Jon Clark has won the Semana Nautica 5-mile Biathlon so many times in the last quarter century he’s lost count.
“I don’t know — 14, 15, 16 or somewhere in there,” said the 48-year-old former lifeguard after winning Saturday morning’s race at East Beach by 58 seconds over Ed Smith, crossing the line in 48 minutes, 10 seconds.
Clark wasn’t up front after the 4-mile run, as Dos Pueblos High’s Chris Braden was well ahead of the pack as he headed into the water. That’s where Clark pulled ahead.
“You never know, because the first few guys at the end of the run — especially with the fog — seemed like a long way away. You never know who’s out there and how well they can swim, plus the fog makes it harder to know if I’m passing people,” he said.
The top women’s finisher was local prep swimming standout Kelly Kosmo, who just finished her sophomore year at Dos Pueblos and is currently training with Santa Barbara Swim Club. Kosmo, 16, also pulled ahead in the swim to pick up the win with a time of 53 minutes, one second. She said she felt good in the water, and it’s no surprise. The water temperature was 64 degrees on Saturday morning, which is five degrees warmer than it was for last week’s one-mile swim won by Mark Warkentin.
They’ll be hoping for similar conditions in Sunday’s 6-mile ocean swim, which begins at 9 a.m. at Goleta Beach.
RESULTS
1. Jon Clark, 48.10
2. Ed Smith, 49.08
3. Stepan Paul, 49.32
4. Mateo Mercur, 49.37
5. Chris Braden, 49.46
6. Scott Devore, 50.54
7. Kelly Kosmo, 53.01
8. Ryan Wenger, 53.23:17
9. Eric Anderson, 53.23:77
10. Michael Cage, 53.32
11. Chris Johnson, 54.04
12. Jon Ford, 54.38
13. Gabi Kasimatis, 54.47
14. Lee Ryan, 57.04
15. Bryan Kerr, 57.33
16. Vic Birtalan, 1.00:57
17. Dave Kosmo, 1.01:04
18. Steve Miley, 1.01:50
19. Rebecca Toseland, 1.01:52
20. Marianne Elefant, 1.01:58
21. Jeff McFarland, 1.02:45
22. Dayna Jordan, 1.02:55
23. Brittany Braden, 1.02:57
24. Susan Clark, 1.04:35
25. Olita Layton, 1.04:55
26. Matt Bazzani, 1.04:59 (Wetsuit)
