DECATUR – Erik Rankin placed 3rd overall in the sprint race, Michael Braun was 4th at the intermediate distance, and Lily Matthews was 4th in the kids race to lead Grim Reaper Fitness at the Lakeside Triathlon Saturday and Sunday.
Lakeside Triathlon Sprint and Intermediate
In Sunday’s sprint, Rankin covered the 400-yard swim leg, 19-mile bike, and 3.1-mile run in 1:25:57, 2 minutes and 23 seconds behind the leader. Casey Haak finished 3rd in men’s 20-24 at 1:38:10.
Wendy Smith and Lynn Staley won their Age Groups in the sprint, while Matt Cuttell teamed up with his wife, Michelle, to win the co-ed sprint relay.
Smith took the 40-44 women’s AG at 1:40:02, while Staley was just 13 seconds back at 1:40:15 to win the 45-49 division. Smith’s bike pace of 19.3 mph, was the 2nd-best for the women on the day, while Staley posted the women’s best run at an 8:14 pace. Natalie McKee placed 2nd in the 35-39 AG, with a time of 1:52:27.
Cuttell started out the relay with a 6:48 swim and added a 21.9 pace on the bike, and Michelle finished out the run at 30:08 for an overall time of 1:29:48.
In the intermediate distance, which included a 1200-yard swim, 19-mile bike and 4.5-mile run, Braun posted a 1:34:54 to place 4th overall and win the 20-24 Age Group.
Braun’s brother Chris, placed 2nd in the under-19 division, at 1:47:39, but had the 2nd-best swim time in the men’s division at 14:49. Their mother, Nancy, was 2nd in the women’s 50-54 AG at 2:23:56.
Kelly Ruiter won the women’s 30-34 AG in a time of 2:05:19, which was good for 7th overall. Her bike pace of 19.6 mph was 5th best among all women.
Kids Triathlon and Duathlon
In the Kids Triathlon Saturday, Lily Matthews posted a 3:34 in the 250-yard swim, a 12:46 in the 3.4-mile bike, and an 8:11 in the 1-mile run for an overall time of 26:05. Riley Cate, daughter of GRF member David Cate, was 17th at 35:03.
In the 9-14-year-old division of the duathlon, Rachel, daughter of GRF member Barb Simmons, ran a 7:52 mile, biked 2 miles in 14:23 and ran the second mile in 7:48 to finish at 30:51 overall. Maddie Rankin, daughter of GRF’s Erik Rankin, finished 9th at 40:46.
Finally, Maddie’s sister, Lexi Rankin, was 7th overall in the 5-8-year-old duathlon, running a half mile in 4:18, biking 1.5 miles in 10:01, and running another half mile in 4:19 for an overall time of 19:24.
