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Thursday, August 22, 2002

Hall wins Iron female title at Glimmerglass triathlon Sunday

By Courtney A. Erickson

SPRINGFIELD - Some may sweat just thinking about the training regimen of Cooperstown triathlete Schatzi Hall.

Her come-from-behind victory Sunday at the 20th annual Glimmerglass Triathlon seemed like no sweat at all, though.

Hall dethroned defending champion Mary Pat D'Angelo of North Syracuse with strong times in the last two parts of the race, winning the Iron Female championship in 3 hours, 16 minutes and 5 seconds.

"I came in on the bike, changed into my running shoes and I looked up and there (D'Angelo) was going out with me," said Hall, a 43-year-old teacher. "I knew I was a stronger runner than she was and so I knew I kind of had the race."

Hall, a 43-year-old teacher, said her summer mornings during "vacation" start with a 3:30 a.m. run. That's immediately followed by a long mountain bike ride.

In all, Hall said she runs about 60 miles and rides roughly 100 miles per week.

So Hall didn't seem too concerned with a 10:49 deficit after the opening leg - a 5-mile out-and-back canoe race on Otsego Lake.

"I hate canoeing," Hall said. "I had a very strong bike and very, very strong run. It felt real good in the run and bike."

Hall took a six-second lead after the 26-mile bike ride around Otsego Lake, finishing 10:55 faster than D'Angelo. Hall's time of 79:10 in the bike ride was 4:36 slower than her canoe finish.

Hall secured a title in her second year of competition at Glimmerglass by running a 39:20 in the 5-mile out-and-back race. D'Angelo completed the run in 49:09, taking second with an overall time of 3:26:09.

Vestal man wins

Vestal resident Ron Havens, 40, got off to a good start on rough water to win the Iron Man title in 2:52:58.

"It's big and ugly but it's great in rough water," Havens said of his Wabash Valley boat, which he used for a 16-second lead over Corey DuBois in the canoe race. "I saw the water this morning and thought, 'Oh great, this will be to my advantage.'"

Havens extended his lead to 3:09 entering the 5-mile run. The cushion was enough for Havens despite experiencing leg cramps during the last mile.

"I was cramping up and not feeling all that great," Havens said. "I knew the second-place guy was a couple minutes back and I looked back and didn't see him. So I figured he's really going to have to move."

Havens held on to beat DuBois by 1:39.

In the team competition, area residents Bob Zaveral and Dale Persons led the J.W. Dundees Honey Brown Lager Racing Team to its sixth consecutive victory.

The team, which included biker Glen Swann and runner Don Miller, won in 2:15:18.

Mount Upton resident Zaveral, who won the 1981 General Clinton Canoe Regatta, and New Berlin resident Dale Persons had the fastest canoe time by 1:40, finishing in 46:31.

Swann had the fastest bike ride (58:16) to give Miller a 5:17 advantage on the run.

"We have good athletes," Swann said. "We don't have a weak leg."

Miller finished with the sixth-fastest time (29:20) as J.W. beat Zero Gravity - which included Andrew Melnychenko, Al Shavers, Rob Coadman and Casey Carlsstrom - by 4:56.

"They gave me an insurmountable lead," Miller said. "All I had to do was go and finish."

The event drew 121 teams and 324 triathletes.

 
 
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