Saturday, June 30, 2001 -- Uniontown, PA
Uniontown Triathlon (iPO Event Id#: 3021)
Story and photos by John Nesbitt

[Details] [Coverage]
Results: [Overall Results] [Class Results] [Team Results]
Pictures: [Set 1] [Set 2] [Set 3] [Set 4] [Set 5]
[Set 6] [Set 7] [Set 8] [Set 9] [Set 10]

Turnin' those pedals

The 10th annual Uniontown Triathlon took place Saturday with the first heat of over 230 athletes starting the first leg of the Triathlon with a 6:30 AM swim. These early birds were able to avoid the slight shower which those in later heats were unable to escape.

One of the great aspects of this event is that a category was developed so that the whole family could compete against other families. The race is staged around Uniontown Area High School with the swim taking place in the high school. Then it is onto the biking and running portions which started and finished back at the high school.

All of the athletes came well prepared to race, however some lost considerable time in the staging area between events. In the men's division Vinnie Monseau (57:01) from Morgantown, WV lost very little time in transition and was able to repeat last year's victory. For the second year he beat out seven-time champion Matt Meehan (57:28). This year his margin of victory was just 27 seconds.

A fish out of water?

Monseau said that the biking section was the hardest part the race and at one point he passed two cars and another racer going downhill. He also would like to thank Pathfinder of Morgantown for letting him borrow a bike since he cracked the frame of his a week before the race.

On the women's side first time triathlon competitor Sandra Fisher captured first place by running away from all competitors and finishing over 2 minutes ahead of second. For Fisher, like many triathlon competitors, the swim was the hardest section of the race.

This reporter was fortunate to meet Joe Hredzak from Pittsburgh who has finished all ten Uniontown Triathlons. He stated that not much has changed over the years and the biking section provides a few challenging hills. But, after all these years he has come to know what to expect.

The proceeds of the race benefit the Salvation Army and the race organizers would like to thank all who came out and participated.