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Henderson and Tessier win at Wasaga Beach

Wasaga Beach Triathlon & Duathlon

Burlington’s Sean Henderson and Toronto’s Kelley Tessier both executed a balanced attack over all three sports to capture the titles at the 15th edition of the Wasaga Beach Olympic Distance Triathlon.

Henderson, who used the race as a final tuneup before heading off to the Ironman 70.3 World Championship, swam 24:31, biked 1:01:07, and ran 36:54 to earn his first career overall victory in 2:04:30. Thunder Bay’s Scott Hill, posted the top swim of 22:16 to finish second (2:06:00), and New Hamburg’s Luke Ehgoetz used the top ride of 59:46 to secure third in 2:06:57.

In the women’s race, Tessier swam 27:32, biked 1:09:57, and ran the top split of 42:13 to grab the title in 2:21:49. Mississauga’s Lauren Heinken took second (2:23:47), and London’s Stacy Groppler used a strong bike and run to move up 27 spots to finish third (2:26:19).

Kelley Tessier - Wasaga Beach 2016

“I didn’t know how the race was going to go, but I knew I needed a solid bike and fast run if I wanted to podium. I was in the last wave so I spent the race chasing. Luckily after finding my legs on the bike, I was able to pull off a strong finish on the run,” said Tessier, who also won the Orillia Sprint Triathlon a few weeks prior. “The run was definitely my favourite part of the race. The crowds were awesome and so supportive and they definitely helped me get through to run.”

Wasaga Beach Olympic Triathlon 2016 (1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10 km run) – Top 5 Men

  1. Sean Henderson (Burlington, ON) 2:04:30
  2. Scott Hill (Thunder Bay) 2:06:00
  3. Luke Ehgoetz (New Hamburg) 2:06:57
  4. Allan Fowler (Sharon) 2:09:41
  5. Steve Good (Kitchener) 2:10:11

Wasaga Beach Olympic Triathlon 2016 (1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10 km run) – Top 5 Women

  1. Kelley Tessier (Toronto) 2:21:49
  2. Lauren Heinken (Mississauga) 2:23:47
  3. Stacy Groppler (London) 2:26:19
  4. Lindsay Henderson (Burlington) 2:26:41
  5. Suzanne French (Caledon) 2:26:52

Hare and Vogt take the Sprint Triathlon

In Sunday’s Sprint Triathlon, Waterloo’s Art Hare led the men out of the calm waters of Georgian Bay with a 750m swim of 10:52. He then added the top 20 km ride of the day to get 39 seconds ahead of Aylmer’s Stevie Blankenship. With Blankenship in hot pursuit, Hare could not relax for one moment and ran the final 5km in 19:59 to hold on for the win in 01:03:36. Forcing Blankenship to settle for second just 31 seconds later. Richmond Hill’s Ryan McCallum ran an 18:37 split to grab third (1:04:37).

Lively’s Molly Green posted to top swim of the day (10:29) to take the early lead, but Mississauga’s Nadine Vogt showcased her improved riding prowess by executing the women’s leading ride of 33:50 to get to the front of the race where she added a 23:00 to hold firm for the victory (1:11:43). Green finished second (1:13:24), and Collingwood’s Meredith Cooper third in 1:14:40.

Wasaga Beach Sprint Triathlon 2016 (5km run, 20km bike, 2.5 km run) – Top 5 Men

  1. Art Hare (Waterloo, ON) 1:03:36
  2. Stevie Blankenship (Aylmer) 1:04:07
  3. Ryan McCallum (Richmond Hill) 1:04:37
  4. Emrys Halbertsma (Blue Mountains) 1:05:53
  5. Alan McLuskie (Toronto) 1:06:14

Wasaga Beach Sprint Triathlon 2016 (5km run, 20km bike, 2.5 km run) – Top 5 Women

  1. Nadine Vogt (Mississauga) 1:11:43
  2. Molly Green (Lively) 1:13:24
  3. Meredith Cooper (Collingwood) 1:14:40
  4. Anna Parker (Oakville) 1:16:12
  5. Kristi McCracken (Hanover) 1:16:22

Summerfield and Smith capture the Sprint Duathlon

After taking overall wins at the Goderich and Blue Water Duathlons, London’s Spencer Summerfield continued the winning streak with the overall victory and title defence at today’s Wasaga Beach Sprint Duathlon.

Markham’s Cameron Mitchell set the pace to start the day, completing the opening 5 km run in 18:01. Followed by Chesley’s Michael Emke (18:29), and Summerfield (19:06). Summerfield then unleashed a dominant ride of 30:16, to start the final 2.5 km run with a 1:11 lead. Mitchell laid it all on the line and ran a final 9:39 split, but it was not enough to catch Summerfield (1:01:31), with Mitchell second (1:01:53), and Emke third (1:04:16).

Toronto’s Andrea Smith used the top runs of the day (20:07 and 10:44) to earn the women’s victory (1:09:14) in her duathlon debut. Richmond Hill’s Karri Beck (1:11:59) finished second, and Barrie’s Karen Ugarte Bravo took third in 1:12:34.

“I just took up road biking last year because of running injuries and thought I’d combine the two to try something different. A little bit of beginner’s luck I guess and having a solid running base. I definitely have some work to do on my bike and transitions,” revealed Smith.

Wasaga Beach Sprint Duathlon 2016 (5km run, 20km bike, 2.5 km run) – Top 5 Men

  1. Spencer Summerfield (London) 1:01:31
  2. Cameron Mitchell (Markham) 1:01:53
  3. Michael Emke (Chesley) 1:04:16
  4. Harold Walker (St. Thomas) 1:05:30
  5. Michael Liberzon (Toronto) 1:06:12

Wasaga Beach Sprint Duathlon 2016 (5km run, 20km bike, 2.5 km run) – Top 5 Women

  1. Andrea Smith (Toronto) 1:09:14
  2. Karri Beck (Richmond Hill) 1:11:59
  3. Karen Ugarte Bravo (Toronto) 1:12:34
  4. Anna Fiorito (Toronto) 1:13:34
  5. Natalie Wright (Kitchener) 1:17:10