On Saturday, the University of Denver Triathlon team kicked off their inaugural season at the Claremont Challenge.
The team was supposed to begin their season last fall, but they had to postpone their opening competition because of the pandemic. With much anticipation, the four-person team traveled to Florida this weekend to kick-off what could be a monumental season.
The competition took place over the course of two days with three team members racing on Saturday and Sunday. Each race included a 750 meter swim, a 20K bike ride and a 5K run.
On Saturday, junior Grace Arlandson (St. Paul, Minn.) was the first-ever member of the DU triathlon team to cross the finish line at an NCAA meet. With a total time of 1:08:20.1, Arlandson placed third overall in the Division I race. Arlandson recorded a 11:40 in her swim, a 32:43 on the bike and a 21:50 on the ground.
Arlandson was then followed by junior Amanda Ballard (Lakewood, Colo.), who crossed the finish line at 1:08:59.4. Ballard splits were timed at 13:33 in the water, 33:49 on the bike and 23:09 on the ground. Ballard earned fifth place overall for Saturday’s race.
Senior Luma Randolph (Sun Valley, Idaho) finished out Denver’s performance with a time of 1:12:50.2 and a ninth place overall ranking. Randolph completed her 750 meter swim in 13:33, her 20K bike in 33:49 and her 5K run in 23:09.
On Sunday, the team continued their impressive opening performance. Although Ballard and Randolph did not place as high as they did in Saturday’s race, the two still had top 25 performances out of 66 D1 athletes.
It should also be noted that the swimming portion of Sunday’s race was shortened due to white caps, resulting in slightly faster swim times for all competitors.
Ballard finished 18th in the competition’s second race with a 1:08:37. She clocked in at 9:47 on her swim, 34:45 on the bike and 21:42 on her run. Randolph was not far behind with a 1:09:14 final time and a 24th place finish. Randolph’s times were 11:00 in the water, 33:08 on the bike and 22:41 on the ground.
Arlandson was a planned Did-Not-Finish (DNF) for Sunday’s race but completed both the swimming and biking positions in 9:45 and 32:58, respectively.
The team will continue their inaugural season on April 25 as they travel to South Dakota to compete in the BHSU Triathlon Invite.
