ELSAH, ILL. -- Only a few short hours after daybreak, over a hundred people gathered at the Coach Crafton Athletic Center to race in Principia’s second Escape to the Bluffs Triathlon. Eighty three minutes later, the first Sprint competitor, Brian Schoenholz, crossed the finish line at the Chapel Green, and for
the next two hours, racers continued to pour in. The first Olympic racer to finish completed it in just over 121 minutes, averaging a mile pace of 6:11 for the 10k run.
The race had both a Sprint course and a modified Olympic course. Both began in the college’s 2 year old natatorium with a 400 meter serpentine swim (down, back, and under the lane ropes). Racers then transitioned to the bike (28k for Sprint, and 40k for Olympic), winding up and down the back hills of Elsah.
Finally, they finished with a run up to Eliestoun (5k for Sprint, 10k for Olympic) that ended with a last stretch past the historic Maybeck buildings and up the Chapel Green. Following the race, those participating enjoyed a barbeque lunch on the bluffs overlooking the grand Mississippi River.
Principia’s own Patrick McCreary put the event together in an effort to expand the college’s multi sport events and open up the campus to the community and greater region. This event was one of four multi sport races that take place each year, including the 15K trail run in September, the 15k road race in Alton on Halloween, and the 15k single track off-road bike in March. McCreary brings an astounding amount of experience having raced in 156 races for the last 21 years. He was a four time All-American, selected on a national team three times, and placed as high as 35th internationally in his age group.
Click here for more information on the results of the race
Click here to view and purchase photos of the race