Record flooding from the release of Suicide Basin on Saturday didn’t stop about 100 racers of the Aukeman Triathlon from getting into the cold waters of Auke Lake on Sunday morning — but it did require a change of course.
“It took out our whole sprint course, but I think the racers are all having a good time — no one’s getting lost with Suicide Basin filling up,” said Tracey Morrison, one of the head volunteer coordinators for the race Sunday morning, as racers crossed the finish line at the University of Alaska Southeast Campus.
A sunny Sunday morning greeted the participants of the annual triathlon which features a sprint distance course of a 750-meter swim, a 19-kilometer bike ride and a 5-kilometer run, and an Olympic distance course of a 1.5-kilometer swim, 40-kilometer bike and 10-kilometer run.
Stephanie Sauve embraces her daughter Autumn after completing the sprint race of the Aukeman Triathlon at the University of Alaska Southeast campus Sunday. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)
The day before the race was set to happen at least one large home was washed into Mendenhall River, and multiple homes closer to Mendenhall Glacier were flooded and cut off from road access in what officials called the worst release of water from Suicide Basin since annual cycles began in 2011.
According to Race Director Liz Smith, she and other race officials were monitoring the Suicide Basin situation Saturday evening to assess what steps were needed to ensure the safety of the participants, and not obstruct any response efforts.
Smith said typically the sprint bike portion of the race takes place as an out-and-back course from the UAS campus to the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. However, due to the flooding and the emergency responses underway, race officials decided at 5 a.m. to send the sprint bikers out the road alongside the Olympic bikers’ course.
Rows of bikes line the parking lot of the University of Alaska Southeast campus Sunday morning during the Aukeman Triathlon. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)
The quick switch-up ended up making the race run a bit easier than normal, she said, as it negated the confusion of having two separate bike courses for the Olympic and sprint race.
Both Morrison and Smith said the success of the quick change going smoothly is largely due to the more than 40 volunteers helping assist with the race.
Volunteers hold the two medals handed out to the respective racers of the Olympic and sprint races of the Aukeman Triathlon held at the University of Alaska Southeast campus Sunday morning. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)
And, despite the disruption, Smith said the race still turned out to have one of the largest groups of participants to date with 100 people entering the water for the start of the race early Sunday morning.
“That might be the most ever,” she said, noting at least a few of the participants were people who originally booked to race in the Ironman Alaska which was canceled in December despite having a three-year contract in Juneau.
“A handful of people came into town for the Ironman and had a vacation booked came and found our race,” she said.
First-time Aukeman sprint race finisher Erin Heard crossed the finish line with the help of her son Parker, 5, Sunday morning. After the race, she said she felt the race was “good, but challenging,” noting with the switch-up of the course she “wasn’t prepared for that much uphill — but we made it.”
Erin Heard heads to the finish line with the help of her son Parker, 5, as she completes the sprint race of the Aukeman Triathlon at the University of Alaska Southeast campus on Sunday. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)
Hiram Henry, an Aukeman Olympic race finisher, said he “felt great” and remarked on the nice weather.
“It’s fun, it feels not so fun when you are doing it, but after it, it feels great,” he said, laughing. The race was Henry’s fifth Aukeman.
Hiram Henry races to the finish line Sunday morning as he completes the Olympic race of the Aukeman Triathlon at the University of Alaska Southeast campus. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)
Race results
Olympic race: Charlie Waters was the top finisher of the race and the top male finisher, completing the race in two hours, 23 minutes and 46 seconds. Eliza Dorn was the top-finishing female, completing the race in two hours, 31 minutes and 58 seconds.
Sprint race: Pacific Ricke was both the top finisher of the race and the top female finisher, completing the race in one hour, 23 minutes and 30 seconds. Mitchell Schumacher was the second finisher of the race and the top male finisher, completing the race in one hour and 28 minutes.
Sprint relay: The sprint relay team “Sink, Crash, Fall,” was the top finishing team with a time of one hour, 31 minutes and five seconds.
• Contact Clarise Larson at clarise.larson@juneauempire.com or (651) 528-1807.
