There were many strong performances by local athletes. Eric Sorenson (29) of Dunn Loring, Virginia was tenth in the 25-29 age group in 2:05:27 with a 21:25 swim leg. Steve Giorgis (44) of Herndon Virginia was 11th in the 40-44 division in 2:13:15. Marge Stahl (69) of Annandale, Virginia was fifth in the 65-69 group in 4:27:21. Both swimming under 24 minutes, Kim McLaughlin (34) of Reston was second in the 30-34 division and Ashley Cordell Cook (26) of Vienna, Virginia was 12th in the womens 25-29 grouping.

Local Potomac Valley Masters swimmers from Team Gold included the legendary Antonio Panizza (60) of Reston, Virginia, who was runner-up in the men's 60-64 category in 2:31:27. (For an excellent article about this "Grand Master Triathlete" see the September 1999 Issue of The Swimmers' Ear.) Alida Anderson (29) of Silver Spring, completed the course in 2:31:41 and is currently swimming with the Terrapin Masters. Arlington, Virginia's Edith Chan (22), a convert from the disciplined sport of crew, and fresh from competition in Canada in the 1999 World Championships, got stronger with each event, posting a 21st place finish in her category.

Your reporter, who squeaked in as a last qualifier at the New England Olympic Distance Championships and the National Sprint Championships in New Jersey, came off his bicycle twice on the steep serpentine downhill to make chain repairs. While used to using his running strength to reel in those not as "aquatically challenged" in most multi-sport races (as he did finishing 20th overall at Reston several weeks earlier and third in Fredericksburg after Nationals), the quality of the competition at St. Joseph was such that yours truly did not pass anyone who wasn't handing out water cups or gel! Everyone there seemed to run with a purpose, swim like porpoise and have a whale of a ride. Participating in such an event will do wonders for an overinflated ego, and shows the depth of multisport participation in this country.

Conspicuous by their absence from the Team Gold contingent were Chase Baker, whose impressive performance in Clermont, Florida in winning the "physically challenged" category was inspirational, and Athena Laura Borgelt, who was a top finisher at Reston and in this summer's two mile open water swim. Laura is a superb swimmer, who has worked very hard at her already impressive aquatic skills as well as her cycling (competing in cycling races and criterium over the summer). She reminds your correspondent of Rick "Egg-Beater" Fleeter with her natural fluid style and determination in getting to practice sessions. (For more on "Rotisserie Rick" see the September 1999 issue of The Swimmers' Ear, pages.5-6, "Confessions of a Swimming Addict.")

Race Day

The course comprised of a lake swim behind the train tracks and industrial section of St. Joseph. It was cool enough to allow for wetsuits (as was not the case in Clermont Florida or Bridgeton New Jersey, for the prior World Qualifier or National Sprint Distance Championship races), and the local population chipped in monies to fill the lake with additional water because of the recent drought they had been experiencing.

On race day, there was a huge balloon arch under which the triathletes passed to start the race and boats all along the swim course. While breathing off to the beach side of the out and back swim course, I could see people cheering from their docks, lawns and party boats. With every competitor assigned a computer chip to wear around her or his ankle, everyone set off an electronic alarm as they passed over the sensor carpets and into the water. These chips enabled the race administrators to have almost instant results and provide times for each event and all transitions to the second!

Firefighters don't get changed as quickly as these top triathletes, whose first transition was under two minutes (including the 200 yard run from the shore) and second under fifty seconds! In addition to an enormous crane from which the announcers could identify participants before and during their wave starts, there were helicopters and other media coverage of the event. The first person out of the water was 16-year-old Sarah McLarty in 19:30! By the time the men's 35-39 group hit the beach, the Junior Elites were finishing! Unlike in the water, drafting is not allowed on the bike course, and I did not witness some of the flagrant violations that have marred other competitions.

Once we ran up the 200 yard route to the bicycle racks and shed our wet suits, it was easy for us to follow the cycling course; all we had to do was follow the trail of water, wrappers, water bottles, sweat, GU, walking athletes, and bicycle parts. The reason for the bike parts was that the course took us over the train tracks, and even though the race directors carpeted them (and arranged for the freight trains to not run through the race!), at several points we were airborne!

St. Joseph Community Support

The local population in the center of town was very supportive; some sat on folding chairs on their front lawns waving flags and cheering each waves' participants as they went spinning by like an American version of the Tour de France. The portion of the course through the city's version of Central Park, with its steep inclines and deadly spiraling descents, required forearms like Popeye to hang on to one's bike and nerves of titanium. Kudos to St. Joe, whose main streets were closed and the wonderful volunteers all along the course. When we returned to the transition area, we had an out and back 10k run to contend with as the temperature steadily climbed. The course was flat and paved, and there was plenty of water, but almost everyone had the kick taken out of their legs by the more than challenging bike course.

As for sightseeing there was: gambling, the Pony Express Museum (which had its cool logo on the side of a hill along the course), Kansas City an hour to the South, and many restaurants serving great steaks. But after tapering carefully and on the eve of such an important race, where could one find a good pasta dinner (other than the official pre-race fare and far from the maddening crowd)? The Potomac Masters contingent luckily located a restaurant that served pasta (sans beef) and then drove the course, getting lost in the dark! Across from this establishment was a restaurant right out of the fifties with curb service and waiters who probably do a marathon nightly! I wished I had more time to sightsee and get acclimated. The race committee even allowed the triathletes to swim in the lake in the days leading up to the race, so that there could be no excuses for being unfamiliar with the course.

Your reporter would recommend going to Nationals if you qualify and spending more than three days at the host city, so that you can relax (and not worry about U.P.S. losing your bicycle), sightsee, try out the course and familiarize yourself in day

light with the three legs of the event.

If you want to try a shorter event, usually with no wetsuits and a lovely, protected half mile lake swim, this year's National Sprint Championships were held in Bridgeton, New Jersey (about a two and a half hour drive from D. C., at the site of the perennial Mid-Atlantic Championships race. The bicycle ride is a little more than half the Olympic Distance and the run is a 5k on trails through a zoo(!), so the scenery is a bit different. The competition is good, the race support is excellent and it's a good way to get your feet wet in a National or regional competition.

Other short triathlons for those just starting out (or averse to the Ironman or Olympic Distance) include the: Tysons Sporting Club Triathlon in June; the Fredericksburg/ Rappahannock YMCA Fall Triathlon; the Richmond Triathlon (put on by Bob Vigorito, who directs the excellent Columbia Triathlon in May); and the many varied multisport events hosted in our region by Triathlantic and its very creative director, Brad Jaeger (www.triath.com).

For those averse to riding their bicycles in races (even non-drafting triathlons), your correspondent would recommend the Fredericksburg/Rappahannock YMCA biathlon, the Madeira School spring biathlon or a team or a relay triathlon.

Good luck to all Potomac Master Swimmers in their upcoming events.