Holyoke Lions Triathlon

Holyoke, MA

August 31, 1997

Overcast skies marked the start of the Holyoke Lions Triathlon, held August 31st, in western MA. The New England racing season is winding down, with few remaining triathlons and off-road duathlons scheduled. The Holyoke triathlon regularly draws over 100 individual athletes and a dozen teams over the Labor Day weekend. The triangular-shaped .5 mile swim course offered little challenge to winner Bill Reeves, an accomplished national swimmer who came out of the water with a time of 8:45, better than 30 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Leigh Schmitt. Cynthia Pittt had a strong swim, emerging with a time of 9:47, the first female swimmer out and the 5th swimmer overall.

Rolling hills and farmland dotted the 17 mile bike course, with occasional horses and braying donkeys lending an audience to the cyclists. Jen Hagmann, overall winner for the women, came into transition with a strong bike time of 50:42, the 28th fastest competitor on the bike. The men's cycling leg was very competitive, with Chris Moore's fastest time of 44:31 beating fourth placed cyclist Scott Roth by only 7 seconds. The 3.5 mile run course covered paved roads as well as wooded paths and open fields. Reeves outran Schmitt by 23 seconds to finish the race in a time of 1:12:13. Despite a strong run of 23:41 by Jacqui Brojan, placing her as the 28th fastest runner, Hagmann was able to hold onto her lead for a win, coming in ahead of Brojan by 30 seconds with an overall time of 1:29:23.

Many familiar faces competed in this competition held in "the last days of summer." Accomplished triathlete Scott Brown will be heading onward to the World Championships in Perth, Australia in November. Father/son team Rick and Dick Hoyt, frequent competitors in the FIRM race series, accepted a second place category trophy amid much applause from admiring triathlete. Team Hoyt has competed in over 50 marathons, 117 triathlons, and countless other athletic events.

As always, the FIRM race was well-managed by Bill Fiske and his team of helpful and knowledgeable volunteers.

MALE
Bill Reeves,  30-34,  Lee, NH  1:12:13
Leigh Schmitt,  25-29,  Deerfield, MA  1:14:37
Dick Korby,  35-39,  Hampden, CT  1:14:44
Scott Roth,  35-39,  Branford, CT  1:15:45
Chris Moore,  25-29,  Pine Meadow, CT  1:16:03

FEMALE
Jen Hagmann,  25-29,  Boston, MA  1:29:23
Jacqui Brojan, 30-34,  Brinfield, MA  1:29:53
Jennifer Ferree, 30-34,  Northampton, MA  1:30:38
Robyn Young, 30-34,  West Haven, CT  1:33:57
Tracy Martin, 35-39,  Gasdiner, NY  1:36:29