Choppy bay turns triathlon into duathlon

SANDUSKY — The message went out at 4:45 a.m. Sunday. The Ironman Ohio 70.3 was changed from a triathlon to a biathlon after the swim portion of the race was canceled due to what Ironman called "increased winds and unsafe conditions on Lake Erie." The race's start time was moved from 6:30 a.m. to 7. Instead of nearly 1,300 athletes starting their day by jumping off the Carlee Emily ferry boat, they began the race on bikes with a time-trial start at the Paper District Marina. Smoke from Canadian wildfires rolled through the area last week, and storms stirred up the lake Saturday. "It's part of our contingencies and our process for race day," said race director Casey Gilvin of canceling the swim. "We're watching the weather and working with our local agencies, and based upon the nature of how races work, we're looking at our conditions because we're here to put on a safe and fun event." Gilvin would not say what time the decision to cancel the swimming was made. "This morning, but I can't mention anything more than that," he said. "We've had swims canceled before. It's a contingency that happens sometimes with weather when we have to cancel a leg of a race." The swim portion of the Ironman 70.3 in western Massachusetts has been canceled two straight years due to sewage overflow in the Connecticut River. The swim portion of the race in Chattanooga, Tennessee, was canceled in 2025 due to heavy rains that made the Tennessee River hazardous. As a result of the decision to forego the 1.2-mile swim in the bay, the race covered 69.1 miles. Athletes rode out of the bike transition lot after pre-race festivities — three leaving every five seconds. That's how the race began on the Carlee Emily the first four years of the race in Sandusky. "It's similar to what we do with the swim start," Gilvin said. "They're time-trialed out and they're going to do a duathlon today." The race still served as a qualifier for the 70.3 world championship next year in Chattanooga. Each age group winner had the option of accepting a bid to the race. Women's overall winner Carly Schrom is a strong swimmer, but still finished first. "I missed it," she said of the swim portion. "But with the waves and watching the storm roll in last night, it was not gonna happen." The temperature was a comfortable 71 degrees when the race began. And the air was clear. "It's good now; it's beautiful," Schrom said. "It feels like a normal day." Gilvin was happy to see some great weather after the uncertainty of the past few days. "It's amazing. Absolutely gorgeous," he said. "Look at all these clouds; it's been good to actually see clouds this week. "You're not gonna win the race in the swim. Usually the bike and run are grueling after the swim. With two of the three going, they can lay it all out there. On a day like this, how can't you not throw down. It feels like spring." Holding the tape Sandusky's Jackie Mayer, Miss America in 1963, added some star power to the finish area Sunday. Mayer and Sandusky track legend Roberta Collins held the tape for the top women's finishers. "I'm really excited about this," Mayer said. "I think it's fantastic and I hope it continues for many years in Sandusky." Mayer said she used to run 3-5 miles per day when she ran Rising Wind Farm, a Standardbred harness horse breeding and training facility in Meadowlands, Pennsylvania. Mayer and her late husband John Townsend owned the farm. "I used to run 3-to-5 miles every morning on our farm, up and down hills," Mayer said. "We had a horse farm; we had 120 horses. I did all the vet work. I foaled over 200 babies. "I got up and ran at 5 in the morning. Then I went to feed the horses and then I got the kids up for school. Then I came back and worked the farm and cleaned 17 stalls a day. I loved it. I ran the farm and that was good for me." "Rising Wind Farm" in Meadowlands (also known as Meadow Lands), Pennsylvania, is not a wind energy facility, but rather a well-known Standardbred harness horse breeding and training farm. It was operated by former Miss America Jacquelyn Mayer and her late husband, lawyer and racetrack executive John Townsend Sandusky city commissioner Richard Koonce and his grandson Kane Johnson held the tape for the men's winner. 2 relay legs All of the relays entered in the race were cut down to two legs. Zach Taylor, a Perkins Township firefighter, was scheduled to swim for the Fueled by Regret team. Then his leg got canceled. "We were all here already in line to get in the transition area," Taylor said. "I think everybody understood — safety first. Ironman doesn't make that decision lightly." Derek Burkhart (bike) and Jenny Kaple (run) were the others on Taylor's relay, which also raced in 2025. "It was choppy on the swim out last year, but once we got behind the break wall if was pretty calm," Taylor said. "It's doable, but it definitely would've been a challenge. Everybody here trains for it so it could've been done, but it's definitely choppy out there." Taylor, who has been a Perkins firefighter since 2018, is a 2010 Huron graduate. He said he'll be back next year. "Yes. Unfinished business." Perkins graduates Seth and Nate Boggs teamed up to finish fourth out of 28 men's relays. Seth Boggs biked in 2:51.58 and Nate Boggs completed the running course in 1:23.55 for a final time of 4:17.14. 'Rough' race Margaretta graduate Brett Collins returned for another Ironman Ohio 70.3 and described his race as "rough." "I haven't been able to run as much as I wanted to," Collins said. "Still a good race. I pulled my hip flexor about a month ago; I knew today would be a challenge. Bike was good, run was harder than I was expecting. I ran the whole way." Collins, who is a good swimmer, finished 25th out of 866 men, completing the duathlon in 3 hours, 48 minutes, 57 seconds. He was fifth in the men's 40-44 age group. Collins, who finished fourth overall last year, said the course was good. "The air was fine. The course was good; it was nice and smooth," he said. "Everything went pretty well."