By Shari Benyousky
Guest Columnist

Two Guys

“I hear you two guys are about to accomplish something special tomorrow?” I asked into my phone. There was a moment of silence.

“Well, I suppose it is special now,” Fred Hemsath replied. “I suppose it is, isn’t it? Thirty straight years I’ve run this race. Since the first year in 1994.”

Next, I called Don Ransome. “Well,” he said. “I wasn’t sure that I wanted to be interviewed, but 30 years running the same race is pretty special.” Both men agreed to find me at the finish line on Saturday, June 24 after they each completed their 30th run of the 30th Anniversary of the Warsaw Optimist Triathlon.

“Look for my red cap,” I told the two men so they could find me in the crowd. “Along with my blue Optimist Volunteer shirt.”

One Race

On the day of the race, dozens of Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club Volunteers wearing blue shirts started arriving at Winona Lake Park by 5 a.m. Some had been up since 4 a.m. cooking breakfast for racers and volunteers and Winona Lake Police.

Other volunteers set up fencing, signs, and colorful floats in the water for the swim portion. They raked the sand and lined bags of giveaways up for the 245 racers expected.

Ransome and Hemsath were preparing in their own ways for the race like all the others. There would be teams with members taking turns with the swimming, biking, and racing parts of a triathlon. There would be kids and teens and professionals and first-time runners.

For Ransome and Hemsath, this would be the 30th time they had each run the race. They remembered how it had once been a balloon fest with hot air balloons launching from the fairgrounds. They remembered the guy who always flew in with his pontoon plane to see the race every year. They remembered hot races in the 90s and one year when rain flooded everything, and the race was delayed. They remembered every one of the 30 years the race had existed.

Racers started arriving around 6:30 a.m. and found the registration desk, picked up their goodie bags, pinned on their numbers, and found the body-marking station. Body marking uses a magic marker. The number goes on the left arm, the age of the runner on one calf, and the category on the other.

A team of blue-shirted Optimist volunteers helped the racers find their way with smiles. ‘Is this your first triathlon?” I heard one ask a young girl who nodded nervously. “You’ll be great.” She smiled.

A few teens in non-running gear asked if we could mark them in a different way. “We want to put GO MOM on our stomachs,” they explained.

Swim

Ransome, Hemsath and the other racers prepared by hanging their bikes in racks. The announcer called out the water temperature was only 75 degrees so wet suits would be allowed. Some put them on, others didn’t. Serious triathletes carry lots of specialized gear for all weather conditions. Others wore sweatpants and watched the professionals with awe.

One team caught my eye as they brought out specialized bikes, floats, and stroller-type devices from a giant trailer. This team is called MYTEAM TRIUMPH, and they exist to help “provide unforgettable race experiences for those with disabilities.” I watched them prepare to swim and float Winona Lake in the race with their angels.

As the announcer started the race at 8:10 a.m. the sun had risen, and little puffy clouds covered the sky. It was perfect except for the humidity. Swimmers jumped into Winona Lake with a shiver. Some batted away seaweed. 73-year-old Ransome and 80-year-old Hemsath jumped in with the others. They were off to complete their 30th year in the race.

Bike

Shivering, the swimmers returned after their 440-yard loop in the lake and followed volunteers waving flags. They ran down a shoot of orange fencing to the transition area. Some tore off wetsuits as they ran. Still wet, they hopped on their bikes and headed up Chestnut Hill towards Pierceton. Later I heard one biker had equipment issues and had to run most of the way in his biking socks to Pierceton and back. Volunteers and police shook their heads in amazement at the feat.

Run

After the 14-mile bike ride to Pierceton and back, bikers approach blue-shirted Optimist volunteers waving warning flags for the disembark line. They must dismount before their feet touch the line. Some do this in one smooth motion and keep running. Others approach warily and watch their feet. Some blow the line and take the penalty. All of them return to the transition to hang their bikes and start on the last leg: a 3.1-mile run. This is the hardest part of all.

As runners come through the giant green finish line after their run and grab their giant completion medal, they do so with jubilation and exhaustion.

Seventy-three-year-old Ransome finishes first. He doesn’t look all that winded to me. “I’ve only done three triathlons this year,” he says ruefully. “This one is my favorite. I remember some guy saw me at the YMCA 30 years ago and that’s how I ended up running in the first one, and every one since.”

Eighty-year-old Hemsath finished shortly thereafter. He put his hands on his knees to recover. Ransome told him, “You blew me away at the beginning swim.”

Hemsath smiled. “And then you killed me after that!” He looked at me. “This guy’s like a loose cannon out there he is.” They chuckled and bantered with each other like this for a moment. I asked them if they’d ever had mechanical issues in the race.

Ransome told me the third or fourth time he had run it, he hit a pothole and had to ride on a flat tire the whole way. “It kept flapping and coming off the rim every time I had a curve. Still managed to keep about a 19-mph average though.” He shook his head.

Hemsath remembered that “back in the day” they used to give out a full set of racing rims to both male and female winners. “That was sure nice!” He told me this race was his 539th total triathlon. The two of them paused to let me take a picture of them together.

Running the same race for 30 years straight IS pretty special. Hemsath patted my arm. “But I want you to write that this race is well-managed. Above all, the volunteers are amazing. They are so happy and helpful. They all clap you in at the end. I love this race.” Ransome agreed.

The last of the racers surged to grab towels to dry their faces and cups of water. Once they caught their breath, they headed to the food. As I opened the door for some racers coming out with their plates piled high, I heard, “Let’s make this an annual event. It’s close and the food is amazing!”

Inside the park office, Optimist Ann Sweet and her blue-shirted food volunteers had cut dozens of melons, bananas, and grapes. They had piled pasta and pizza onto plates so exhausted and hungry racers could grab and go recover.

One racer told me, “The food at the Optimist triathlon is the best anywhere. It’s why I always race this one. Some places just give you half a banana and a cold muffin. You guys are the best.”

Thanks to all the amazing volunteers including race directors Jason Gergely and Adam Heckaman. Thanks to the Winona Lake Police who kept everyone safe. Thanks to the Warsaw Career Center at WCHS for creating some sweet trophies. Most importantly, thanks to all the racers, including Hemsath and Ransome, and to Team Triumph for all the joy I saw on their angels’ faces at the finish line. This is an amazing event with the proceeds going to help all the youth in our community, so we all win. Go Kosciusko.