Triathlon puts athletes to the test Published Aug. 21, 2009 By John E. Banks Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- More than 80 Tinker athletes participated in the 12th annual Tinker Triathlon Aug. 15 and the man who led off the event was the overall winner. Travis Newton, 507th Air Refueling Wing member, was first out of the gate and finished the course in 39 minutes flat to claim the overall title and win the men's open category. In addition to the men's open division, the event was broken down into men's senior, women's and relay categories. "This gives us an opportunity to break from our marathon training and test our skills in the water, on the bike and running a little," said Erik Jones, first-time triathlon competitor who participated in the senior division. The competition started off in the pool with a 400-yard swim. The water was a little brisk at the start but after the competitors got used to the temperature is was smooth sailing. At the conclusion of the swim, all the competitors started the bicycle portion of the triathlon. The trek took them along the golf course and through base housing on a 10-kilometer ride. "This is very exhilarating and it was nice to see cheers through the bicycle portion," said Nick Morrison, a veteran triathlete competing in the men's senior division. The 5-kilometer run was the third part of the triathlon saga. It tested the endurance, stamina and physical fitness of the competitors. The athletes put their heart and soul into completing the arduous event. As each runner approached the finish line they received a standing ovation from the fans in attendance. In addition to Newton, other top five finishers in the men's open category were John Dalrymple with a time of 39:58; Alex Romo finishing in 42:30; Rob Montgomery, with a time of 43:23; and Bob Atkins, who finished with a time of 43:48. In the men's senior division, Danny Ponder finished first with a time of 45:49. Jay Robers took second with his 47:32 time. Shad Satterhwaite, with a time of 49:10, came in third; David Piscitolls, whose time was 51:06, finished in fourth place and and Christopher Rex crossed the line in a time of 52:24 to take fifth in the division. Nina Bramley was the first woman to cross the finish line. Her time was 56:41. Jen Atkins finished a few seconds later at 56:56. Rebecca Duff and Lynda Ruffino finished third and fourth with times of 59:25 and 60:05, respectively. Finishing fifth in the women's division was Andrea Latorve with a time of 65:35. The first relay team to finish the event crossed the line in a time of 47:22. Team members were Tim Zackery, Bill Burke and Paul Blankenship. Finishing second in the relay category were Derek King, Chas Dickson andAl Bryant. Their total time was 51:08. Right on the heels of the second place team was the team of Jeff Glass, Tina Long and Ivan Yelverton, who finished in a time of 52:10. Each participant received a commemorative T-shirt for the event. "The participation was exciting. However, the most exciting part was the sense of victory as all the participants completed this grueling challenge," said Brian Armstrong, Gerrity Fitness and Sports Center fitness specialist.