The Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon has quickly become a premier regional event, and the 2011 version Sunday morning had a distinct Alabama flavor.
Two Alabamians claimed the overall male and female titles, both earning their first wins in the event that featured a 1.5-kilometer swim, followed by a 42k bike race and a 10k run – in temperatures that reached into the mid-80s by 10 a.m. on the waterfront.
Doug Van Wie from Birmingham and Hallie Blunck from the Birmingham suburb of Mountain Brook were the male and female overall winners among the nearly 1,500 competitors. Each had participated before, though Blunck was the more likely of the two to win after placing in the top five the previous two years.
“This is one of my favorite races. I was second last year and the race before that third,” the Sewanee graduate said. “This is by far my best time by four or five minutes. It really is a tough bike course; it will get anybody. You just want to get through that, then it’s a brutal run. The run is really difficult, especially in the heat. It is a warm day. The volunteers did a great job giving out ice towels and keeping everybody hydrated.”
Van Wie was just getting into triathlon competition when he entered the Waterfront event last year. He admits to getting the “tri bug” and decided to start training seriously. He found the area around his Birmingham home to be the perfect place to train for this race.