Date: September 7, 2008 Interesting Information about the Triathlon:
Registration opened and closed on February 13, 2008.
The budget this year was $72,000. See Bunny Bonnes's recollections below for the cost breakdown. The entry fee was $100, plus $10 for the one day USAT insurance.
During packet pick-up on Saturday afternoon (9/6/08), the race directors caucused and decided that the swim had to be canceled due to the fallout from Hurricane Hanna; i.e., all the debris (silt, vegetation, tree trunks, etc.) in Lake Audubon and the currents near the spillway due to the lake level rising 2 feet. The swim was replaced with a 2.2-mile out and back run on the pathways starting at South Lakes High School.
The only transition area was at the school. This change lengthened the bike course to nearly 24 miles. Thus, the Reston Triathlon became a run-bike-run biathlon. Disappointing, but it would have been dangerous to swim in the lake.
A 2.75-mile replacement run course was laid out and marked after the rains stopped late Saturday afternoon. During the race, the course was shortened to 2.2 miles when the run sentries at an intersection sent the runners directly back to the high school transition area rather than following the marked course up to TerraSet Elementary School before finishing at the high school.
Due to race course changes, the finish times were less than in past years. For example, the men's winning time was 1h 47m 55s, compared to the triathlon course record of 1h 51m 42s. Fourteen men finished in less than 2 hours. The first woman finished in 2h 00m 36s, compared to the women's course record of 2h 02m 25s. A prominent participant was DC Mayor Adrian Fenty; he was the 36th finisher.
Neil Medoff and Rick Uhrig were recognized for completing all 25 Reston Triathlons.
Triathlon Contributions/Donations: South Lakes High School, Reston Interfaith, Boy Scout and Girl Scout Troops in Reston, Masters Swim Team, Reston Museum, and Reston Runners
Sponsors:
Major sponsors: Mooring Financial Corporation, Boofie O'Gorman Long and Foster Real Estate, and Bonzai Sports.
Other sponsors: Kendall and Company (CPA firm located in Herndon), Reston Hospital, Town Center Orthopedics, The UPS Store, Metro Run and Walk, Papa John's Pizza, Giant Food, Safeway Stores, Vie de France, Sam Scoggin (Coldwell Banker Real Estate), White and Partners, Potomac River Running Store, Jones and Rostant, Rip Tide Swim Company, National Realty