by Allison Goldsmith / I&M Sports Editor

In one of the largest and most expansive athletic events on Nantucket in recent memory, the inaugural Nantucket Triathlon went off without a hitch Saturday afternoon.

Professional triathlete Dave Dornaus of Hingham, Mass. won the sprint-style competition in one hour, three minutes and 42 seconds. John Fitzgerald of Missoula, Mont., a Sankaty Head Golf Club summer employee, finished hot on his heels in 1:04:59.

In the women's division, Judy Stavis of Cohasset, Mass. took top honors in 1:13:26 followed by Sarah Newcomb or Orleans, Mass in 1:16.58.

In the relay team division, Team Vikings with Pete and Matias Sejersen took first in 1:18.11, followed by Team Sternigan with Leigh Gilligan and Jeremy Sternberg in 1:19.07.

Nearly 500 athletes competed in the USAT-certified event, which consisted of a 0.25-mile swim, 12-mile bike and a 5K run. All three legs transitioned on the tennis courts near the upper parking lot at Jetties Beach.

The swim leg was an up-and-back route to the left of the West Jetty. The bike leg ran down North Beach Street, right on Easton and right on Cliff Road to Madaket Road and out to the far west end of the island and back. After the transition at Jetties, participants followed the Brant Point Runners 5K route and finished back at Jetties in front of a large and supportive crowd. The inaugural Nantucket Triathlon — which benefited Big Brothers Big Sisters — came to fruition this winter as race director and island athlete Jamie Ranney worked with various town organizations and boards to set up the event. Ranney teamed up with Bill Burnett, a friend from Ohio Wesleyan University and a race director of the popular Cohasset, Gloucester and Marlborough Triathlon series to make the event a success.

"I have always wanted to do one down here. It took two years to get the mid-summer date because of concerns about traffic and things you would expect. I was stunned and overwhelmed with the response to the race with the number of competitors and the support we got from the town departments," Ranney said.

There were 435 individuals and 23 teams of two or three athletes each signed up prior to race day, with a number of last minute sign-ups at Jetties Beach.

In addition to the 50 volunteers along the course, a police department detail was also on hand, with a motorcycle lead, traffic coordination and road blocks. The fire department, the marine department, Nantucket Community Sailing and Sea Nantucket Kayak were also involved.

The large field of competitors was extremely varied as more than 50 percent of the athletes who had pre-registered had never competed in a triathlon, as well as two professional triathletes in the mix.

"To see some of these athletes who have trained and have never done this before, finish and stand there in awe of themselves, is really an inspiring thing," Ranney said.

Nearly 80 competitors were from Nantucket, as the rest of the field gave a boost to the island economy.

Musician and actor Harry Connick Jr. was among the competitors Saturday, starting in the beginners wave and crossing the finish in 1:50:41.

"It was fun. My friends did it and they inspired me to do it. I finished," he said after the race.

Other than expected traffic congestion, there were no major logistical issues or injuries during the race. All of the organizations involved are planning to regroup and review the race at a later date with the hopes of making it an annual event, Ranney said.

"I think as we go forward, we are going to learn from any mistakes we may have made, do some improvements to the course, traffic, volunteers and I am hopeful the response will be even better and the competition level will be higher," Ranney said. "The size of the event was such that it has great potential to have it be an annual event and that's what we had in mind. Going forward we want to make sure it is a benefit to the town to have it here and all the concerns of property owners and business owners are addressed as best they can."

Between 1989 and 1996 athletes on Nantucket did not have to travel far to find highly competitive races. The Winthrop Series, organized by the previous owners of the Harbor House Hotel to attract visitors to the island in off-peak months, put on 10 road-racing events on Nantucket per year including sprint distance triathlons, biathlons and 10K races.

"It's been needed for a long time. I used to do them when it was the Winthrop Challenge. I am glad Jamie got it together. He did a fantastic job. And we couldn't do it without all the athletes showing up," said Gary Allen, who finished 14th overall and second in the male 35-39 age group in 1:14:10.

Participants started in seven separate waves from Jetties Beach, which eventually spread into a constant stream of competitors along the route.

"It's a sprint race so I was pretty much red-lining the whole time. Try to go just at red line so you feel you can hold it the whole time. That's pretty much it," Dornaus said.

Dornaus took a sizable lead on the swim leg and managed to stay out in front the rest of the way.

"You have some good guys here and everybody is gunning for it. It is a short race, so you never know what is going to happen," Dornaus said.

Fitzgerald came out of the water in the top 10, but with low tide making things a little challenging, passed five or six people on the sprint in knee-deep water and up the beach to the transition station.

"I am not a swimmer, so I figured I would make up time from the run to the transition, so I tried to run as fast as I could," Fitzgerald said.

Comfortable with the bike route out to Madaket, Fitzgerald made up more time on the second leg to hit the transition in second place behind Dornaus. He finished just over one minute back, and three minutes in front of the third-place finisher, Joe Walsmith.

"With the sprint for me, it is pretty much just go as hard as you can," Fitzgerald said.

In the women's division Stavis, who signed up for the Nantucket Triathlon as a follower of Burnett's events, is slowly starting to get into a more regular routine of triathlons.

"I didn't know what to expect. I thought the roads would be a little bumpy and I was pleasantly surprised. The water is gorgeous, it's a gorgeous day," Stavis said. "Everyone is here to have a good time. Everyone has worked hard to get here and everyone is a winner today."

There were a number of first timers in the pack as well, including Nantucket firefighters Nate Barber and Sean Mitchell.

"I had butterflies but I think I trained well enough to give it a good start and finish. There were times when it was trying. The swim was a little clustered and my transitions were slow, but I felt strong all day," said Barber, who finished 37th overall in 1:19:15.

"It was my first group swim in the open water. I took a few elbows and feet to the face, which was expected, but it makes it a little nerve-wracking. But once I got out of the water, I felt pretty comfortable and got passed by a bunch of people on the bike, but it was fun anyway," said Mitchell, who finished 45th overall in 1:20:06.

It was also the first triathlon for island trainer Christina Barrett, who typically runs 5Ks and half-marathons.

"I really just wanted to try a true sprint triathlon and see how I liked it. No excuse not to do it," said Barrett, who finished 35th overall and first in the female 30-34 age group in 1:19.01. "I was in the last wave so I just made ground. It was weird being back there, but you could just make up ground. For me it really motivated me."

No matter whether it was a first triathlon or the hundredth, competitors were all impressed with the inaugural Nantucket event.

"I think they did a phenomenal job. Everything was clearly marked, everything was wellorganized. It was just top-notch," Barrett said.

"This is unbelievable. The amount of people who signed up is just surprising. The support along the roads, all the way to Madaket and back is just amazing. There were people cheering the whole way," Barber said. "I would do this every summer. I think they ran it very well, considering it was the first time, it was pretty flawless really. They did a great job and the whole thing was fun."

"Bill Burnett does a series of races up in the Boston area and every race he is associated with is very high-quality, very well run and I love supporting local guys who are trying to do great things, not just in the sport of triathlon but in their having a positive impact on their communities," Dornaus said.