Jonathon Strefling, left, and David Strefling, right, jokingly jockey for position while approaching the finish line. (Presidio Sports Photos)
Eric Woods, a recent Santa Barbara High School grad, finished first in the 5k run at Nite Moves on Wednesday with a time of 17 minutes and 32 seconds.
Reaching the finish line barely four seconds after was Andrew Robbins, a regular Nite Moves competitor.
Eric Woods was the fastest runner of 220 registered participants in the 5k race on Wednesday
?The original plan was to go out for a regular tempo run, kind of slow, but then I noticed that the leaders weren?t going as fast as they usually do, so I tried to catch them after the first mile,? Woods said.
Martha Blackwell was the top female 5k runner, finishing 13th overall with a time of 19:31.
UCSB Tri-Team member Will Holland was the first to finish both the 1k swim and 5k run in 38 minutes (est.). Leslie Roth was the winner of the women?s aquathon.
?The water was really warm. I feel like my swim is getting better each week, so it helps when the water conditions are just right,? Roth said.
Nite Moves? participants, past and present, have always referred to it as both a competitive and fun filled sporting event. As Roth explained, ?I think that?s what?s fun about it — people come out here to compete but they have a really good time at the same time.?
The water temperature can be a crucial factor in edging swimmers towards a better completion time. Wednesday night?s conditions proved to be beneficial for the 1k swim competitors.
?The water was really smooth, it wasn?t very choppy at all; you could kind of just drift right through it. The run was great. I didn?t really know where anyone was, I just did my own thing the entire race and came in strong,? Holland said.
Holland is currently training for the Half Iron Man in Wisconsin, with the hopes of qualifying for the World Championships.
Nite Moves is held every Wednesday night for the remainder of the summer.
Story by Alison Raack
