Triathlon showcases strongest of Valley Girls
The red swim caps went first at 7:45 a.m. as the cheering reached its crescendo. The white caps followed five minutes later, then the green, and so on through seven waves of 550 women who threw themselves into Liberty Lake on Sunday morning for the first leg of the Valley Girl Triathlon.
After 600 yards, around two buoys and escorted by a flotilla of watchful kayakers, they trotted out of the water. Off came the caps, goggles and wet suits; on went the helmets and shoes stowed at the bike racks for the cycling leg. Nobody lent a hand. This was self-peeling.
After 12 miles pedaling, they were back at the lakefront discarding their bikes, donning running shoes for the final three miles to Pavillion Park, all the while cheered on by family members shouting encouragement to Becky, Allie, Lisa and “Mommy,” among hundreds of others.
Mommy won.
Sarah Ranson ran into the park with a time of 1:08:46. In the final leg, the diminutive Ranson reeled in all but one of the 14 athletes who finished the cycling leg ahead of her. It was her first Valley Girl, she said, holding a child as she congratulated other finishers.
“I dabble in it,” Ranson said of the triathlon. “I’m more of a runner.”
She credited husband Nick, also a triathlete, for helping her find practice time.
Kristen Armstrong, fourth across the line in 1:12:19, also said triathlon was a family thing. Daughter Morgan, 7, won a children’s version of the event Saturday, with 9-year-old sister Emily also in the field.
“We are having a very good family weekend,” Armstrong said.
Adrianne Campbell was first to cross the finish line but had a five-minute edge because of the staggered starts. She finished in 1:10:24, second place overall.
“Was that a long swim? I had the worst swim of my life,” Campbell said as she waited to see if her big lead at the finish would be enough to offset her early start.
Campbell said she was still recovering from a longer triathlon in June, calling Valley Girl her “comeback.”
The third place finisher was Teri Orr, in 1:10:51. The winning teams were the Panthers, in 1:14:41, for a threesome less than a cumulative 120 years of age. The Divas, 120 years and up, came home in 1:07:45.
At least one team was one short. Laura Tingstad was doubling up on swimming and running, with Barbara Jenkins the sandwiched cyclist.
Jenkins said she practiced by towing a child in a trailer. The trailer came off Saturday night.
At 40-plus, she said, “I guess we have to prove we’re not dead yet.”
Tell that to Shirley Sturtz, at 72 the race’s oldest finisher in an impressive 1:47:00.
It was all over by 11 a.m., said race co-founder Robin DeRuwe. A few entrants fell by the wayside, she said, but the event went smoothly.
“Our group this year was much speedier than in the past,” she said.
When registration for the sixth annual Valley Girl opened Oct. 15, the 550 slots filled in 1 1/2 hours.
Said co-founder Marly Emde: “It’s a big deal for a lot of women.”