Sunday, June 21, 1998 -- Coolfont Resort, Berkeley Springs, WV
Summer Solstice Triathlon

All smiles after many miles (back, l-r: Stephen Crane, Ron Jarrett, Doug Jordan, and Gary Halperin; front, l-r: Todd (organizer), Emory Rogers, and Don Parks)

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The 2nd annual Coolfont Resort Triathalon, while short on competitiors, was not lacking in competitiveness. The course started with a one-quarter mile swim across the resort lake. Exiting the water first, 8:48 into the race, was Morgantown's Ron Jarrett with the rest of the field not far behind. Following the swim, the competitors raced along a 12.5 mile road bike course through the rising morning heat and humidity.

Ron replenishes his fluids prior to starting the 5K run

At the finish for the bike leg of the triathalon was the familiar face of Ron Jarrett (51:00) followed by Emory Rogers but, following a different race strategy, Doug Jordan was able to take the lead by forgoing a change of footwear and letting his bicycle do it's own parking. The 5 kilometer footrace, which followed a portion of the road bike course, saw some dramatic competition. Don Parks survived a late challenge and held off Gary Halperin to finish with a 25 second lead, in 1:19.53.

Last out of the water... ...first across the finish line

Balance between events played a major role as Parks was the last competitor out of the water but managed to make up the lost time on the bike and running portions of the race. Most participants took full advantage of the close proximity of the lake and the finish line to cool off after the race while the top three finishers were rewarded with one hour massages by the Coolfont resort staff.