Gerlach and Long run away at Kewpee/Lima YMCA Triathlon

SUGGESTED HEAD: Gerlach and Long run away at Kewpee/Lima YMCA Triathlon

By MARK ALTSTAETTER

sports@limanews.com

LIMA — The Kewpee/Lima YMCA Triathlon has been an annual event for many area triathletes.

For Sunday’s two winners, it’s also a favorite.

Leah Long, a 42-year-old Lima resident, ran away from the competition in Sunday’s annual event at Ottawa Metro Park, winning the women’s race by nearly nine minutes over second-place Amanda McClellan from Findlay.

Long’s winning time was 1 hour, 25 minutes and 55 seconds. McClellan finished in 1:34.04.

In the men’s race, Kenton native Charles Gerlach gained an early lead on his competitors and never looked back, winning by six minutes over second-place Brady Prater, an 18-year-old from Wapakoneta.

Gerlach won in 1:11.50, while Prater crossed the finish line in 1:17.50. Nathan Whitman from Fostoria finished third (1:18.56). Longtime Lima area triathlete Jeff Brown was a close fourth (1:19.04).

The triathlon consisted of a 500-yard swim, a 30-kilometer bicycle ride and then ended with a 5-kilometer run to the finish line.

Long, who finished second in last year’s triathlon, said she views competing in triathlons as a way of life.

“Basically, it’s a lifestyle,” Long said. “I train hard, I eat right. … It’s something I try to do year-round.”

Long said she realized it wasn’t going to be an easy task to win Sunday’s race.
”I heard there were two girls ahead of me when I came out of the water,” she said. “I caught them about five miles in to it (the bike portion).”

Long’s last victory at the Kewpee was in 2007.

For the 44-year-old Gerlach, who now resides in Chicago, Sunday’s victory was bittersweet. Like Long, Gerlach finished second at last year’s event as well.

“This was the first triathlon that I did, three years ago,” he said. “I’ve done about 20 of them since then. … But this is the first one that I’ve won.”

The swim portion of the event was shortened from its normal ½-mile distance to 500 yards.

Gerlach said he thought the shorter swim gave him a slight edge over many of the other athletes.

“My weakest link is the swim,” he said. “With it being a shorter swim this year, I think it gave me a little bit of an advantage, since I wasn’t in there as long. And this is the ultimate setup for the bicycle course.”

Along with the triathlon there was a duathlon taking place, simultaneously. The duathlon consisted of a 2-mile run, a 30K bicycle ride and a 5K run.

Jason Barhorst was the overall winner in the duathlon, while Brenda Herron was the first female to cross the finish line.

Kewpee/Lima YMCA Triathlon at Ottawa Metro Park

WOMEN’S TRIATHLON

OVERALL

1. Leah Long
2. Amanda McClellan

15-19

1. Erin Calvelage

20-24

1. Kelly Jensen

25-29

1. Allison Sullivan

30-34

1. Liz Brinkman

35-39

1. Ann Kurtenbach

40-44

1. J.D. Pannabecker

45-49

1. Diane Preston

MEN’S TRIATHLON

OVERALL

1. Charles Gerlach
2. Brady Prater
3. Nathan Whitman

15-19

1. Sean Anthony

20-24

1. Eric Thatcher

25-29

1. Bryan Coleman

33-39

1. Jason Miller

40-44

1. Rob Bowers

45-49

1. Kurt Kuhlman

55-59

1. Edward Greunke

60 and over

1. Danny Glenn

WOMEN’S DUATHLON

OVERALL

1. Brenda Herron
2. Yvette Anez

15-19

1. Morgan Prenger

20-24

1. Renee Metzger

30-34

1. Kristen Henney

35-39

1. Kelly Prichard

50-54

1. Lisa Salsbury

MEN’S DUATHLON

OVERALL

1. Jason Barhorst
2. Jeff Endicott

30-34

1. Jamie Johnson

35-39

1. Scott Brinkman

40-44

1. Dan Carroll

45-49

1. Jerry Maus

50-54

1. Don Marik

55-59

1. John Coscarelli

60 and over

1. Steve Keller