Seeley, Warner win CdA triathlon

Matt Seeley is a familiar name in the world of triathletes.

Seeley, a 33-year-old professional triathlete from Polson, Mont., was the overall male champion at Sunday’s 21st annual Coeur d’Alene Triathlon, crossing the finish line at North Idaho College in 2 hours, 5 five minutes.

The race, nicknamed ‘The Scenic Challenge,’ begins with a one-and-a-half kilometer swim, transitions into a 40K bicycle race and ends with a 10K run.

It wasn’t too difficult to recognize Seeley, who won the event for the second consecutive year and seventh overall, as he finished nearly four minutes in front of runner-up Roger Thompson and came striding across the finish line sporting a straw cowboy hat. The hat, which has become his trademark, is how event director Jon Atherton knew it was Seeley approaching the finish line first.

“It’s tradition,” Atherton said. “That hat is how you can tell that it’s Matt.”

Seeley says he wears the hat as long as it’s not too windy. And when it comes to preparing for the event, Seeley says it’s a mental challenge as much as a physical challenge.

“The hardest part is getting into race mode the morning of,” Seeley said. “Every time that alarm clock goes off I just want to go back to sleep, but the transition and the moment that gun goes off I feel in tune and I get focused.”

Seeley has competed in The Scenic Challenge since 1989 and says he will continue to return as many times as possible.

“I just love the course and community,” Seeley said.

On the women’s side a new champion was crowned.

Annie Warner, a 24-year-old employee of Sterling Savings Bank in Spokane, won in 2:19. Finishing second, nearly seven minutes behind Warner, was Tracey Lynn of Dalton Gardens, Idaho.

Warner, who has competed in and won five other regional triathlon events this season including the Valley Girl Triathlon, says winning this event has been her goal since last year’s sixth-place finish. The year before that, her first time in the event, Warner finished in the top 10.

The difference, she said, was the increased time she spent training for this year’s triathlon.

“After last year it’s been my goal all year,” Warner said. “I used to do it just to keep in shape, but this year I wanted to see if I could win it so I trained a lot harder.”

For Warner, Tub’s Hill was the biggest physical obstacle, but mentally the finish line, she says, is always toughest part.

”(The finish line) is right there, so you see it and you just want to be there,” Warner said.

Frank Mitchem of Moscow, Idaho, won the overall men’s masters division, finishing the race in 2:20, with Chewelah’s Martin Scates second, two minutes behind.

In the overall women’s masters division, Ann Seifert of Clancy, Mont., won in 2:32 minutes, three minutes ahead of runner-up Laura Curtis of Coeur d’Alene.

For the second year, a duathlon was held. Those competing forego the swimming part of the triathlon and compete in a 5K run and the same 40K bike race and 10k run that the triathletes do.

Overall male champion Sean Linder, of Spokane, won the duathlon in 2:05. Laura Morin was first in the overall women’s race with a time of 2:25. In the masters division, Spokane’s John Armentino won on the men’s side with a time of 2:15. On the women’s side, Coeur d’Alene’s Amy Leibensberger won in 2:42 minutes.