When asked about her last event five mile run through Lake Louisa State Park, 2009 Women’s Great Escape winner Dr. Joanna Zeiger said that, “It felt like ten!”
It’s no surprise she felt that way. The triathlon winner swam a mile and rode 18 before having to contend with the run, not to mention that mounting pressure of last year’s winner Sara McLarty on her heels. Despite McLarty coming out of the swim with the men that had had a three minute headstart, Zeiger started the run with a two minute lead on the defending champ. Zeiger, the inaugural’s race winner, finished the event in 1:36:18, nearly four minutes ahead of Gator alumni McLarty. Lauren Jensen finished third with a time of 1:43:36.
Now as for the men—things were a whole lot dicier. The male event started with about 200 participants, but more than half dropped after the mile swim. The rivalry on this side was between defending champ Jarrod Shoemaker and Gator alumni Kevin Collington. From the beginning of the event, the two men were neck and neck. It all came down to the last few seconds, literally. Collington sprinted ahead with his last burst of energy and finished with a time of 1:26:55. Shoemaker came right behind him with a time of 1:27:09. Third place finisher Wolfgang Gumbel clocked in with 1:30:15. How’s that for competition?
The three placers in both divisions walked away with a monetary prize. Zeiger and Collington left with $500 each, McLarty and Shoemaker took $300, and Jensen and Gumbel received $200. The Great Escape Triathlon is part of the Escape to Alcatraz Triathlon series and a qualifier for the Escape to Alcatraz triathlon which will take place in June.
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