A steady rain will ruin a lot of outdoor athletic events. But a wet day was actually a help for some of the 1,150 people competing in the Muncie Endurathon on Saturday.
"It's just been so hot here in past events," Johan Dejong, who has run, biked and swum the triathlon for about the past 20 years, said. "The rain was nice this year. The rain could have hindered people out here today. But if you're a true triathlete you weather the conditions no matter what."
The Endurathon consists of a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike race and a 13.1-mile run - a brutal combination on any kind of a hot, muggy day.
So Saturday's steady downpour at Prairie Creek Reservoir in Selma, just southeast of Muncie, may have helped some competitors - though it was tough on organizers, Marlene Myrick, the race's administrative director, said.
"It's difficult because there's mud and the volunteers don't want to stand in the pouring rain," Myrick said.
"But this year we were fortunate. The rain didn't come until the swim portion was complete," she said. "You never like rain during the swim portion because of the possibility of thunder and lightning."
Ball State junior Christina Adrian was the top female finisher from Delaware County, Myrick said. Overall, the top male and female finishers were Mike Caiazzo (4:01:22) and Alaina Neary (4:38:35).
About 1,150 people registered for the four Endurathon events, and organizers said 917 finished.
The competitors included a father-son team in the "sprint" race - a 400-yard swim, 12.3-mile bike ride and 3.1-mile run. The twist in this case: the 15-year-old boy is blind and autistic, Myrick said.
"He completed the sprint portion of the race with the help of his father," she said. "It was just amazing - it was the highlight of the weekend. We all went to watch them start. And we were there when they crossed the finish line. They probably got the biggest cheer of the day."
Keeping a close eye on the competitors was a medical staff including volunteer Samantha Caceres, the wife of one of those in the Endurathon.
Caceres said wet conditions can cause blisters during the running part of the race.
"I wouldn't want to do it in the rain but I say more power to the people who are out here doing it today," Caceres said.
Like others, she said the rain could even help - there are worse things than blisters, for instance.
"People aren't suffering from heat exhaustion like past years. And injuries have stayed the same this year rather than increase, which is always a good thing."
Caceres wasn't the only person to see the effects of the weather.
Adam Brown came all the way from Chicago to run in the race. This was Brown's fifth year here.
"It seems like every single year there's something going on," he said. "It's always either extremely hot - or cold."
Brown said the weather didn't really bother him this time.
"I think there's a different kind of mind set for people who are in this race, because a lot of them are in a lot of other races during the year."
He spent about 25 hours a week preparing for the race and said the rain "wasn't going to stop me."
Josh Callahan, who trained with Brown, said it wasn't going to stop him, either.
"There's nothing you can do about it anyway," Callahan said. "Except to just go through it."
Distances:
Long Course Tri: 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run
Aqua-Bike: 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike
Sprint Tri: 400-yard swim, 12.3-mile bike, 3.1-mile run
Top Finishers:
(Male)1. Mike Caiazzo - 4:01:222. Ryan Bates - 4:09:133. Luke Beasley - 4:10:574. Michael Smith - 4:11:525. David Forsee - 4:14:29
(Female)1. Alaina Neary - 4:38:352. Missy Kuck - 4:43:523. Amber Hardin - 4:50:074. Britta English - 4:50:475. Sarah Sanders - 4:54:47
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