August 25, 2014 at 4:11 p.m.
W.I.L.D. Hodag Mini-Triathlon successful in second year
W.I.L.D. Hodag Mini-Triathlon successful in second year
Centered in and around the resort, the triathlon consisted of a 300-yard swim, a 10-kilometer off-road bike race and a 5-kilometer run.
Just before the first wave of competitors started the swim portion, last year's winner, Pete Zambon, said he was excited to get started.
"I think the best part of this event is that we get to be out in nature, have a great time and do it all for a good cause," he said. "The next best thing is the excitement and the heat of the race. I'm just hoping to beat my time from last year."
Zambon failed to repeat as champion. This year's top finisher was Tim Wissbroecker who clocked an impressive time of 53 minutes and 46 seconds.
Gerard Lauzon came in second with a time of 55:47 and Zambon rounded out the podium in third place with a time of 57:05, 54 seconds slower than last year.
Kaitie Smith was the top female finisher with a time of 1:03:00.
Participation was down a little from last year, but organizer Mike Prom said the event was a great success.
"It gives people the opportunity to get involved physically and do something a little out of the ordinary," he said. "You don't do a mini-triathlon everyday. More and more people are getting into this kind of race."
Most important to Prom though, is all the good the money raised from the triathlon will potentially do for those in need.
"It benefits W.I.L.D. and we work with young people not only in the United States, but in Africa and Asia as well, especially in sub-saharan and southern Africa," he said. "We help develop spiritual leadership in those areas. In West Africa, through our contacts there, we've been able to help battle the Ebola virus. We want to provide buckets and bleach to people and that really helps eradicate the virus. The Ebola wasn't our primary objective, but because there was such a physical need, we want to help them out and then go back in later to help develop those young leaders."
Prom said a large chunk of competitors at this year's event were from out of town. They're trying to draw triathlon enthusiasts from around the area, but a number of tourists in the area on vacation decided to get involved as well. Joel Sather was up from Madison and saw the triathlon as an opportunity to test himself.
"I decided to get fit this summer and this is part of it," Sather said. "I know it will be beautiful because we're up in the Northwoods. I think it's going to be a lot of fun and I'm just hoping to finish the race and not come in last."
Zambon said a lot of people put in a lot of work to make sure the event is something the group can be proud of.
"I basically set up the swim part of the event, but I also helped make sure the bike route was properly marked," he said. "We went out a lot to make sure there weren't any logs on the course or anything. Things change out here."
The crew was diligent and the course was in great shape. Prom said they made a few minor tweaks to the event this year that made a big difference.
"Last year, we went 150 yards out into the water and 150 yards back," he said. "It was very daunting for the swimmers. This year, we did a triangle. We did 75 yards at one angle, 150 yards across, and then 75 yards back. Even though it's the same distance, it's closer to shore and helps the swimmers believe they can do it. We did a lot of little things that we learned from last year, but we also had the knowledge before last year because our visionary, Tim Thorsen, had run these things before. He knows what needs to be done."
The second annual Hodag W.I.L.D. Mini-Triathlon was a memorable and next year's is sure to follow suit. Zambon will look to take back his crown and a fresh crop of competitors are sure to join the crowd.
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