Hot is the operative word for both the temperatures and the competition at the 2007 Twin Falls Triathlon Saturday.
"It was 75 degrees when we were driving down there at 5:30 a.m.," competitor Terry Crawford said. "When the competitors left the canyon they had no protection whatsoever." A strong headwind did temper the heat, but did not exactly enhance the bicycling leg.
Exactly 100 individuals and 15 teams of three finished the half-mile swim, 17.5-mile bike and 5.25 mile run. The course started and finished at Dierkes Lake with a trip up the punishing Shoshone Falls grade.
Jonathan Williams of Boise was the men's winner with a total time of 1:32.55. Ketchum's Bill McCann placed second in 1:35.42. He had the third-fastest swimming leg. Last year's champion Adam Greene of Ketchum was not out of the water as fast as he probably would have liked, but made up for it with a solid biking leg and the fifth-fastest run. He crossed the line in 1:37.10.
Sun Valley's Kyle Kunz was 20th overall in 1:52.21 and was fourth in the 40-49 year old class. Other local class champions were Charley French (men 60-Up) in 2:12.29 and Susan Gundy (women 50-59) in 2:18.33. In the men's 19-29 division, Daniel Hollis was 7th in 2:04.36 and Bradley Thompson 11th in 2:19.44. Jeff Shiver was 11th in the 30-30 year old class in 1:58.39. Ryan Passey was 26th in 2:30.24. Michael Dunn claimed 12th place in the 40-49 year old age group. Owen Scanlon finished in 2:07 flat to take third in men 50-59.
Barb Sargent, Kelly Hackbarth and Kitty Marcroft teamed to win the women's division in 2:00.38. Crawford said it was the first triathlon for both Sargent and Hackbarth, who are employed as nurses at St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center.
Crawford handled the swimming leg for the second-place team, which included John Swyers and Derrick May. The trio was runner-up by 31 seconds in 1:39.40.
No French pastry is local Charley French. The 80-year-old French, shown crossing the finish line, won his age class and finished 61st overall at the Twin Falls Triathlon Saturday.
