Defending champions reign at 20th Vineman Triathlon

Cool weather and record numbers marked the 20th running of the
Full Vineman Triathlon on Saturday, with more than 600 athletes
putting mind and body to the ultimate test.
The grueling, all-day event kicked off at Johnson’s Beach in
Guerneville with a 2.4-mile swim, continued with a 112-mile bike
segment through the back roads of Sonoma County, and concluded with
a full, 26.2-mile marathon finishing up at Windsor High
School.  
2008 Vineman champions Dan Arlandson, 33, of Burnsville,
Minnesota and 29-year-old Whitney Henderson of Lafayette, Colorado
successfully defended their titles, becoming the first repeat
champions in the 20-year history of the race.
Trailing by seven minutes out of the water, Arlandson quickly
surged into the lead early in the bike segment.  He had a full
nine-minute cushion by the 57-mile mark on the way to a race-best
4:53:43 bike split. He was never seriously threatened in the
marathon run, coming home in 9:13:10. The strong performance topped
his 2008 clocking by almost five minutes.  
Second-place finisher Van McCarty of San Luis Obispo, turned in
a fine effort in his own right, blistering the marathon run in a
race-best time of 2:58:24 to finish in 9:25:24. Rounding out the
top five men were: Brendan O’Brien (9:28:41), David Glover
(9:53:38) and Windsor’s own Jady Palko (9:58:47). 
The top three men grabbed a $2000 bonus for finishing under
9:30.
Henderson, a Ukiah High School graduate, took a different path
to the finish line in leading virtually wire to wire. She held a
5-7-minute lead throughout the bike segment over second-place
finisher Marie Protat of France.  Although Henderson gave back
three minutes on the final loop of the marathon, she held on to win
in a time of 10:21:54. Protat was next in 10:30:17, followed by
Deborah Battagula (11:15:15), Carla McMurtrey (11:33:33), and
Melinda Nagle (11:42:52).
Other local Full Vineman finishers included: Sebasto-pol’s Clay
Popko (39, 151st overall, 43rd in age group, 12:33:14), and Gordon
Ghirann (46, 420th overall, 57th in age group, 16:05:36).
Barb’s Race goes over $300,000 mark
The ninth annual Barb’s Race, the only all-women’s half
triathlon distance contested in the world, was another huge success
story this year. The race, along with Barb’s Relay, raised over
$75,000 toward local cancer support groups, bringing the projected
nine-year total for the event to over $300,000.
29-year-old Molly Schmelzle of Arcata, CA captured her first
Barb’s Race title, finishing the 70.3-mile course in a fast,
5:05:53.  She was followed by Lisa Heisinger in 5:09:14. Filling
out the top five were: Vanessa Colless (5:16:55), Justine Owen
(5:19:29), and Vanessa Brown (5:23:31).
Other local Barb’s Race finishers included: Carmen Siniginani of
Sebastopol (30, 50th overall, 14th in age group, 5:59:37), and
65-year-old Graton resident Carol Livramento (265th overall, 2nd in
age group, 7:56:03).
Also contested on Saturday were a Full Vineman Relay and Barb’s
Relay, along with full and half Aqua-Bike races.  Michael Hansen,
45, of Forestville, represented the West County in the full
Aqua-Bike race, finishing 68th overall and 13th in his age group in
8:25:06.
El Molino swimming coach Mark James, 43, led a Sebastopol
contingent in the Full Vineman Relay, capturing 6th place overall
in 11:27:45.