CONNEAUT LAKE — The first iteration of anything is rarely perfect, but Saturday’s inaugural Conneaut Lake Sprint Triathlon went off without a hitch.
Brian Gildea, one of two race directors with ALFA Endurance, said besides the rain the team was “very pleased with the outcome.”
Nearly 170 athletes registered for the race, but a few people bailed because of the weather. The triathlon consisted of a 650-yard swim, a 13.8 mile bike ride and a 3.1 mile run. The swim took place at Fireman’s Beach. From there, athletes hopped on their bikes and headed west on Route 6 before turning north and eventually circling around the lake and returning to Fireman’s Beach. From there, the run took them north to a turnaround on Pymatuning Avenue and then back to the beach to the finish line.
Gildea said they nearly canceled the event, but moved forward with everything and were glad they did.
“Hats off to the team that was in place. From the volunteers to the ALFA Endurance staff and to the professional service providers that were there, hats off,” Gildea said. “There arn’t many events where you get state troopers to stand in ankle deep water for two hours.”
Gildea said without the support of the state police, Conneaut Lake Regional Police Department, Conneaut Lake Volunteer Fire Department and Conneaut Lake Ambulance Service, the triathlon wouldn’t have worked.
“Those four entities stepped up in a big way and were nothing but positive, helpful and amazing. They did a very good job and I can’t thank them enough,” Gildea said. “If they’re not on board it doesn’t go off successfully, but they believed in the vision, believed in what we are trying to do there and they had our back the whole way through. It was great.”
ALFA Endurance also got plenty of positive feedback from racers. Gilda said numerous racers couldn’t tell it was the first time the area had a race because of how smooth everything went.
The team also raised money for Soon I Will Run, a foundation for pediatric cancer research.
“There were a lot of really good reviews. That made us feel great that we accomplished the goal,” Gildea said. “We saw a lot of smiles, a lot of people high-fiving soaking wet saying ‘It’s just rain. We were wet when we got in the lake anyway’. It really did turn out well and we got to raise a lot of money for the cause. It was a 10/10 hit and worked out great.”
ALFA Endurance plans on making the event a mainstay in the Conneaut Lake community. Gildea anticipates participation will grow each year and the race could be about 250 to 300 people in the near future. He also said the event is a win-win in regards to the local economy and his organization.
“I talked to numerous people on Friday that said ‘Hey, I’m in from Buffalo, Youngstown, Cleveland, for the race,’ All those people were staying in town, eating in town and stimulating Conneaut Lake. It’s a win-win,” Gildea said. “We’re doing a healthy event that helps the community and all the people and participants.”
The top male and female finishers in Saturday’s race were Mathew McClellan and Kate Potashnik. McClellan, a Saegertown resident, won the race in one hour, 11 minutes and 39 seconds. Potashnik of Hartville, Ohio, finished in 1:15.55.