Ted McCarthy, Third Place Winner In 65 - 69 Age Group

By Carol McCracken

It was a ‘dark and rainy’ morning but it did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of the well-conditioned athletes who took up the challenge and entered the 3rd annual triathlon sponsored by Tri-Maine, a local company.  The event began at the East End Beach with a swimming match and ended at the Maine State Pier by 11:30 a.m. Awards were  presented on the Olympic style stage on the Pier shortly after noon.

Pleasant Street resident Ted McCarthy took third place in his age group of 65-69 years old.  This is the third year that this mid-town resident has participated in the race.  He said it was hard to start out in the fog and rain, but the weather improved around Baxter Boulevard.  Ted was glad to see the Maine State Pier come into view.  He has been involved in triathlons for the past 7 years.  His wife, Robin, participated in this year’s event as well.  “I’ll be back next year,” he said, grinning broadly.

The event was slightly downsized from Olympic size last year to Sprint size this year.  It reportedly made the course less challenging  for some and more appealing to a larger number of athletes.  Course changes were also made to accommodate the poor weather that was expected for the day.  Probably largely due to the growth of Tri-Maine, over 100 more athletes registered for the Sprint this year than last year.  There were also a record number of volunteers this year as well.  

Reports from the athletes were consistently enthusiastic about how well-organizeded the triathlon was.  Tri-Maine is in the business of managing race competitions.