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Gallery: 2023 Padden Triathlon

June 24, 2023 5:34 pm

Rachel Buckley claps as she runs her first lap around the lake.

Shaun Jones sports an Ironman Triathlon tattoo from his first race as he walks to the Padden Triathlon transition area.

Spectators cheer on a racer near the finish line.

Chase Lanham and Anne Hightower duck under a deflating finish line.

Amy Blom takes a selfie before competing at the Padden Triathlon.

Two riders compete on a tandem bike.

Kristen Schafer heads around for her last lap as onlookers cheer and take pictures. — Kristen Schafer heads around for her last lap at the Padden Triathlon. Schafer finished was the first women’s finisher. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)

Eric Landon runs through bubbles on his first lap.

Mairin O’Brien takes a dip in the lake after finishing the Padden Triathlon.

Yelling at the top of his lungs, Travis van Der Horst sprints to the finish line as onlookers laugh and react to his yells. — Yelling at the top of his lungs, Travis van Der Horst sprints to the finish line. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)

Nicole Gilmore reacts as she crosses the finish line of the Padden Triathlon.

Brent Hartwig gets a high-five as he completes his first lap.

A swimmer stretches before the Padden Triathlon.

Chris Gemin tugs on his wetsuit as he gets ready for the swimming leg.

Racers look at the water and listen to instructions before the start of the Padden Triathlon.

A racer grabs a breath during the swimming leg.

A swimmer looks breaches the water to look how much further they have left as other swimmers splash around them to rush to the finish line. — A swimmer looks for the exit of the swimming leg. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)

Davis Hammer and Clay Boyd chat before the start of the race.

Swimmers high five as they start to get out of the water with a trail of swimmers behind them. — Racers high-five as they exit the water. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)

Allison Porter walks her bike out of the transition area.

Near the back of the pack

Last out of the water

At 8:42 on Saturday morning, the first wave of about 50 athletes stepped foot into Lake Padden, waiting for their mark. Recreation coordinator Billy Reeves, who earlier made a joke about forgetting his whistle, shouted “Ready! Set! Go!” and the initial group was off.

Separated by two-to-three-minute intervals, Reeves released the following two waves into the water. This began the 2023 Padden Triathlon competitive long-course race. Participants started with a half-mile swim, transitioned into a 21-mile bike ride and finished with a 5.2-mile run, or two laps around the lake.

The recreational race followed at 1 p.m. with a quarter-mile swim, 10-mile bike and 2.6-mile run.