Rain and cooler temperatures provided nearly ideal conditions over the weekend for nearly 1,100 registrants in the ninth annual Best in the West Triathlon series, held Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 7-8, at Lewis Creek Park at Foster Lake in Sweet Home.
“It was great for racing,” said Race Director Blair Bronson Monday during the “soggy” cleanup.
The Half Ironman and Olympic events were held Saturday morning, with the Sprint Triathlon on Sunday.
The top overall finisher among the 133 competitors in the Half Iron – a 1.2-mile swim, followed by 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run, was John Brenteson of Hillsboro, who finished in 4:25.42.
Shannon Coates of Portland was 13th overall and the women’s winner, in 5:12.35.
The Olympic Triathlon included a 1500-meter swim (nearly a mile) in the lake, followed by a 40K (just under 25 miles) bike ride along North River, Pleasant Valley and McDowell Creek roads to a turnaround point a couple of miles south of Waterloo, then back to the park, where contestants finished with a 10K (6.2 mile) run.
Aaron Seipel of Sandy was the overall winner among the 174 finsihers, in 2:12.51. The women’s winner was Kristen Lipscomb of Corvallis, in 2:27.55, 14th overall.
Lebanon finishers in the Olympic triathlon were: Rachel Gantz, 125th in 3:15.29; Trevor Gomez,129th in 3:18.19; and Brenna Gomez, 131st in 3:19.26.
In the Sprint Triathlon, which involved a 500-meter swim in Foster Lake, 12-mile bike ride on North River Road and a 5K (3.1-mile) run on North River and Quartzville roads, Benjamin Snodgrass of Portland finished first, in 57:08, in a field of 239.
The women’s winner was Batya Beard of Corvallis, who finished in 1:06.14.
Lebanon residents who finished were: Kendra Mhoon-Coatney, who was 81st in 1:25.46; Kari Kropf, who was 207th in 1:59.02; Kallie Boschma, who was 209th in 2:01.11; and Alisha Cox, who as 215th in 2:04.21.