There were 300 particpants in the sprint portion of the Big Lake Graniteman Triathlon Saturday morning; 158 men and 142 women particpated. They swam .33 miles, biked 14.45 miles and ran 3.1 miles.

 

Another 105 athletes, 75 men and 30 women, competed in the Olympic Graniteman, swimming .9 miles, biking 24.83 miles and running 6.2 miles. The average completion time was 2:47.53.

 

In the sprint section, Thomas Anderson III, 39, from Minneapolis took first place with a time of 1:04.33. Nathan Budde, 38,  was second with a time of 1:06.06. Jake Hausauer, 24, from Minnetonka took third place with a time of 1:07.10. Brian Storhaug, 24, Alexandria was fourth with a time of 1:08.17. Nathan Overby of Big Lake was fifth with a time of 1:09.17.

 

Among the women, Jennifer Funk-Harris, 39, of Minneapolis took first place with a time of 1:14.39. 

 

Nancy Buselmeier, 32, of Buffalo was second with a time of 1:15.35. Christine Cahill, 36, of Plymouth was third with a time of1:15.57. Michelle Simpson, 44, East Bethel, was fourth with a time of 1:19.37. Jennifer Ann Ridgeway, 43, of Monticello was fifth with a time of 1:21.20. The average completion time for the sprint course was 1:36.19.

 

Among those competing at Olympic distances, Casey Miller, 36, of Baxter was the first man home with a time of 2:03.45. Ryan Wippler, 36, of Rice was second with a time of 2:04.39. Wade Cruser, 28, of Sauk Rapids was third with a time of 2:05.28. 

 

Among the women competing at Olympic distances, Krisana Hoff, 38, from Exelsior was the first place winner with a time of 2:21.44. Alison Forney-Gorman, 43, was second with a time of 2:22.08. Jill Bloedorn, 40, of Victoria was third with a time of 2:28.38.

 

John Kallemyn, 30, was the first male Big Laker to finish in seventh place with a time of 2:19.05. Susan Froelich, 51, was the first Big Lake woman to finish the race. She had a time of 2:46.24 and was in eighth place.

 

The oldest runner was 68-year-old Robert Kranz of Kapaa, HI with a time of 1:44.08, who took 217th place. The youngest was Nathanial Klausenr, 13, of Eagan, who finished in 2:02.11 to take 280th place. The youngest girl competitior was Limone Lundquist, 12, from Osseo, who finished in 1:37.49 to take 179th place. Jan Albertson, 66, from Anoka, finished with a time of 1:49.34 and 244th place.

 

Lakeside Park was packed, with the overflow parking at the former A&W lot also full, visitors and well wishers parked where they could.

 

“I have no idea how many cars there are here,” said Public Works Director Mike Goebel, who was letting cars park on the grass. “This race sure draws a lot of people.”

 

Keenan Pearson, 20, of Sauk Centre, finished the sprint in 1:14.01, ending 17th overall and in third place in his age group in his sixth triathlon.

 

“It was pretty good,” he said of the course. “It was a little windy on the bike but it’s not too hot.”

 

Pearson was running his second Graniteman but was in Big Lake for the first time.

 

“They are very well organized and they run a good race,” Pearson said. “That’s why I signed up.”

 

Big Lake volunteers included boaters and pontoon owners from the Big Lake Lakes Association and the Big Lake Legacy Foundation. The Legacy Grill was in operation throughout the race and Legacy volunteers played many roles.

 

While some athletes competed alone, others decided to form teams of three to conquer each lap. There are also those who compete in all the graniteman events every year.

 

For more information on the Big Lake Graniteman or any other Graniteman events, go to their website at www.granitemantri.com