The 24th annual Mattapoisett Lions Club’s 2015 Harbor Days Triathlon kicked off the Harbor Days festivities on July 12, attracting experienced athletes of all ages along with those who were testing their mettle for the first time.
There were teams composed of matured women mixed with youth; teams with hard bodies sure to make their way through the course easily – and then there were those individual participants whose determination to complete the race electrified the glorious summer morning.
Last year when I covered this event for The Wanderer, I set my sights on participating as part of a team in 2015. A broken kneecap in February put that aspiration on hold. As I stood on the sidelines, I admired each and every participant – just trying makes them all winners in my book.
The course includes a quarter-mile swim which, depending on tides and winds, can either be a glide through calm waters or a nightmare in black ink, a 10-mile bike ride with the first half being all uphill, and a relatively mild 3.4-mile run.
There were the crowd darlings: the Hughes kids from Rochester. Kate, 15, was the swimmer for her team, while Meg, 13, was the runner. Brother Harrison, 10, participating for the first time, was the runner on a different team. They beamed with nervous energy and, yes, seasoned resolve – they would win the hearts of onlookers and complete the course with record setting times taking first and second place in the team category.
There were many more males in the competition than females. It seemed to me that of the female entrants the majority, how shall I say it, were women a bit past senior prom age. Watching them made my heart beat faster as I silently urged them on, knowing that each woman was engaged in her private race competing with herself.
The Mattapoisett Fire Department was represented by firefighters Ross Macedo, Scott Leonard, and Mark Nadeau. Macedo struggled with the swimming portion and said afterwards, “I’m not sure I’ll be the swimmer next year,” with a shrug and a chuckle. They were sixth place in the team category with a time of one hour, 20 minutes, 57 seconds.
Then there was a bit of confusion and drama as the first runner crossed the finish line from the wrong direction. Nick Richardson of Vermont told me that race officials had not clearly marked the course and, rather than heading out towards Route 6 from Ned’s Point, he returned heading west on Water Street. He was disqualified but accepted the ruling with grace. Mistakes happen. The declared winner was Ed Rheaume of Berkley with a time of 55 minutes. The winner of the female category was Allison Rossi of New Bedford, coming in at 59 minutes.
As the runners crossed the finish line, onlookers had their eyes peeled up the rise towards Shipyard Park waiting for their champion to appear and receive their “well done” praises.
I had been chatting up Susan Akin of Mattapoisett whose daughter was home for the weekend and running the race for the first time. There was a mother’s love etched on her face as she shared all her daughter’s athletic abilities. Akin was anxious as the clocked ticked on, but then there she was – Kim Watrous, Akin’s joy. A mother’s joy, which brought a tear to my eye. Watrous’ team, The Stonington Mutts, clocked in at one hour, 30 minutes, 17 seconds.
On a more humorous note, earlier I watched as Ann Martin, a veteran of this event, came in dead last as the swimmer for her team “The Old Hen, the Rooster, and the Chick.” She staggered up the beach with a beaming smile, head covered in her signature flower encrusted swim cap. She told me that she wasn’t sure how many years she had been enjoying the fun of the triathlon but thought that maybe in the past her team had even won.
Truth be told, for me, the real winner was the individual participant whose single mindedness, drive, and thrilling finish was Number 288, 61-year-old Terry Myers-Coney of Stow, Massachusetts. She came in last with a time of one hour, 56 minutes, and 57 seconds. I stayed and waited for her. There was no one there to cheer her over the finish line, no one patting her on the back for this monumental achievement of mind over body, spirit over physical pain. I met her at the corner of North and Water Street, and I urged her forward as, clearly, her legs felt as though they weighed tons at this point in her effort. I cried out to her, “You can do this in under two hours, go-go-go!” She did. I identify with the back of the pack. Maybe next year that will be me.
For complete race results, go to www.coolrunning.com.
By Marilou Newell
Photos by Felix Perez
