SHARON — A warm and muggy morning didn’t create ideal conditions for outdoor athletes on Saturday morning, June 26. But the 62 men, women and children who took part in the Sharon Sprint Triathlon didn’t seem to mind (especially as they started the race off with a plunge into the still-chilly waters of Mudge Pond).
The bikers, swimmers and runners competed individually and as teams in a half-mile swim in the pond, a 12.1-mile bike ride through Sharon and Lakeville and a 4.1-mile run. All ages and fitness levels were represented at the second annual Sprint; there were men and women who hadn’t run yet this year, and others with impressively chiseled physiques and “serious business†equipment. The oldest competitor was 67-year-old Clifford Cooper of Litchfield; the youngest team was made up of 10-year-old Simon Rhodes of Sharon and 11-year-olds Annika Oostenink of Lakeville and Paris Beddingfield of Sharon. (The next oldest team, they commented, was “really old, like 18 or something.â€)
The top overall time was completed by 26-year-old Tyler Arnett of Clinton Corners, N.Y., who finished the three legs in 1:16:35; but an impressive second-place finish was completed by 55-year-old Michael Root of Cornwall, who finished in 1:17:21. Root is an experienced competitor, and he evoked an “aha†moment in several competitors when they saw how quickly he changed from his swimming gear to his biking gear: he stripped off his full-body wet suit and charged up the grassy slope at Mudge Pond in just biking shorts and nothing else. His cycling shoes were already clipped onto the pedals of his bike and he slid his feet in as he jumped on and took off up the road.
Even for athletes who had competed in other triathlons, the transition from water to land presented one of the greatest challenges of the race. Many of the racers had on wet suits, which don’t easily slide off (or on). The adrenaline of the moment didn’t help, nor did the close quarters in the area where the bikes were racked and waiting for their riders. One person, trying to put on his shoes as other athletes swarmed around him, muttered, “I feel new sympathy for the blind.†Another man called out, “I need a stripper!!†Teammates Debra Downs and Catherine Chatham agreed that, “Changing your clothes is the hardest part. That’s why we compete as a team.â€
Many competitors returned this year, after competing last year. Some came from distant locales. In addition to racers from Westchester County in New York and Danbury, Conn., there was a 16-year-old from Owings, Md.
No records were set Saturday, according to race organizer Matt Mette, who is director of Sharon Recreation and Youth. But this triathlon is really designed more for fun than for fame, Mette said, as he gave starting instructions to the competitors as they prepared to plunge into the water and swim out to three giant orange buoys.
Even more important than fun or fame in this year’s triathlon was safety. There was an increased presence by volunteers not only from the Recreation and Youth Commission but also from volunteers with the Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance Service and Lakeville Water Rescue and the Sharon fire and ambulance departments. Among other duties, they manned corners to ensure that bikers and runners didn’t wipe out, or get lost (last year, some competitors said they had trouble following the route).
“The participation and generosity of the community has been outstanding,†Mette said after the race, citing the volunteers as well as sponsors including Beardsley Gardens in Sharon and the Cascade Winery in Amenia.
Race results can be found online at greystoneracing.net, and the turnout was strong enough this year that Mette said another triathlon will definitely be planned for next summer.
