Competitive. That's the best way to describe the fourth race of the 1996 Colorado Sprint Series. To call the Monument Triathlon a sprint on this day was an understatement as some of the best emerging triathletes in the nation scorched the course. A mostly young but experienced field, including Junior National team members and other top triathletes in residence at the Olympic Training Center, assembled for the elite divisions.
Noticing that the swim course was a bit short after the amateur competitors finished, the race directors towed the buoys into a more accurate representation of a third of a mile.
The elite action got under way with the women at 10:00 AM. A field of eleven sprinted into the water and quickly spread out. Cameron King wasted no time in emphasizing her swimming strength and she exited the water in 7:18 with Evergreen's Kirstin Weule right on her heels. The two headed out onto the bike neck and neck.
Throughout the 17 miles of climbs and descents on the hilly and challenging bike course, Kirstin Weule took the opportunity to establish an insurmountable lead. Weule got off the bike with well over a 3 minute lead on King, switched to her running shoes in a blink of an eye, and headed off to cruise the run to victory in 1:11 and change.
Meanwhile, the elite men's race was heating up (and so was the temperature.) Seventeen men dashed into the lake and jostled for position throughout the first half of the swim. By the time they rounded the 90 degree turn, they had arranged themselves into a neat line of bodies.
Josh Fuller of Florida was the first to exit in 6:40 with Bryan Meyer in his wake. Peter Valentyk came out in third and the rest of the field proceeded to emerge in regular intervals. From then on, those with the strongest legs would prevail.
The challenging bike course saw a great deal of hammering for control by the hard charging men. Keith Casserly of Providence, RI, took the lead and came into the transition followed by a tenacious Hunter Kemper.
Once they left for the run, however, Casserly turned on the after burners and blazed the 5K course in a 15:04. Since Mark Coogan was in Atlanta, there was no one around who could keep up with that pace and Casserly crossed the finish line in 1:00:54. His time shattered Nick Radcawick's course record by over 2 minutes! Hunter Kemper of Florida kept 2nd and Rick Dooda of California rounded off 3rd.
The elites weren't the only ones having fun, though. Earlier in the morning, the amateur race saw some fast performances and tough competition, as well. No cash was at stake, but a weekend at Copper Mountain for the overall winners and Colorado Sprint Series points were just as good incentives.
Eric Peterson of Colorado Springs got things off to a fast start by shooting through the swim. Peterson arguably had the fastest swim of the day, although a precise comparison is difficult due to the buoy changes before the elite waves. Peterson jammed on the bike and held on through the run to earn the 2nd amateur position. First and third went to two racers from the second wave. Tim Sandell of Colorado Springs clinched the victory and Ed Bogess took third.
The next and final stop for the Colorado Sprint Series is the championship race at Cherry Creek Reservoir on August 18, where the overall series winners will be crowned.
* This article appeared in The Athlete's Source (Summer 1996).