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The annual Chisago Lakes Triathlon has substantially grown in its first three years.

After fielding 258 competitors for last year's Half Ironman, and 887 triathletes for the Sprint distance, the annual event jumped to 388 participants in the Half Ironman, and 891 in the Sprint on Sunday, July 27.

The Half Ironman covers 1.2 miles of swimming, a 55.4-mile bike ride and a 13.1 mile run to the end. In the Sprint distance, competitors swim a quarter of a mile, bike for 17 miles, and run for 3.1 miles.

With the nasty July humidity engulfing Paradise Park, the athletes started to finish the triathlon at about 11:10 a.m., four hours and 10 minutes after the grueling race had begun. The first person who crossed the prestigious finish line at 11:10 was Rod Raymond of St. Paul.

Raymond, with long, soaked hair bristling along behind him as he made his move in the 13.1 mile run, crossed the line in 4:10:43, only 14 seconds in front of last years third place finisher Mark Carey.

Carey's second place finish was a magnificent feat in and of itself. The Rochester native ran the Spirit of Racine Triathlon on July 20, finishing 10th with a time of 4:10:48, just seven days before the Chisago Lakes Triathlon.

"I just trained hard for these two races, and then tapered about four weeks out," said the fatigued, but still jovial, second place finisher.

David Holden, who helps organize the race, finished in third place with a time of 4:12:10. Woodbury's Scott Penticoff burst through the line soon after, finishing in 4:12:49.

The first woman to cross the line did so in truly dominating fashion. With only a few miles to go on the run, the race announcer buzzed that Julie Hull was on pace to break the women's record of 4:47:23, set by Sarah Mercer in last year's race.

Hull thrashed that record by over 10 minutes with a time of 4:37:13. Racing out of Farmington, Hull used a consistent approach to the race that propelled her to the record book.

Marlo McGaver of Duluth had a bittersweet finish as the second woman to cross the line. Her time of 4:41:17 would've eclipsed the old record by over five minutes, but with Hull in front of her, she settled for second in the record book.

The next two women finishers could've also laid claim to that record had they raced a year earlier. Eden Prairie's Becky Youngberg finished in 4:42:05, and Michelle Andres of East Gull Lake crossed the Paradise Park finish line in 4:42:46.

Diane Hankee of Lino Lakes rounded out the top five women. Her time of 4:47:29 was just a few seconds off of last year's record pace by Mercer.

Besides some major cramps and upset stomachs at the finish line, most competitors made it out of the 70 miles of hell unscathed. Melinda Silbernick of Maple Grove was actually leading the women after the swim and bike, but because of preexisting bone spurs in her knees, Silbernick declined to continue on the 13-mile run.

Nick Lundquist of St. Louis Park took a spill on County Road 9 in South Sunrise Township while on his bike, and separated his shoulder. Emergency personnel had to be called, and Lundquist was transported to Fairview Lakes in Wyoming.

With a record number of competitors and a handful of record-breaking women, the Chisago Lakes Triathlon is starting to gain steam as a premier race on the triathlon circuit.

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