Morning Star Staff
The Vernon duo of Nathan Champness and Tara Ivanitz used strong swims to set the tone for the other racers at the recent UBC Triathlon.
Champness, second out of the water a minute back, took over on the 40-kilometre bike portion. He posted race-best bike and (10k) run splits to win in 1 hour, 56 minutes and 54 seconds, just over three minutes ahead of Vancouver’s Brendan Naef.
Ivanitz, a former Vernon Kokanee, dominated in the water, leading the overall race out of the 1.5-k pool swim.
Ivanitz was caught by eventual women’s winner Jen Annett of Penticton, but gamely hung on to finish fourth woman overall and win the Women’s 25-29 age category.
Though Champness and Ivanitz currently reside in Kamloops, their sponsors and supporters include many Vernon businesses: The Starting Block, Sun Country Cycle, Move Massage Therapy, Endurance Health and Fitness, RB Piping Inc, Re-Cycled Accessories, and Vernon Save-On-Foods.
In the Sprint race, Vernon’s Matt Baumeister placed third overall, and took second in the Men’s 25-29 category.
