By Brad Culp
June 25, 2007 -- On Saturday (June 23) Dick Hoyt, of Team Hoyt (www.teamhoyt.com), motivated the over-one-thousand athletes competing at the High Cliff Half Iron and Sprint Triathlon in Sherwood State Forest, Wisc. Hoyt made an appearance at Kaukauna High School the night prior to the race to give a first-hand account of his life story and what motivates him. There were tears, plenty of standing ovations and most importantly, an enhanced respect for disabled atheltes.
Come Sunday, the athletes would need every bit of that motivation, as race-day temperatures climbed into the upper-80s. The half-iron race kicked off with a 1.2-mile swim in Lake Winnebago, one of America's largest inland lakes, followed by a 56-mile bike around the north coast of Winnebago and finished with a 13.1-mile trail run on the cliffs that hover over the state park.
In the men's race, a large group of six athletes pulled away from the field on the bike and it was left to the fastest runner. That turned out to be Terry Labinski of Waukesha, Wisc., who battled fought through the heat to finish in 4:24:48. Two minutes later, Mike Purdy, from nearby Oskosh, Wisc., crossed the line in second, in 4:27:49. Peter Mentz of Germantown, Wisc., used a blazing 2:20 bike split to seal up third place, in 4:28:16.
The women's race was decided by a mere two seconds, with Maggie Fournier of Wausau, Wisc., taking the win in 5:05:39. Fournier charged to the front during the bike, with a powerful 2:38 split for 56 miles. That gave her a lead of over six minutes on Jennifer Takata of St. Francis, Wisc., and Fournier would need every second of it -- literally. Takata charged hard with a 1:44 half-marathon and closed all but two seconds on the leader, to finish in 5:05:41. Kimberly Kuphal, from Stevens Point, Wisc., finished another 10 minutes back, in 5:15:59.
In the sprint division, Mark Beversdorf of Wittenberg Wisc., won a close race on the men's side in 1:19:17 (.75-mi swim, 22-mi bike, 3.1-mi run). As for the women, it was Brenda Simril, from Two Rivers Wisc., who won in 1:28:50.
The weekend also featured a physically challenged race on Saturday. Hundreds of triathletes were on hand to cheer on the challenged triathletes -- many of whom were competing in their first triathlon.
For more information on the event, visit www.midwestsportsevents.com