
“All the parents were happy; that makes me happy,” he said. “It was a good turnout.
“In the pool in the shallow end there was shade but when they got to the deep end they were in the sun and they started to sweat immediately. When they got on the bike they were wet, and it’s that much easier for them to sweat. … Sweating’s good for cardio.”
Logansport Mayor Mike Fincher was in attendance and handed out awards at the end of the event.
“I didn’t expect anyone from city to be there, let alone the mayor,” Alex Anderson said. “So that was great.”
Alex Anderson thinks the event can become an annual one.
“I think it will,” he said. “At the Board of Works meeting Mayor Fincher said he thinks it’ll be something that will grow. I did it as an internship for college, and I don’t want to do it all by myself now. Next year we could divvy out the work to other lifeguards. Now everything’s in order. I did a lot of work and a lot of that can carry over to next year. The mayor said he would OK it.”
Alex Anderson, who’s majoring in business at Earlham, is a 2005 graduate of Logansport High School, where he starred in baseball. He plays baseball at Earlham and earned All-NCAC honors and was the team MVP this past season despite battling injuries. He posted a 3.98 ERA on the mound and at the plate he hit .280 with 17 stolen bases.
Beau Wicker can be contacted at (574) 732-5113 or via e-mail at [email protected]
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