The Dartmouth Triathlon Club, back after a nearly two-year hiatus, showed a strong hand this past weekend at the STOAKED Off Road Triathlon at Storr's Pond. Consisting of a 400-yard swim, six-mile mountain bike and 3.5-mile trail run, the course held challenges for everyone.
The race, which was organized by Chad Denning of the Hanover Parks and Recreation department, attracted over 75 devotees to the realm of Oak Hill early last Sunday.
Success of the Tri Club came immediately, as swimming standout Ali Walter '07 succeeded in besting the entire field out of the water by at least ten seconds, even without the aid of a wetsuit. John Shellito '07 and Paul Salipante '07 finished the swim shortly after, in fourth and eighth places respectively.
The tables were turned, however, on the mountain bike as Linden Mallory '07 opened up the throttle and threw down the third best individual mountain bike leg, passing both of his teammates in the process. The rest of the Dartmouth racers were still well able to take advantage of the leg as Shellito, Owen Cadwalader '07 and Salipante filled out the top twelve times for men. The women's team 05X consisted of Melina Marmarelis '07, Avery Eyre '07 and Liz Yepsen '07, who left their mark on the bike leg, besting all of their team competitors as well as all but two of the individual women.
The challenging 3.5-mile circuit proved a little more difficulty for the Dartmouth group. Shellito again proved his mettle with the fifth best run, bringing him in at sixth overall. Mallory suffered through to hold onto ninth, while both Salipante and Cadwalader held their spots in the top twenty. The Dartmouth team was able to cement their podium spot for the day, closing in a two-minute lead over their competitors.
Shellito cited his fastidious preparedness in giving him an edge over his competitors. Just as Lance Armstrong scouted out all of the climbs in the French Alps before riding them, so did Shellito scout the course.
"My only prior mountain biking [was] the day before when I checked out the course," Shellito said. This was also the first triathlon race for Cadwalader, Walter, and Caroline Maxwell '07.
The race at Storr's pond was the third race of the season with a significant club presence. At the first race -- the regular Shelburne Sprint race -- club-founder Richard Trierweiler '05 proved experience bested youth as he outran newcomer Mikey Sinnott '07 for 15th overall.
Salipante rode straight into a muddy field, adding an element of excitement to the race. Mats Lemberger '06 enjoyed his second race, while new recruits Devin Lammers '07 and Chris Wilt '07 both suffered through their first attempt.
"It was the hardest thing I'd ever done," Wilt exclaimed afterwards.
Darrell Hoy '07 and Salipante came to the next race, the Vermont Sun sprint held in Salisbury, Vt., the following weekend with the expressed goal of redeeming themselves from their poor performance in the Shelbourne Sprint.
Salipante started the day with nearly a top-ten swim split in the nearly two hundred-strong race. Sam Rust '07 closed off the swim for the group and proceeded to pass well over a hundred people, or half the field, while on the bike leg. Lemberger brought the big guns out for the run, laying down the eighth best run, eclipsing Hoy's run time by a mere five seconds. Salipante remained the club's best overall finisher at 11th.
The Triathlon Club expects to be back in action at the West Kennebunk Fire Company Triathlon on Aug. 28th.
