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The USA Triathlon Nationals are finishing a two-year run in Milwaukee, and the organization hopes to return to the city soon.
Milwaukee’s staunchest advocates couldn’t have designed a nicer day for the Olympic Distance event on Aug. 8. The sky was postcard-worthy, and Lake Michigan had a sparkle as the earliest competitors crossed the finish line around 8:30 a.m.
Emerson Kiefer had the fastest time of the day, knocking out the 1,500-meter swim, the 40-kilometer bike and 10-kilometer run in 1 hour 53 minutes and 14 seconds.
Cheyenne Nixon was the first female to cross the line (2:08:02), but her time was eclipsed in a later group by Heather Lendway (2:06:09). Lendway, who lives in Minnesota, was sixth last year in Milwaukee.
Focusing on the race didn’t keep Nixon from taking in the beauty of the city while biking over the Hoan Bridge, swimming in Lake Michigan and running through Veteran’s Park.
“I love this venue,” Nixon said. “It’s so beautiful being right on Lake Michigan.
“I feel like the community support has been great," she said. "Like out on the run course, so many people were cheering and that really helped get me through to the finish line.”
The 25-year-old Kiefer swam competitively at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, then joined the school’s club triathlon team in his first year of graduate school.
He has kept at it, with the same competitive edge he brought to the pool.
“It feels good to work hard, see results,” he said. “I love swimming for the same reason, but jumps in performance were so marginal. You’re fighting for half a second, a tenth of a second in a calendar year. So it’s nice seeing a faster performance improvement (in triathlons).”
Not surprisingly, Kiefer had the fastest performance in the water at 18 minutes, 45 seconds, but that wasn’t his favorite part of the race.
“The bike,” he said, was most special. “The bridge was cool. Having some straightaways, just pounding on the pedals.”
Triathlon is an individual sport, but there is still a let’s-get-through-this-together vibe that keeps Lendway going at 42.
“Especially on the run,” she said. “When you’re kind of feeling like you’re out there alone, it’s nice to have someone, even if they just see your name on your jersey … It’s like, OK, someone is watching me, I’ve got to keep moving. Don’t stop.”
Lendway said that sense of community among triathletes goes beyond just the race itself.
“Every time I do a triathlon, I meet somebody new or make a friend," she said. “This morning, someone needed a part to pump up their disc wheel. People share. People are nice. Somebody didn’t have their bike, I was like ‘I can get you a bike tomorrow.’ It’s just friendly people. People are happy for each other and supportive.”
Milwaukee has been popular for the USA Triathlon Nationals, hosting from 2013-15, 2021-23 and again last year.
The race will move to Des Moines, Iowa, for the next two years. But with Milwaukee’s lakeshore setting, it seems a safe assumption that it will return here soon.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Lake Michigan setting sparkles as USA Triathlon Nationals end 2-year run
Continue reading...
Milwaukee’s staunchest advocates couldn’t have designed a nicer day for the Olympic Distance event on Aug. 8. The sky was postcard-worthy, and Lake Michigan had a sparkle as the earliest competitors crossed the finish line around 8:30 a.m.
Emerson Kiefer had the fastest time of the day, knocking out the 1,500-meter swim, the 40-kilometer bike and 10-kilometer run in 1 hour 53 minutes and 14 seconds.
Cheyenne Nixon was the first female to cross the line (2:08:02), but her time was eclipsed in a later group by Heather Lendway (2:06:09). Lendway, who lives in Minnesota, was sixth last year in Milwaukee.
Focusing on the race didn’t keep Nixon from taking in the beauty of the city while biking over the Hoan Bridge, swimming in Lake Michigan and running through Veteran’s Park.
“I love this venue,” Nixon said. “It’s so beautiful being right on Lake Michigan.
“I feel like the community support has been great," she said. "Like out on the run course, so many people were cheering and that really helped get me through to the finish line.”
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Emerson Kiefer appreciates seeing results of hard work
The 25-year-old Kiefer swam competitively at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, then joined the school’s club triathlon team in his first year of graduate school.
He has kept at it, with the same competitive edge he brought to the pool.
“It feels good to work hard, see results,” he said. “I love swimming for the same reason, but jumps in performance were so marginal. You’re fighting for half a second, a tenth of a second in a calendar year. So it’s nice seeing a faster performance improvement (in triathlons).”
Not surprisingly, Kiefer had the fastest performance in the water at 18 minutes, 45 seconds, but that wasn’t his favorite part of the race.
“The bike,” he said, was most special. “The bridge was cool. Having some straightaways, just pounding on the pedals.”
Heather Lendway enjoys the camaraderie of triathlons
Triathlon is an individual sport, but there is still a let’s-get-through-this-together vibe that keeps Lendway going at 42.
“Especially on the run,” she said. “When you’re kind of feeling like you’re out there alone, it’s nice to have someone, even if they just see your name on your jersey … It’s like, OK, someone is watching me, I’ve got to keep moving. Don’t stop.”
Lendway said that sense of community among triathletes goes beyond just the race itself.
“Every time I do a triathlon, I meet somebody new or make a friend," she said. “This morning, someone needed a part to pump up their disc wheel. People share. People are nice. Somebody didn’t have their bike, I was like ‘I can get you a bike tomorrow.’ It’s just friendly people. People are happy for each other and supportive.”
Milwaukee has been popular for the USA Triathlon Nationals, hosting from 2013-15, 2021-23 and again last year.
The race will move to Des Moines, Iowa, for the next two years. But with Milwaukee’s lakeshore setting, it seems a safe assumption that it will return here soon.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Lake Michigan setting sparkles as USA Triathlon Nationals end 2-year run
Continue reading...
