Crowd does “Wayne” in the rain

Thirty-eight well-dressed multisport enthusiasts braved the wind and rain from Susupe to Garapan yesterday morning to participate in the first Carolinian-organized triathlon on Saipan during the Try Wayne Tri II.

Even more remarkable than the fact that the individuals completed the 1.2km swim around the World War II era tanks in the Saipan Lagoon, roughly 20km bike to the Chamolinian Village and back, and 5km run to the Quartermaster tank and back was that many of them did so for the first time.

The first overall finisher was Richard Sikkel, who crossed the finish line in 1:14:32 without not winning a single leg of the race, followed by Chris Fryling in second (1:18:40), and Florian Bragg in third (1:22:40).

Saipan International School teacher Rachel Bandelin was the swiftest swimmer of the group, exiting the water in a miniscule 19:28, while Braig cruised with the fastest bike time at 51:45 and Fryling ran away with the run at 25:58.

According to the race coordinator and namesake Wayne Bramlett, the contest was less about winning and emphasized “getting out there, training, being sporty, and looking fabulous while doing it.”

The first Try Wayne Tri was July 2004 in Raleigh, North Carolina as a result of a group of athletes pitching in to give their friend Bramlett a hand in training for a triathlon. The format was basically Bramlett against a relay team in a sprint race, and while both sides claimed victory, there is a decidedly different purpose for the Saipan event.

This time out, it was more of Bramlett giving the gift of triathlon to his friends, as he explained by welcoming them into the world of multisport after the race.

“This is my eighth season of doing triathlon and I’m really, really glad to see people out doing it. It’s a lot of fun. The first day I showed up to do triathlon—as scared as I was—to be around a bunch of essentially he-men when I didn’t feel like one. It’s a very inclusive crowd and I appreciate you guys including me in your crowd so warmly and coming out to be part of my crowd—it’s really great.”

Following the race, Bramlett offered his thanks to the participants and volunteers, and doled out a series of special awards based on just about everything but time and speed.

For the talent competition, Natasha Good earned the laurels for the female category because, as Bramlett put it, “She tough. She’s doing better than most of us,” and Ian Caplet for “Dying and coming back to life.”

Without question, the award for the best costume went to the matching pair of Eric and Marilyn Peterson for their 1920s era red and white striped bathing suits.

The passing of the plumbs continued as Jay Worrall and Gayle Berger won the Mr. and Mrs. Congeniality award for being the most supportive to their fellow racers while on the course, but the awards didn’t stop there.

Bramlett surprised the crowd with two unscheduled awards, as Saipan Swim Club standout Cooper Graf received the He-Man award for boasting the manliest road rash after taking a spill on the bike course, while Saipan newcomer Kristen St. Peter was recognized with an award for volunteering after arriving just four days before the race.