Going for the gold

More than 100 competitors are expected to descend upon Waynesboro’s Ridgeview Park on June 5 for the 2011 Shenandoah Valley Sprint Tri for the Y. Swimmers will plow through the city pool for 400 meters, bicyclists will ride 14.9 miles and sprinters will run a 5K in Elevation Athletics’ second annual triathlon to support the Waynesboro YMCA.

“We’re happy we’re coming back to Waynesboro,” said event coordinator Lee Robertson. “We got huge support last year.”

That support came from Y Executive Director Jeff Fife, who was phenomenal in spreading the word to the community, Robertson said.

The event’s success was evident in registering a large amount of people in its inaugural presentation. But, more than that, it raised significant money for the Y.

Elevation Athletics, which has been promoting sports events for about 18 months, donates 75 percent to 80 percent of its proceeds to local charities and to the Fran Crippen Elevation Foundation, named for Francis Crippen, an Elevation co-creator and former University of Virginia swimmer, who died Oct. 23, racing in an open water competition in the United Arab Emirates.

“The event showcases Waynesboro, its scenery, helps people get some exercise and helps out the Y. We were able to donate a little over $4,000 last year to the YMCA,” Robertson said of the place that supported him when he grew up in Waynesboro and when he went on to swim for UVa, along with the other Elevation co-owners.

That $4,000 went to Y scholarships.

“Last year we gave away $130,000 in scholarships to families and kids in need,” said Fife. “Money is not a barrier to Y participation. The Tri for the Y and other events were able to help offset losses incurred by Y programs.”

Supporting the Y is among the reasons some of last year’s competitors have already registered to compete again this year.

Mark Snyder, 47, Dr. Sam Hostetter, 44, and Clay Huie, 48, are a group of friends who have already begun training. All three consider themselves primarily runners.

Snyder ran college track plus 5K and 10K races later. He also completed a biathlon. Hostetter started running after completing medical school and completed a Charlottesville 10-miler in 2001. Huie used to run before a 2005 knee injury put him on the sidelines.

“Last year, my goal was to finish. This year, I’m trying to improve my time,” said Snyder, a real estate agent. He is already receiving assistance from his coach: his 10-year-old son, Tate, who is a Y swim team member.

“He has been teaching me the flip-turn,” Snyder said of a pool maneuver that helps swimmers change directions in the pool when doing laps. “I haven’t gotten it yet.”

He expects that his biggest hurdle will be the biking portion of the race.

“I have the running down,” he said. “I’m a middle-distance runner.”

Huie said he has problems turning around in the pool, as well, but he’s better at the biking segment.

“For me, the swimming is the hardest,” said Huie, an occupational therapist. “It takes a little bit to get your breathing down when going from the pool to the bike. So this year, I’m working more on my transitions. The 5K is a short run race; I expect to handle that easily.”

So Huie has been training by riding a stationary bicycle and then transitioning to a treadmill.

He said he came in first among the three friends last year and was the quickest.

“They were quicker on the run than I was, but I, being the oldest of the three, was faster during the bike segment; my bike is a road bike with thinner tires,” Huie said. “Quality is important.”

Hostetter has changed game plans this year. In the 2010 triathlon, he competed in all three portions himself. This year, he will be employing the assistance of his 13-year-old daughter, Emma, a seventh-grader at Kate Collins Middle School, and a 12-year-old friend of hers. Emma wanted to participate in the run, and her friend is a swimmer, so that left the biking for him.

“Last year, I was the least prepared for the biking,” said Hostetter, a general practitioner.

This year, he’s concentrating on doing better and has borrowed a bike to help him.

“My bike is a heavy mountain bike,” he said, “Much too heavy to race on. I’m hoping to get on the bike this week after all that rain we had.”

Perhaps this year, he’ll be faster than Huie.

“It’s mostly for fun,” Hostetter said.

All three athletes agreed that in addition to the thrill of competing, mainly against oneself, they are happy to help support the YMCA. Each one has recommended the Y to others.

“It’s convenient,” said Snyder, who takes spin classes at the center.

Huie’s 9-year-old son plays basketball in the Y leagues, and he often swims with the boy. He suggests going to the Y for some of his patients to “reach their goals with independent living.”

Hostetter’s family members belong to the Y, and he attends to run in the winter, to train in swimming and to play racquetball. He also suggests the Y scholarship program to some of his patients, “in case they feel they cannot afford it.”

“It’s about giving back,” said Snyder. “Participating in the triathlon gives back to the community and the Y. If you think you can’t … you can.”