Chilly air makes an endurance test more challenging

Ex-Marine Delbert Marriott won the competition.

Davis Dunavin

Special to the Southeast Missourian

Over 150 athletes braved a combination of cold and wind to compete in this year's 21st annual Steamboat Classic Triathlon on Sunday. Though one of the three events, swimming, was held in the warmth of the Central Municipal Pool, an unexpectedly chilly day outside -- temperatures were in the low 50s --made the other two events, running and biking, considerably more difficult.

"The chilly, windy weather kinda scared some people off," said Chad Sierman, the pool's aquatic supervisor and director of the triathlon. "Lots of people, especially on bikes, found it a problem. There was also some construction on some of the roads and the course changed. It was an interesting surprise for the riders."

Ex-Marine Delbert Marriott of Blodgett, Mo., who won the event with the time of 1 hour, 16 minutes, 35 seconds, said the competition was one of the hardest he'd ever done. Marriott finished nearly three minutes ahead of Stephen Taylor of Columbia, Mo.

"The triathlon is really booming lately," Marriott said. "It's the greatest sport to promote health and fitness. And everyone who did this course knows how tough it really was. The cold was bad, but the wind chill and the hills made it worse. My hands and feet were frozen after getting out of the water.

"This was a tough, tough race, but that's what makes for a good race."

Kirsten Winkler of McKenzie, Tenn., won the women's competition in 1:28.42.

The running event took athletes down Broadway, along the riverfront, and back, while the cycling event went into the hilly countryside.

The athletes competed either individually or in teams of three, and awards were broken up according to gender and age group.

"It was professionally done," said Pat Dillon, who competed as part of a co-ed team with Theresa Goldsberry and Paul Embree.

"They could have done splits, though. They just give you an overall time. And there were times I thought I was lost when I was running."

"There were times I thought I was lost when I was swimming!" joked Theresa Goldsberry. "But I didn't feel like swimming was a major part of the triathlon. It's the shortest part. I did well; I did awesome. But as a whole, this is a chance for people to get out and exercise. A lot of them need it."

Dillon, Goldsberry and Embree took third place in the 20-24 age group for co-ed team competition.

This was the second triathlon for Jennifer Goldsberry, who placed third in the 20-24 age group. Despite the obstacles of nature, Goldsberry was happy with her performance.

"The wind was a big challenge for me, and it was colder than I expected. But I performed about how I expected, and considering the unexpected problems, I suppose that means I improved."

Marriott was appreciative of the volunteers, who spent hours guiding traffic along the cycling and running legs of the triathlon.

"The volunteers saved our lives out there," said Marriott. "There were intersections I was flying through, and they manned them, making sure I was safe."

Marriott turned down his first-place award.

"I just go for exhibition," he said. "This was just a practice, just to promote the sport of triathlon. But next year, next year I'm guaranteeing a record."

A total of 150 individuals completed the race, and 17 teams also competed. Complete results in Scoreboard on Page 2B.