Triathlon World Cup concludes at Nathan Benderson Park

Triathlons are so demanding and intense that participants often have family, friends, coaches, medical crews, you name it, at the finish line to douse their heads with cold water, hydrate them and essentially bring them back to life.

The sport also has dedicated fans who appreciate what the participants in a triathlon go through flirting with flat-lining while swimming, riding a bike and running in one continuous outpouring of energy that consumes hours.

All of this activity and emotion were on display in Olympic-class fashion during the final day of the first-ever Sarasota-Bradenton International Triathlon Union Triathlon World Cup and ITU Paratriathlon World Cup at Nathan Benderson Park on Sunday.

Athletes from 17 countries participated in the two-day event that shifted from a triathlon format to a duathlon format (run-bike-run) due to concerns about swimming in the lake at the park, which tested for a high level of algae.

While Saturday’s competition focused on elite women, college women and a world qualifier for age group participants, on Sunday it was the elite men, the paratriathlon competitors and the open sprints for age groups.

Here are some of the highlights from Sunday.

American third among elite men

Kevin McDowell of Geneva, Ill., took third in the top division for elite athletes, finishing the 2.5K run, 18.3K bike ride and 5K run in 49:44. The winner was Rodrigo Gonzalez of Mexico, who was eight seconds faster, followed by Marten Van Riel of Belize.

German gets Paratriathlon 1st; Aussie 2nd

Benjamin Lenatz from Germany held off Alex Welsh from Australia to win gold in the mens’ H2 division of the wheelchair competition.

Both men were totally drained from the heat but gave each other spirited handshakes from their respective racing machines.

Both athletes had dedicated handlers waiting for them at the finish line. Lenatz had his wife, Frauke Lenatz and Welsh had his girlfriend, Samantha Rapinett. The handlers are allowed to assist the paratriathletes from their wheelchairs and into their hand cycles, or, in the case of swimming, in and out of their wetsuits.

“He did great,” Frauke Lenatz said of her athlete when he came into view out ahead.

“He’s persistent and has willpower,” Rapinett said of Welsh, her boyfriend, who is up at 5 a.m. nearly every day to train in Melbourne.

Triathlon fans

Although no vote was taken for “top fans” at the event, the award may have gone to Jim and Christine Taylor of Tampa who not only rooted for the participants but also served as event volunteers directing spectator traffic.

The Taylors say what makes triathlon athletes unique is that if they master each discipline — swimming, biking and running — they can do well no matter what they look like and how old they are. Don’t judge a book by the cover is the rule in triathlon, Christina Taylor said.

“No matter your shape, size or gender it doesn’t matter,” Jim Taylor said. “You get folks who are very fit but they can’t swim well because they haven’t mastered it so a lot of it is your technique. You don’t need to be a toothpick to ride a bike if you have mastered it and, even running, it doesn’t matter your shape. It matters how well you can do it. It’s how consistent you can be with all three disciplines.”

This story was originally published October 8, 2017 at 5:39 PM with the headline "Triathlon World Cup concludes at Nathan Benderson Park."