GREENFIELD – With the sun beating down and temperatures inching into the high 80s by late morning, Ryan Lyesiuk knew the key to Sunday’s race was pacing and fluids – and lots of them.
Lyesiuk, 43, finished the 30.28-mile bike and 7.17 mile-international course at the Greenfield Triathlon in 2 hours, 13 minutes and 22 seconds. Due to bacteria levels in the Green River, a .31 mile run replaced the swim leg for both the international and sprint courses of the Recreation Department’s annual triathlon.
“The key was pacing and lots of fluid,” he said. “Lots of fluid the last few days, and lots of fluids this morning. ”
Lyesiuk finished first overall in the international course.
“I led most of the first lap (on the bike),” he said. “Someone passed me about ¾ the way through the first lap, and we battled back and forth on the second lap. The third lap, the pace was a little too much for me in this heat … so he got about a minute on me on the bike.”
Lyesiuk pressed on and carried himself through the 7.17-mile run, finishing it in 49 minutes and 54 seconds.
“The last couple miles is mostly downhill, and there was a lot of shade and a breeze, so it wasn’t too bad,” he said. “Right at the end, the sun popped out and you knew … there was a light at the end of the tunnel – no pun intended – with the sun.”
Overall, the Gardner resident was happy with his performance.
“I love this race,” he said. “I love it here – the biking is my favorite. It’s a tough (course), but I try to use that to my advantage. I’m looking forward to next year, hopefully with a swim.”
Jennie Hanson, 37, of Rochester, New York was the first female finisher in the international course with a final time of 2 hours, 17 minutes and 11 seconds. She placed second overall.
Eighteen-year-old Riley Cole of Northampton finished second overall in his first sprint triathlon in 1 hour, 3 minutes and 27 seconds.
“It felt good to beat the heat as quickly as possible,” he said.
Cole finished just a minute behind Greenfield resident Daniel Benson who completed the .3 mile run, 15.4 mile bike ride and 3.08 mile run in 1 hour, 2 minutes and 24 seconds. Benson is now a four-time winner of the Greenfield Triathlon.
Christopher Vayda of Southampton took third (1:04.27), Matt Cain of Amherst came in fourth (1:07.03) and Nathanael Kuzio (1:08.04) earned fifth.
On the women’s side, South Deerfield resident Joellen Reino maintained her title as the first female in the sprint course, finishing with a time of 1 hour, 13 minutes and 15 seconds. She crossed the finish line with a lead of more than three more minutes over the second place female, Alyssa Binczyk of Los Angeles California.
Elena Betke-Brunswick of Hadley took third (1:16:38), Erika Looman of Shelburne Falls came in fourth (1:18:31) and Melissa Warwick of Shutesbury (1:19:58) earned fifth.
Many of Sunday’s racers were greeted at the finish line by Sean Moore, who returned to Greenfield this weekend for the first time since winning the first Greenfield Triathlon in 1984. He was 25 at the time, working in Greenfield at the YMCA.
“It’s so good to be back,” said Moore, 63. “Coming back is an emotional overload in some ways. Seeing old places, old friends … It’s amazing where time goes.”
In the years since he was on the course, Moore said the direction of the bike course has changed and the run course has been modified.
“The swim— we actually … started over across the bridge, on the other end of the peninsula, came around, down and back,” he said.
There were far fewer participants – with about 24 entires that first year, according to former Recreation Director Rick Roy – and, maybe most distinctly, results weren’t nearly as instantaneous.
“We used stop watches,” he recalled, laughing.
After years without competing, Moore said watching the participants in the 2022 event may inspire him to get back into triathlons.
“I’m having the best time taking it all in,” he said. “I’m glad to be able to help out in some way. It’d be nice to compete – maybe some time in the future.”
Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne.