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Sun, smiles trump pain at Moomaw
BY GEOFF COX • STAFF WRITER
 | | Water droplets glisten in the sun while Moomaw Madness swimmers take off at the start of the 750-meter swim that began the fourth-annual Bath County Triathlon. Water temperatures were near 75 degrees at the start of the race while air temperatures hovered in the 60s until the sun rose over the mountain. (Recorder photos by Geoff Cox) |
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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.
 | | Six-year-old Seth Carswell of Covington gets congratulations from his father Warren after they finished the triathlon. Seth completed 20 meters of the swim, rode a tandem bike with his dad for the 20-kilometer bike leg, and pedaled on his own bike during the 5k run. |
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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.
 | | The weather couldn't have been more perfect for last Saturday's Moomaw Madness. As the day heated up, the morning mist burned off the lake's surface and gave way to clear aquamarine water and beautiful blue skies. (Recorder photo by Geoff Cox) |
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"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."
 | | Bath County property owners and Roanoke residents Dan and Shannon Summerlin claimed first-place finishes. Dan finished first in his age group and Shannon finished first overall in the women's division. (Recorder photo by Geoff Cox) |
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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.
 | | The pain is evident on Little Valley's Bill Robinson's face as he completes his first triathlon. A smile soon overtook his expression as he revelled in completing such an accomplishment. (Recorder photo by Geoff Cox) |
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 | | Candi Botkins, (right) of the Triple Treat Triheletes, smiles before she begins her swim relay leg of the triathlon. Bath residents made up most of the 13 relay teams that participated in Saturday's race. (Recorder photo by Geoff Cox) |
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 | | Rick Fesler (above) of Camp Hill, Pa., heads to the bike transition area in first place. Fesler kept his lead through the run and finished the triathlon first overall in just over an hour, clocking in at an impressive 1:02:27 for the victory. (Recorder photo by Geoff Cox) |
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 | | Volunteer lifesavers man kayaks (right) as the mist rises from the lake early during Satudays race. Three boats and four lifeguards joined eight kayakers to provide safety for the swimmers. (Photo courtesy Peg Sheridan) |
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 | | Highland race competitor Melissa Dowd (center) talks to Bath competitors Glen Hirsh (left) and Steve Curtian at the end of Moomaw Madness. Dowd took home a third-place finish in her age group and Hirsh and Curtian's relay team finished fourth in their category. Everyone involved enjoyed the race and sharing time with like-minded souls. (Recorder photo by Geoff Cox) |
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 | | Highland resident Jim Brown finishes his third triathlon of the year. Brown finished first in his age group with a time of one hour and 13 minutes. (Recorder photo by Geoff Cox) |
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 | | Dr. James Redington crosses the finish line with a look of ease. (Photo courtesy Peg Sheridan) |
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 | | The Irish folk bluegrass sounds of Misty Morning helped soothe the pain of race competitors and provided wonderful background music to a terrific maple barbecue lunch provided by Southernmost Maple. (Recorder photo by Geoff Cox) |
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 | | Above, Miles Shifflett crosses the finish for his relay team the Barracudas. |
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 | | Triple Threat triathletes member Suzee King stretches out before her running relay leg in Saturday's race. The team finished fourth in relay action. |
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 | | At right, Bath resident and race committee member John Cowden is all smiles as he talks to Bath supervisor Cliff Gilchrest at the finish of Saturday's race. (Recorder photos by Geoff Cox) |
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 | | Swimmer Jamie Justice prepares for her relay leg in the warm water of Lake Moomaw. Right, Bath's Tobias Werner crosses the finish line with a time of 1:36:36. |
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