Vernon’s Nathan Champness was runner-up behind four-time winner Jeff Symonds of Penticton at the 30th annual Peach Classic Triathlon Sunday in Penticton.
Symonds won the Olympic-distance event (1,500-metre swim, 40-km bike, 10-km run) in two hours, 24 seconds, with Champness crossing the line in 2:03:06. Symond’s time was nearly five minutes slower than his 1:55:41 last year, where he beat his closest competitor by nearly 10 minutes.
In the women’s division, Kamloops’ Yvonne Timewell (2:26:17) shaded Vernon’s Sarah Clark by 23 seconds for first place.
Timewell told Black Press she and Clark often finish close to one another in various races.
“In the first section of the run I was kind of complacent, and then someone said, ‘Oh there’s a woman behind you,’ and then I turned around and I saw her and she was right there,” Timewell said. “The last five km I was running scared.”
In the sprint distance (750-m swim, 20-km bike, 5-km run), Calgary’s Calvin Zaryski finished first in 1:10:22, and Vernon’s Erica Moser-Reschreit ruled the women’s class with 1:18:56, good enough for sixth overall.
Other Vernon-area racers earning top-five, age-group finishes in the Olympic distance include: Haley Boeglin (3rd, F25-29, 2:46:21), Paul Filippi (4th, M60-64, 2:52:18) and Pamela Labossiere (3rd, F50-54, 2:54:54).
In the sprint, Alesha Miller (1st, F20-24, 1:21:48), Christa Miller (2nd, F20-24, 1:32:28), Russ Miller (4th, M55-59, 1:36:26) and Megan Cleaveley (2nd, F25-29, 1:43:47) all turned in top-five showings.
Meanwhile, Trevor Wurtele, formerly of Vernon, claimed bronze in the men’s pro elite division at Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens in Washington.
Wurtele finished the 70.3-mile (113.0-km) race – 1.9 km swim, 90-km bike, 21.1-km run – in 4:02:29. Australia’s Chris Legh clocked a 4:01:29 for first place, followed by American Tim O’Donnell at 4:01:29.
This has been a breakout year for Wurtele, who took first place in Ironman New Orleans and fifth in Ironman Boise, Idaho. His next major event will be Ironman New York, Aug. 11.
