Participants praise organizers' first event

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June 30, 2009

By Pete Chiodo The Meadville Tribune Tue Jun 30, 2009, 12:24 AM EDT

WOODCOCK TOWNSHIP — So will The Dam Tri be back next year?

“Absolutely,” said Chip Fuller, one of the event’s organizers.

Good thing, too. Otherwise, he and the rest of the event’s coordinators — which included Kristoph Kocan, Nina Bell and Steve Bell — would have a lot of disappointed people to answer to.

The new triathlon, held in its inaugural form Sunday at Woodcock Creek Lake, was a resounding success. It drew approximately 400 competitors, and Fuller estimated there were about 1,500 people total in the main staging area at Col. Crawford Park.

“We were overwhelmed with what it turned into,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like it around here.”

Many of those folks said they were looking forward to returning in 2010.

“This is the best organized first-time race I’ve ever been to,” said John Brockenbrough, of Murrysville, Pa, who raced in the men’s Elite division and finished second.

“This was better organized than a lot of races I’ve been too and this is their first year. I just hope they can keep it going. Because, in my opinion, it was wonderful.”

That’s saying a lot, especially considering the logistical breadth of this type of event; like the kayakers and scuba team monitoring the 1.5K swim, or the emergency services folks directing traffic around the 40K bike race, or the volunteers along the 10K running course.

“We made shirts for 70 volunteers, and we had more volunteers than we had shirts,” Fuller said.

A real treat for the racers was the scenery around the Woodcock Dam area.

“This is so beautiful down here,” said Erie’s Pamela McCormick, who was the top female finisher in the race’s Elite class “I had no idea this was so close to Erie.”

McCormick wasn’t the only one.

“This is one of the most beautiful places,” said the day’s oldest competitor, 75-year-old Joyce Quadri. “And I’ve lived in Erie all my life and I never imagined how nice this place is.”

Yet, while Woodcock was easy on the eyes, it was brutal on the legs.

“This was the hardest course I’ve ever done,” said Sunday’s top finisher in the Elite male division, James LaMastra, of Rocky River, Ohio. He noted that both the bike course and the running course had some difficult hills to contend with.

“There was no easy part,” said McCormick. “There was no release for your legs.”

Still, athletes love a good challenge. And The Dam Tri provided one.

“You totally appreciate it,” McCormick said. “There are a lot of great races that are a little flat. And you appreciate those, because you can go out and just hammer the bike, or hammer the run. But in a race like this, where you’re really challenged, you really do have to pace yourself. It brings you up a level.”

The top three finishers in the men’s and women’s Elite divisions each earned a trophy. And those became motivating factors as well, each one feature a small, furry, stuffed beaver posed next a gnawed piece of wood.

Honestly, they were way more charming than that description makes them sound.

“This is, like, the best trophy I’ve ever had,” said Brockenbrough, looking down at his. “He (the beaver) is so cute. In fact, when I saw the trophy, that was my big motivation for being in the top three. I didn’t care if I was first second or third. I just wanted to by in the top three.”

“That was Kristoph’s brainchild,” Fuller said about the trophies. “We had a committee and we voted on all of the decisions. And, you know, I was a ‘no’ on that one. But sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose.”

Pete Chiodo can be reached at 724-6370 ext. 275 or by e-mail at pchiodo@meadvilletribune.com.

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