The second annual running (and swimming and biking) of Bluffton’s Be A Beaver Triathlon brought about 100 competitors to town on Saturday, May 30.
The participants—up in number from 64 for the event’s debut last year—started with a jump into the Bluffton Community Pool for a 400-meter swim. A 20-kilometer (12.4-mile) bike ride and a 5K (3.1-mile) run completed the triathlon, won for the second straight year by Justin Kahle, 21, of Defiance, Ohio, in a time of 58 minutes, 28 seconds.
The first female across the finish line, and placing seventh overall, was Kaitlin Switzer, 26, also of Defiance, in 1:08:49. Finishing second to Switzer among women, and 11th overall, was Abigail Meyers (No. 78 in photo) of Bluffton, whose time of 1:11:01 bettered her women’s winning time from last year of 1:12:39.
Competitors also included Richard Avoletta (No. 94 in photo), a retired member of the Illinois State Police who has a goal to complete a triathlon in every U.S. state. Avoletta, 55, from Quincy, Ill., made Ohio the eighth state on his list by finishing the event in 1:24:22, good for 41st place overall.
Participants could compete in all three segments, enter as part of a team or just try one segment of their choosing.
Proceeds from the triathlon help Bluffton University’s cross country and track and field teams with costs of attending out-of-state invitational meets. Karen Brandt, the teams’ head coach and a triathlon organizer, said she was both pleased with the increase in turnout and “very gratified to see the number of families who were involved.”
“From poolside, I heard a number of kids calling encouragement to parents, spouses to spouses, parents to their kids,” she noted. “There were a number of husband-and-wife couples who were doing the event, as well as families who had two, three or more members participating.
“I was also grateful to the Defiance Triathlon Club for the large number of members, experienced and novice, they encouraged to participate,” Brandt added. “They had a good time, cleaned up in the awards and assured me they would be back next year with even more in tow!”
Bluffton Hospital, Shirley’s Gourmet Popcorn Co. of Bluffton and Muddy River Bicycle Co. of Findlay, were triathlon sponsors. Community partners were the village of Bluffton and the community pool.
