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On June 10th, The Grand Rapids Triathlon saw numerous Team Athletic Mentors’ athletes compete across all race distances at this world class event. Known for its flat, fast course, 2018 was no exception with a plethora of Podiums and Personal Records.
Brian Reynold’s took the overall win in the Half Iron distance with a time of 3:59:49. It was the first time he had broken 4 hours in the Half Iron distance and he had the best bike split of the day, averaging over 25 mph. The swim and bike went really well to give him a 4 min lead over 2nd place going into the run. Despite running a 5:56/mile pace on the run, the 2nd place guy gained 2:30 minutes on him during the run, but he was able to hold him off for the win.
Kathy Braginton took 2nd in her Age Group in the Half Iron distance with a time of 5:40:51. This was a 10 minute PR for her in the Half Iron distance from this event 2 years ago. A strong tail wind on the return from the out and back bike course made for a fast bike split. It also helped in conserving the legs for the run portion. Cool temps and overcast skies, aided in carrying a strong, consistent run leg into the finish. Kathy loves the out and back of both the bike and run portions on this event. The opportunity to see all her teammates compete and to cheer them on can be very inspiring.
Two relay teams took on the Half Iron Distance placing 3rd and 4th overall. In the Athletic Mentors Coaches relay, Elizabeth Kayfish swam, Mark Olsen biked, and Bridget Miller completed the run leg to place 3rd overall. Lindsey Lilley and Dave Stebbins did a Father/Daughter 2 person relay with a time of 5:00:53. Dave swam and biked while Lindsey did the run. Dave had a good, strong swim and bike. His swim was 2 minutes slower than last year, but his bike time was 2 minutes faster. He credits his faster bike time to Mark Olsen who gave him some encouragement when they passed each other. Dave is super consistent and refuses to let age slow him down! The run portion was a fight from step 1, but Lindsey oddly enjoyed the long battle. She loved trying to chase down the other AM team runner, Bridget. She knew she couldn’t catch her, but it was a fun mental game. With so many AM team members out there, it helped make the miles and time go by faster.
Tammy Shuler, Dawn Hinz, Belinda Vinton, and Bob Schultz rounded out the Olympic distance race. Tammy Shuler took 1st in her age group with a time of 2:42:59.
Dawn Hinz took 4th in her age group with a time of 2:52:10, a 6 min PR for her from a year ago. Belinda Vinton took 3rd in her age group with a time of 3:00:10. Bob Shultz competed in the Aquabike Olympic race placing 7th overall with a time of 1:59:47.
In the Sprint distance, Andrew Fathman, JoAnn Cranson, Paul Raynes, Jacob Florey, and Danielle Nye brought on strong performances. Andrew Fathman finished 11th overall and 2nd in his age group with a blazing fast time of 1:05:57. JoAnn Cranson, competing in her first triathlon, had a strong race. She was last coming out of the water in her age group, but recorded the fasted bike and run splits for a 5th place age group finish. 
Paul Raynes took 3rd in his age group with a time of 1:23:46. Jacob Florey, our youngest competitor from the youth team, took 3rd in his age group with a time of 1:30:18. Danielle Nye repeated as the overall Sprint Aquabike winner with a time of 58:21.
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