Kyle Visin approaches the finish line at the Goleta Beach Triathlon. (Presidio Sports Photo)
Kyle Visin, Jon Waltman, Lisa Ratzliff and Savannah Dearden earned top honors at the Goleta Beach Triathlon on Sunday.
Visin, the 2014 short-course winner, returned this year to dominate the Olympic-length long course in a time of one hour, 45 minutes and 51 seconds. He stepped up to the long course in preparation for the World Championships to be held in September in Chicago.
“My goal was to have a solid bike and then try to hold close to what my race pace would be for Worlds in six (miles),” Visin explained. “So I was just right there. I was just a couple of seconds off but I was really happy with my run today.”
RESULTS: SPRINT COURSE || LONG COURSE
Visin turned in a balanced race, placing in the top four in each discipline.
Zach Jaeger finished second, followed by Brett Brown and Cooper Farrell, respectively. Jaeger was first in the bike and second in the run but dug a hole with a ninth-place result in the swim.
Dearden was the fastest female on the long course. Her time of 1:57.02 was 10th overall.
Waltman’s time was 48:56.00, topping second-place finisher Will Holland by 2:54. Ratzliff won in 1:00:52.
The Goleta Beach Triathlon, which celebrated its five-year anniversary, features a 1-mile ocean swim, a 22-mile bike ride, and a five-mile run for its long course. Its sprint course is scaled back to a 1/4 mile swim, 11-mile bike, and 2.5-mile run.
The run features multiple back-and-forths on the Goleta bikepath. It’s something Visin said he appreciated.
“It’s spectator and fan friendly. It’s great to see friends and family multiple times and see your competition. It gives you more motivation when you turn and see a guy chasing you down so I really love the multiple loop course. I wish more courses would do that,” he said.
Craig Taylor, sixth overall on long course, finds strength to sprint toward finish line of long course.
