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Show ... . John Forrest, (right), of Hurricane, and Steve Marshall of Cedar City grind their way up a steep slope during the iH-mile bicycle leg. Cedar City athletes fared well in the Panguitch triathalon on Pioneer Day. Dixie man wins Panguitch's 6Bust-Yer-Axe' Triathlon arrangement sure to be popular in the future, was followed by 18-year-old Panguitch resident Mike Baldwin in 4:37 and Cedar resident Martin Tyner in 5:08. The event was the first in southern Utah and was put together by Steve Marshall, a former Panquitch resident, now of Cedar City. Marshall and Bill Herder of Panguitch Lake General Store, who sponsored the event, foresee it as the first of many. PANGUITCH - When 42-year old Matt Kindred of St. George entered Panguitch's "Bust-Yer-Axe" Triathlon the night before Saturday's competition, the other nine competitors knew they were in for a fast finish. As expected, Kindred crossed 'the finish line first in a time of 2 hours 46 minutes after swimming swim-ming a mile in the Panguitch City pool, biking 18 miles to Panguitch Lake and taking a 8.7 mile run around the lake. Kindred is no stranger ' to strenuous competition, as his greatest accomplishment ac-complishment is Hawaii's Iron Man Triathlon in February, the worldwide endurance test among athletes. Finishing 38th out of about 600 entries, Kindred Kin-dred swam two and a half miles in the ocean, hiked 114 miles and ran a 26 mile 385 yard marathon. Also, finishing first in the Las Vegas triathlon recently, Kindred looks ahead to his next one in San Diego. Cedar City athletes fared well in the Panguitch triathlon, with Scott Fletcher taking second place in 2:59, Steve Marshall in third place with 3:06, Justin Jensen in fourth place in 3:08 and John Pragle in fifth place in 3:14. Justin Jensen, state record holder in the men's 50 yard freestyle, was the first one out of the pool during the first part of the competition in the time of 22:09, over five minutes before the next swimmer, Kindred. Kindred, also a ten-speed bicycle racing enthusiast, passed him during the 18 mile uphill biking course which climbs 1,500 feet in altitude. The overcast sky and lack of wind were a tremendous advantage for the triathletes. During the 8.7 mile race by foot around the lake, including many hills, there was much jockeying for positions with Steve Marshall and Scott Fletcher each gaining. For the most part, the triathletes enjoyed the course. The winner, Matt Kindred compared it to the Iron Man course in Hawaii but said he enjoyed en-joyed it more. "I enjoyed the hills and running on the dirt road," Kindred said. Eighteen-year-old Justin Jensen didn't enjoy the hills as much and after climbing a hill to the last water stop he reportedly said "I want death" when asked what he wanted to drink. Second place Scott Fletcher, although having some problem with his shoes and the course, finished only 13 minutes behind the winner, "I'm not really a swimmer (although he was the fourth one out) and didn't really have enough time to train," Fletcher said. John Forrest, a 24-year old Hurricane resident, finished sixth in 3:32 and Cedar resident Quinn Pratt turned in a time of 3:44. Also entering in the race was a unique tag team from Panguitch, whose requirement was to have at least one f ema le member, although it was comprised com-prised of two. Sybil Taylor, a 43 year old grandmother of seven, graced the swimming competition in 47 minutes 15 seconds, followed by bicylist Bob McCullough who suffered a broken hand two nights previous in a softball game. Bandaged and on pain killers, McCollough was met by Mary Lou Pearson, mother of five, who completed the last leg of the competition, capturing eighth place in 3:46. The tag team, an oil 4 -.AffcrA 'TV7 aw . it I Matt Kindred of St George crosses the finish line of the "Bust-Yer-Axe" Triathalon last week in Panguitch. The course consisted of swimming, bicycling and running. |