Yankton's Kipp Kinsley leads the pack at the men's start of the swim.

Spectators watch the 1/4 mile swim from Hobie Cat Beach.

The female triathletes head into the water.

A parking lot serves as transition area between events.

Athletes ride through Yankton on the 14.2 mile bike ride.

Runners finish the course along Lewis & Clark Lake.

Columnist Rebecca Johnson collects timing chips at the finish line.

Triple V Triathlon

Sep 9, 2011

By Rebecca Johnson

140 individuals and 17 relay teams conquered the 4^th annual Triple V Triathlon last weekend in Yankton. The triathlon, named for the Latin phrase, “Veni, vidi, vici,” was started by Yankton locals Lynn Peterson and Dr. Lawrence Leon.  Both had participated in several triathlons around the area. “We realized Yankton offers the perfect venue for this,” Peterson said. “We wanted to promote a great sport as well as all the benefits Yankton has to offer – the lake, river, beautiful bridges, historic downtown and campgrounds.”

My husband Jeremy participated in it as his first triathlon. He tried to talk me into doing it, too, but I’m not much of a swimmer and the chain doesn’t always stay on my bike. It’s definitely a hazard.

The race begins with a 1/4 mile swim in Lewis & Clark Lake near the marina. Athletes then bike over Gavins Point Dam, follow the Missouri River until they reach the Discovery Bridge, cross over the bridge to Yankton, and bike back to the transition area at the marina. The race ends with a 5k run on the bike trails along the lake. Approximately 25 volunteers help out along the course. I decided to participate by taking timing chips from the athletes at the finish line. It was fun greeting everyone at the end because a lot of them seemed very happy to see me.

Missouri River flooding didn’t affect the course, but Peterson said numbers were down for the first time in four years. The race directors fielded a lot of calls from people wondering how the water had been affected. “The South Dakota Parks Department did a great job informing us of water quality as they do daily tests,” said Peterson. There hadn’t been any tests showing the water was a hazard. My husband said he ran into some plant growth, but I think that sort of made it feel even more adventurous.

Yankton high school athlete Kipp Kinsley was the overall winner and Becky Youngberg from Eden Prairie, Minn., was the women’s top finisher. You can view a list of participants’ times at allsportcentral.com.