Sun, smiles trump pain at Moomaw By Geoff Cox • Staff Writer
LAKE MOOMAW- The mist was rising off the deep blue-green water of Lake Moomaw early last Saturday as hundreds of racers stretched while the sounds of the Bee Gees and Maroon 5 piped over the loudspeaker.
When the music stopped, the silence of a mountain morning mingled with the steam in the air and swimmers entered the warm water to await the starting horn. Moomaw Madness had begun.
As the roughly half-mile swim got under way, aptly named Misty Morning began playing sweet bluegrass music to accompany the developing chaos and cheers from the crowd.
Participants ranging in age from 13 to 70 years young spent the next hour or two testing their bodies' strength and training and their minds' will and determination.
After a 10- 20-minute swim, racers rushed from the water to jump on their bikes for the next leg - a 20-kilometer ride on the shaded hardtop surrounding the lake.
As the leaders zipped from the bike stage to the run, breaks from the band gave way to the clip clap of bike shoes on the pavement in the transition area. The 5-kilometer run was all that stood between the competitors and the end. The aroma of maple barbecue wafted through the air as an enticing reward.
Bill Robinson of Little Valley described the test he just passed. "The swimming killed me," he said. "Your arms collapse, then the pain goes away. It's difficult to run after the bike ride, your legs are cramping." It was Robinson's first triathlon and he hasn't decided whether he will do it again next year.
"My goal was to finish. It was a really fun experience," he said. "I started biking and running for physical conditioning; this race was added initiative. The swim was the hardest. There are not many places to train around here and I didn't get much practice."
Suzee King from the fourth-place Bath relay team Triple Threat, said her favorite part was the finish line. "I prepared more than last year," she said. "But it was just as hard."
King and her teammates Timmy Dunnagan and Candi Botkins all shaved time off of their finishes from last year.
Melissa Dowd of Blue Grass and Jim Brown of Bolar represented Highland County this year. Brown placed first in his age group and Dowd placed third in hers.
"I started (racing) when I was 50," said Brown. "I train all year long and do four races a year; this is my third. It's a hard one but I like it. It's definitely the prettiest."
Dowd also began racing at age 50. "I did it in 2004 as a birthday present to myself," she said. "Kirk Billingsley and Jim Brown convinced me I could do this. I start swimming in February at the YMCA in Staunton. I ride three to four times a week and begin run training in May. It's so much fun. The people are really nice and the volunteers are incredible."
Of the 15 triathlon races in the Virginia series, Moomaw Madness is considered one of the best sprint triathlons in the state by organizers and racers alike. This year, 276 racers competed, close to the same number as last year. Each year has seen the race grow in popularity on the Virginia circuit.
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