The banks of Houghton Beach Park looked more like a close-up of a painting by Georges Seurat Saturday morning.
But the pointillism style that Seurat made famous continuously rearranged to make a new picture as over 700 athletes entered the water in 12 waves for the ninth annual Kirkland Triathlon.
“This is obviously a very popular event,” said the event’s Road Captain John Goff after addressing the hoard of athletes on the rules of the race. “I personally like this venue. It has a very different character.”
The event was presented by AA Sports and benefits the City of Kirkland Parks and Community Services Scholarship Fund. The course for the triathlon began with the half-mile swim, then a bike ride that took participants through the Market neighborhood, through Totem Lake and into Redmond. The run stretched from Carillon Point down Lake Washington Boulevard to the Bellevue border and back for the finish line.
The event caught many Kirkland residents off-guard. Street closures frustrated some, while others took it in stride. But city officials did all they could to limit the impact on residents.
“It has an unusual start because you have to start in the left lane,” said Goff. “It is a challenge for some to get used to and it can result in accidents. But it was an accommodation to the residents so it would not disrupt traffic as much.”
The vast majority of the participants, 572, competed in the triathlon individually, while 26 teams took on the challenge of the hilly Kirkland course and 69 participated in the duathlon. Participants came from as far away as Virginia and Southern California. Some made the event a family affair, but all were realistic about the challenge of the half-mile swim, 12-mile bike ride and three-mile run.
“I have been doing (triathlons) all summer with my dad and brother,” said Kevin Landwehrle of Olympia. “I live to torture myself.”
Ethan Lyons, 21, of Issaquah was the first triathlon competitor to cross the finish line in a time of one hour, three minutes and 26 seconds, while Erin Heard, 23, also of Issaquah, was the first woman (1:12:36). The first Kirkland resident to cross the finish line was Ryker Lammers, 42, who was fourth overall (1:08:01) and Markus Van Achte, 50, finished fifth (1:08:42).
The morning brought light rain showers and the 62 degree temperature of Lake Washington did not deter any athletes.
“They have been doing it long enough that I didn’t notice too many changes,” said Wade Praeger, one of the owners of Kirkland-based Everyday Athlete, which was not a sponsor but helped with some of the preparation. “It started on time this year and that is pretty rare.”
Praeger even participated in the event, placing eighth overall.
“It is a very unique course with sharp corners and steep hills,” said Praeger. “In contrast, there is one out in Enumclaw this weekend that is basically one straight line. You go out and come back. So this is unique.”
One of the other unique aspects of the race is that most of the participants were from Kirkland or surrounding communities.
“Kirkland is an active community,” said Praeger. “It is nice that there is an event that people can take part in in their own backyard.”
The event covered two days, as a Kids Triathlon took place on Sunday.
For full race results go to AA Sports.