By Courtney Johnson
June 15, 2008 (Boulder, CO) – The 5430 Sprint Triathlon kicked off the popular Boulder Triathlon Series with a sold-out field. Over one thousand participants took part, and competitors spanned across several generations. The youngest participant was 15-year-old Kaitlyn Ricci of Darnstown, MD and the oldest was 71-year-old Judy Smythe of Boulder, CO.
The sprint triathlon may be a shorter distance race but offers the same great amenities that other 5430 races offer. Fully stocked aid stations, a well marked course, tech support, post race food and homemade awards make the sprint a great race for newbies and veterans alike.
“The pancake breakfast was great…different than the typical bagels and pizza you usually get post-race,” said 41-year-old Emergency Room Physician Jeff Sankoff of Denver.
5430 Sports designated ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) as the official charity; and the race adhered to the Tri Sustainability Mission to minimize environmental impact.
In its fourth year, the 5430 Sprint Triathlon was the first race in the 2008 Boulder Triathlon Series and featured a 750 meter wetsuit-legal swim, 17.2 mile bike around the popular “Neva loop,” and a 3 mile run that went out and back along the reservoir’s dams. The top three male and female finishers and the top three in each age group received homemade trophies.
Boulder pro Mark Van Akkeren, 28, put in a record swim and strong bike to win the men’s race in 1:08:42. He used his swimming background and love for speed to propel him to victory. “The short and fast stuff is just ingrained in me,” said Van Akkren. “I love to go fast.”
Van Akkren remarked, “The best part of the sprint race was the insane pain in the last half mile of the run that only a sprint can deliver…and the breakfast.”
Eric Peterson, 37, of Colorado Springs took second in 1:09:28. Craig Greenslit, 38, of Berthoud placed third in 1:09:38.
In the women’s race, Boulder’s Brooke Davison, 37, claimed victory in 1:16:17. Davison only began racing triathlons recently but she has already proven she has was it takes to dominate in her new sport.
Second place went to Kelly Lear-Kaul, 36, of Littleton in 1:19:4, who was fresh off a second place overall finish at IRONMAN Brazil two weeks earlier. Danielle Kehoe, 21, of Arvada finished third in 1:19:54.
The series will continue on July 20 with the legendary Boulder Peak Triathlon, and will culminate on August 10 with the 5430 Long Course Triathlon. There will be at least $16,000 in cash and gift certificates from sponsors for the top age group finishers in the series.
In speaking of the races put on by 5430 Sports, Van Akkren noted, “We have such an absolutely stellar set of events right here in our community that are simply world class. You can’t pass up an event run by [race director] Barry [Siff].”
Top Ten Men
| PLACE | FIRST NAME | LAST NAME | DIV | SWIM | T1 | BIKE | T2 | RUN | FINISH | TIME | CITY |
| 1 | Mark | Van Akkeren | M-Pro | 9:01 | 0:41 | 38:41:00 | 0:51 | 19:30 | 1:08:42 | 1:08:42 | Boulder |
| 2 | Eric | Peterson | M3539 | 9:32 | 1:06 | 40:07:00 | 0:40 | 18:06 | 1:09:28 | 1:09:28 | Colorado Springs |
| 3 | Craig | Greenslit | M3539 | 12:02 | 0:42 | 39:22:00 | 0:38 | 16:57 | 1:09:38 | 1:09:38 | Berthoud |
| 4 | Michael | Hagen | M4549 | 11:24 | 0:50 | 39:26:00 | 0:48 | 17:50 | 1:10:16 | 1:10:16 | Colorado Springs |
| 5 | Andrew | Biglow | M3539 | 11:26 | 0:59 | 39:46:00 | 0:42 | 17:28 | 1:10:20 | 1:10:20 | Boulder |
| 6 | Joseph | Fogarty | M3539 | 11:29 | 0:57 | 39:37:00 | 0:48 | 18:03 | 1:10:52 | 1:10:52 | Colorado Springs |
| 7 | Geoffrey | Nenninger | M-Pro | 11:23 | 0:43 | 39:56:00 | 0:39 | 18:52 | 1:11:31 | 1:11:31 | Boulder |
| 8 | Cedric | Wane | M2024 | 10:48 | 0:40 | 40:17:00 | 0:43 | 19:05 | 1:11:31 | 1:11:31 | Boulder |
| 9 | Joshua | Shadle | M2529 | 10:54 | 0:33 | 40:29:00 | 0:53 | 19:07 | 1:11:54 | 1:11:54 | Boulder |
| 10 | David | Clarke | M3034 | 9:33 | 0:35 | 41:42:00 | 0:55 | 19:15 | 1:11:58 | 1:11:58 | Boulder |
Top Ten Women
| PLACE | FIRST NAME | LAST NAME | DIV | SWIM | T1 | BIKE | T2 | RUN | FINISH | CITY |
| 1 | Brooke | Davison | F3539 | 9:46 | 1:15 | 44:42:00 | 0:34 | 20:03 | 1:16:17 | Boulder |
| 2 | Kelly | Lear-Kaul | F3539 | 11:34 | 1:33 | 45:37:00 | 0:47 | 20:17 | 1:19:47 | Littleton |
| 3 | Danielle | Kehoe | F2024 | 12:20 | 0:56 | 45:21:00 | 0:45 | 20:34 | 1:19:54 | Arvada |
| 4 | Steph | Popelar | F4044 | 12:55 | 0:54 | 44:59:00 | 0:55 | 20:15 | 1:19:55 | Parker |
| 5 | Jacqueline | Mariash | F2529 | 11:59 | 1:11 | 46:04:00 | 0:40 | 21:09 | 1:21:02 | Niwot |
| 6 | Susan | Langley | F3539 | 12:45 | 0:59 | 46:35:00 | 0:28 | 20:26 | 1:21:11 | Graceville, QL |
| 7 | Ellen | Hart | F5054 | 14:13 | 1:29 | 46:13:00 | 0:52 | 19:36 | 1:22:21 | Denver |
| 8 | Diana | Hassel | F4044 | 13:05 | 0:42 | 45:06:00 | 1:11 | 22:47 | 1:22:48 | Fort Collins |
| 9 | Uli | Bromme | F2529 | 12:46 | 1:49 | 46:31:00 | 1:53 | 19:57 | 1:22:54 | Boulder |
| 10 | Sabrina | Oei | F3034 | 13:11 | 1:06 | 46:46:00 | 0:30 | 21:38 | 1:23:09 | Denver |
