2015 JoshBillings RunAground resultsChip Timing and Results by Plattsys Timing, plattsys.com | 27-mile bike, 5-mile canoe, kayak or paddleboard, 6-mile run

Overall Categ.Place TeamName Category Time Bib Place320 Derek Sigler 36 Kayak Iron Man 3:59:58 446 (21)

• B: Derek Sigler C: Derek Sigler R: Derek Sigler321 BJ Abrahamson 38 Kayak Ironperson 50 Over 4:00:11 462 (13)

• B: BJ Abrahamson C: BJ Abrahamson R: Bj Abrahamson322 Beards Braids & Pbrs 24 Kayak All Berkshire 4:00:15 340 (15)

• B: Tristanne Chalmers C: Chris Samson R: Kara Dupre323 Michael Murphy 36 Kayak Iron Man 4:00:39 439 (22)

• B: Michael Murphy C: Michael Murphy R: Michael Murphy324 Jayne-S Guys 17 Veteran 70 & Over 4:00:45 100 (3)

• B: Paul Murray C: Dave Klausmeyer/Jock Burbank R: Jayne Zinke325 The Red Lion 20 Corporate/Organization 4:00:53 167 (11)

• B: Michael Schoch C: Susan Higa/Suzanne Blackwell R: Barry Bazon326 Eleven Years Strong 19 Family 4:00:57 31 (20)

• B: Jeffrey Roosa C: Robert Maloney/Brian Maloney R: Jennifer Roosa327 Sure-Fonesex 19 Family 4:01:01 39 (21)

• B: Sylvie Froncek C: Sylvie Froncek/Madeleine Shure-Froncek R: Lydia Shure-Froncek328 Rocket Power 35 Kayak 2 Person Mixed 4:01:10 296 (14)

• B: Tony Pesce C: Tony Pesce R: Corine Houry-King329 West Wind Breathwork 38 Kayak Ironperson 50 Over 4:01:10 452 (14)

• B: Scot Vighi C: Scot Vighi R: Scot Vighi330 Tri-No-Mite 25 Kayak Males 39 And Under 4:01:19 330 (12)

• B: John Derosier C: Pete Derosier R: Nick Steele331 2 Chicks And An Old Guy 28 Kayak Mixed 39 Under 4:01:40 249 (13)

• B: Jessica Dellaghelfa C: James Brennan R: Bianca Trzcinski332 Slainte 27 Kayak All Female 4:01:41 312 (11)

• B: Jacqueline Lemieux C: Claudine Preite R: Carmel Kushi333 The Paddlers Shop 43 Ironwoman Paddleboard 4:01:41 502 (0)

• B: Kathryn Egnaczak C: Kathryn Egnaczak R: Kathryn Egnaczak334 Fastest Lane Ever 28 Kayak Mixed 39 Under 4:02:05 357 (14)

• B: Sean Lane C: Michael Herman R: Jamie Lane335 More Strength For Serridge 09 2 Person Male Canoe 4:02:20 345 (15)

• B: Tomas Dilascio C: Brian Howell/Tomas Dilascio R: Brian Howell336 Amazing Sylas 24 Kayak All Berkshire 4:02:24 326 (16)

• B: Richard Pargament C: Justin Soules R: Kevin Parsons337 Philip Hodgkins 36 Kayak Iron Man 4:02:30 232 (23)

• B: Philip Hodgkins C: Philip Hodgkins R: Philip Hodgkins338 Lymphedivas 27 Kayak All Female 4:02:34 285 (12)

• B: Christine Decarlo C: Leslie Giuliani R: Colleen Kearney339 B.O.H.I.C.A. 12 Recreational Canoe 4:03:04 44 (12)

• B: Mike Siciliano C: Butch Buchinski/Brad Buchinski R: Mikaela Buchinski340 Paul Koneazny 38 Kayak Ironperson 50 Over 4:03:31 404 (15)

• B: Paul Koneazny C: Paul Koneazny R: Paul Koneazny341 Bennie And The Jets 19 Family 4:03:51 159 (22)

• B: John Benedict C: Becky Benedict R: Sarah Benedict342 For The Birds 43 Ironwoman Paddleboard 4:03:52 225 (0)

• B: Rebecca Cushing C: Rebecca Cushing R: Rebecca Cushing343 All Curtins, No Drapes 19 Family 4:04:07 144 (23)

• B: Helen Curtin C: James Curtin R: Anita Curtin344 Jim Giglio 38 Kayak Ironperson 50 Over 4:04:22 432 (16)

• B: Jim Giglio C: Jim Giglio R: Jim Giglio345 Budi 25 Kayak Males 39 And Under 4:04:27 260 (13)

• B: Jon Budish C: Ben Budish R: Sam Budish346 Kushi Institute 22 Ironman 60 And Over 4:04:34 500 (2)

• B: Olaf Fischer C: --- R: ---347 A Long Way For A Candee 34 Kayak 2 Person Femaler 4:04:36 380 (3)

• B: Carol Way C: Erin Candee/Carol Way R: Erin Candee348 Homebrewed 40 Team Paddleboard 4:04:43 87 (4)

• B: Jesse Cook-Dubin C: Mark Liponis R: Jonathan Denmark349 Team Kbtp 29 Kayak Mixed 40 Over 4:04:54 314 (15)

• B: Mike Kuechle C: Lexie Bullard/Marianna Poutasse R: Jim Tharion350 Michaeleen Barry 39 Ironwoman Kayak 4:04:56 423 (5)

• B: Michaeleen Barry C: Michaeleen Barry R: Michaeleen Barry351 Stampeding Turtles 18 20 And Under 4:04:59 110 (4)

• B: Xavier Powell C: Courtney Gagne R: Zabion Powell352 Edward Prewitt 38 Kayak Ironperson 50 Over 4:05:12 486 (17)

• B: Edward Prewitt C: Edward Prewitt R: Edward Prewitt353 The Flaming Chalices 07 Mixed 39 And Under Canoe 4:05:17 65 (13)

• B: Philip Hotchkiss C: Ted Welsh/Denise Benoit R: Jon Todd354 Father-Daughter Dance Ii 35 Kayak 2 Person Mixed 4:05:19 324 (15)

• B: Thomas Genton C: Thomas Genton/Katharine Genton R: Katharine Genton355 P And H 11 2 Person Mixed Canoe 4:05:23 171 (7)

• B: Heather Boyko C: Heather Boyko/Phil Boyko R: Phil Boyko356 Hotel On North 20 Corporate/Organization 4:05:36 154 (12)

• B: -- C: Michdelyna Adams/Carnell Lawson R: Kim Burnick357 Mountain Goats 31 Kayak Grandmaster 4:05:58 252 (6)

• B: Pete Westover C: Dana Westover R: Pete Westover358 No Joke 36 Kayak Iron Man 4:06:02 475 (24)

• B: Alex Friedman C: Alex Friedman R: Alex Friedman359 Four For Fun 06 Grandmasters 60 Over 4:06:05 12 (8)

• B: Donald Briggs C: Stephen Dudziak/Stan Dudziak R: Ben Kaplan360 Beauty And The Beasts 21 3 Female - 1 Male 4:06:15 148 (6)

• B: Amy Murray C: Sarah Siket/James Siket R: Kim Ketchen361 Ted Okun 36 Kayak Iron Man 4:07:03 216 (25)

• B: Ted Okun C: Ted Okun R: Ted Okun362 Josh 2.0 18 20 And Under 4:07:09 132 (5)

• B: Henry Eustis C: Abigail Wade R: Jack Smith363 WetHotAmericanBelchertowners 28 Kayak Mixed 39 Under 4:07:19 356 (15)

• B: Joseph Nawroki C: Kayla Smachetti/Rachael Smachetti R: George Jackson

Overall Categ.Place TeamName Category Time Bib Place364 Internationals 24 Kayak All Berkshire 4:07:21 280 (17)

• B: Greg Dilisio C: Elsie Dilisio R: Caro Kasch365 Alexander Charney 36 Kayak Iron Man 4:07:37 470 (26)

• B: Alexander Charney C: Alexander Charney R: Alexander Charney366 Adang 09 2 Person Male Canoe 4:07:40 43 (16)

• B: Gregory George C: Gregory George/Matt Malatesta R: Matt Malatesta367 Just Having Fun 27 Kayak All Female 4:08:03 283 (13)

• B: Elvira Brankov C: Julie Elson R: Jennifer Masa368 Old And In The Way 02 Male 39 Under Canoe 4:08:49 126 (8)

• B: Bobby Flower C: Jon Stern/Todd Kimbriel R: Andrew Flower369 The Rock’s 32 Kayak Recreation 4:10:16 66 (11)

• B: Phillip Rock C: Katrina Rock/Matt Rock R: Rachel Rock370 Snap, Crackle, Pop 28 Kayak Mixed 39 Under 4:10:22 298 (16)

• B: Kim Farrow C: Adrian Horton R: Georgina Farrow371 Shartnado 28 Kayak Mixed 39 Under 4:10:23 385 (17)

• B: Alec Mckinney C: Miles Marshall/Jackie Hathaway R: Riley Mckinney372 Subs For The Pegs 28 Kayak Mixed 39 Under 4:10:34 319 (18)

• B: Andre Charbonneau C: Rachel Roberts R: Jennifer Charbonneau373 Joshua Aschheim 13 Ironman Canoe 4:10:49 211 (6)

• B: Joshua Aschheim C: Joshua Aschheim R: Joshua Aschheim374 Tri Hard 32 Kayak Recreation 4:11:33 307 (12)

• B: Andrew Lock C: Rasa Malisauskiene R: Vytautas Malisauskas375 Muscle Sandwich 26 Kayak Males 40 And Over 4:11:40 379 (7)

• B: Matthew Lenehan C: Jeff Ingalls R: David Fromm376 Team Snacks 40 Team Paddleboard 4:12:00 79 (5)

• B: Danielle D’angelo C: Stefanie D’angelo R: Kate Kelley377 Mike Beaton 36 Kayak Iron Man 4:12:42 469 (27)

• B: Mike Beaton C: Mike Beaton R: Mike Beaton378 The One-Der-Bean 39 Ironwoman Kayak 4:12:57 487 (6)

• B: Angela Bean C: Angela Bean R: Angela Bean379 Art Gwozdz 15 Ironperson 50 And Over C 4:13:22 230 (4)

• B: Art Gwozdz C: Art Gwozdz R: Art Gwozdz380 Finally Old Enough! 31 Kayak Grandmaster 4:13:38 313 (7)

• B: William Minifie C: James Pierro R: David Allard381 Thanks To The Wild One 43 Ironwoman Paddleboard 4:14:22 237 (0)

• B: Nadine Atalla C: Nadine Atalla R: Nadine Atalla382 Terrabytes 29 Kayak Mixed 40 Over 4:15:37 255 (16)

• B: Goopeel Chung C: Karen Works/Jim Works R: Walter Lawrence Griffith383 Kevin O. 36 Kayak Iron Man 4:15:40 410 (28)

• B: Kevin Omara C: Kevin Omara R: Kevin Omara384 Harts & Soul 24 Kayak All Berkshire 4:15:40 277 (18)

• B: Sash Lewis C: Eleanor Hart R: Jason J Hart385 Team TPG 24 Kayak All Berkshire 4:15:53 302 (19)

• B: Nathan Smith C: Charly Bashara R: Erin Szewc386 Scrambled Legs 27 Kayak All Female 4:15:57 180 (14)

• B: Beth Notar C: Lisa Newman R: Peggy Piwonka387 Christian Auclair 36 Kayak Iron Man 4:16:28 485 (29)

• B: Christian Auclair C: Christian Auclair R: Christian Auclair388 Kelly Rigby 39 Ironwoman Kayak 4:16:32 443 (7)

• B: Kelly Rigby C: Kelly Rigby R: Kelly Rigby389 Plodding Pagans 32 Kayak Recreation 4:16:40 294 (13)

• B: Katherine Burton C: Sarah Gardner R: Beth Goodman390 Joshua Dacosta 36 Kayak Iron Man 4:16:44 451 (30)

• B: Joshua Dacosta C: Joshua Dacosta R: Joshua Dacosta391 Honey Jill’s 24 Kayak All Berkshire 4:17:18 278 (20)

• B: Rebecca Merz C: Katy Wilkinson R: Nicole Leja392 Iron Heart 39 Ironwoman Kayak 4:18:06 483 (8)

• B: Susan Burns C: Susan Burns R: Susan Burns393 Busted Stuff 10 2 Person Female Canoe 4:18:53 47 (6)

• B: Julie Marcoulier C: Linda Pitney/Julie Marcoulier R: Linda Pitney394 Field House Foodie Fanatics 21 3 Female - 1 Male 4:19:00 68 (7)

• B: Pete Lopez C: Kim Lopez/Tammie Jervas R: Loretta Tenuta395 Tiring Soreass Wrecks 19 Family 4:19:41 127 (24)

• B: Rob Nielson C: Rob Nielson R: Becky Nielson396 In Between Libations 25 Kayak Males 39 And Under 4:20:21 279 (14)

• B: Matt Freed C: Ian Peck R: Ryan Dotterer397 Giddyup 28 Kayak Mixed 39 Under 4:20:37 376 (19)

• B: Chris Boudrow C: Kayla Rysewyk R: Stephanie Burtt398 Ironman Dan 37 Kayak Iron Person 40 Over 4:20:46 477 (15)

• B: Daniel Sullivan C: Daniel Sullivan R: Daniel Sullivan399 Pttelgmingtons - Again 38 Kayak Ironperson 50 Over 4:20:50 406 (18)

• B: Jon Mattis C: Jon Mattis R: Jon Mattis400 Sweet Honey Jill’s 34 Kayak 2 Person Femaler 4:20:52 300 (4)

• B: Jessica Macknight C: Lea Waldbillig R: Jessica Macknight401 Frosted Crows 19 Family 4:21:06 173 (25)

• B: Christopher Mayer C: John Foley/Aaron Flynn R: Meghan Harris402 Scott Hunter 38 Kayak Ironperson 50 Over 4:21:21 233 (19)

• B: Scott Hunter C: Scott Hunter R: Scott Hunter403 Gary Trombley 38 Kayak Ironperson 50 Over 4:21:21 234 (20)

• B: Gary Trombley C: Gary Trombley R: Gary Trombley404 Team Kavid 11 2 Person Mixed Canoe 4:22:02 131 (8)

• B: Erik Scholz C: Erik Scholz/Laura Scholz R: Laura Scholz405 Just Four Fun 12 Recreational Canoe 4:22:27 60 (13)

• B: Pablo Orellana C: Sam Gaughan/Stephanie Dolson R: Laura Gross Smith406 Lauren Galenski 43 Ironwoman Paddleboard 4:22:35 226 (0)

• B: Lauren Galenski C: Lauren Galenski R: Lauren Galenski407 Monterey Flyers 35 Kayak 2 Person Mixed 4:22:41 288 (16)

• B: Douglas Neu C: Phebe Kiryk/Doug Nev R: Phebe Kiryk

Overall Categ.Place TeamName Category Time Bib Place408 Vicki Nielsen 39 Ironwoman Kayak 4:22:45 441 (9)

• B: Vicki Nielsen C: Vicki Nielsen R: Vicki Nielsen409 3 Chicks + The Old Guy 21 3 Female - 1 Male 4:24:12 99 (8)

• B: Sue Fontaine C: Hillary Reil/John A Reil R: Sara Gladu410 Arcadian 31 Kayak Grandmaster 4:24:18 186 (8)

• B: Suky Werman C: Caly R: Larry Lane411 Shanon Sterrett 39 Ironwoman Kayak 4:25:05 465 (10)

• B: Shanon Sterrett C: Shanon Sterrett R: Shanon Sterrett412 Happy Go Lucky 35 Kayak 2 Person Mixed 4:25:16 276 (17)

• B: Jim Mieczkowski C: Jennifer Lafond/Jim Mieczkowski R: Jennifer Lafond413 Miles Braffett 38 Kayak Ironperson 50 Over 4:26:24 424 (21)

• B: Miles Braffett C: Miles Braffett R: Miles Braffett414 Keith Hescock Jr. 36 Kayak Iron Man 4:26:24 435 (31)

• B: Keith Hescock Jr. C: Keith Hescock Jr. R: Keith Hescock Jr.415 Shake ‘’N’’ Bake 42 Iron Man Paddleboard 4:26:54 78 (0)

• B: Tim Chabet C: Tim Chabet R: Tim Chabet416 Finnese! 19 Family 4:28:12 118 (26)

• B: Matt Finn C: Timothy Finn/Matthew Senesi R: Lauren Finn417 Team Turtle 12 Recreational Canoe 4:28:44 30 (14)

• B: Elizabeth O-Donnell C: Allen Sprio/Joseph Merola R: Allison Spiro418 Splash, Dash And Roll 30 Kayak Masters 50 Over 4:29:32 299 (14)

• B: Mike Kemoroske C: Ruth Earl R: Randi Walker419 Extra Strength For Serridge 27 Kayak All Female 4:29:45 274 (15)

• B: Adrienne Aucoin C: Sydney Burelle R: Dana Howell420 Paw Patrol 10 2 Person Female Canoe 4:31:23 322 (7)

• B: Lisa Oliver C: Hether Cahill/Lisa Oliver R: Hether Cahill421 No Good Excuse 28 Kayak Mixed 39 Under 4:31:28 290 (20)

• B: Christy Dignard C: Daniel Thomas R: Ryan Dignard422 Wonderbeans 32 Kayak Recreation 4:31:40 338 (14)

• B: Shannon Bean C: Robert Bean R: Judi Bean423 Blood, Sweat & Beers 24 Kayak All Berkshire 4:32:19 317 (21)

• B: David Lemieux C: David Lemieux R: Jessica Lemieux424 Drei Teutschen 07 Mixed 39 And Under Canoe 4:32:42 85 (14)

• B: Christian Teutsch C: Christian Teutsch/Savannah Teutsch R: Abbie Teutsch425 Dying To Tri 05 Masters 50 And Over Canoe 4:35:26 332 (9)

• B: Sandy Ashendorf C: David Ray R: Joan Bregstein426 Brava 40 Team Paddleboard 4:35:57 117 (6)

• B: Christina Klich C: Laura Wentzel R: Rachel Derose427 General Dynamics 20 Corporate/Organization 4:36:10 115 (13)

• B: Bryan Cederholm C: Tom Brennan/Dave Hemmes R: Bruce Kirchner428 Green Machine 19 Family 4:36:29 19 (27)

• B: David Grogan C: Lisa Grogan-Mcculloch/Lewis Mcculloch R: Rebecca Hanson429 Triple Helix 32 Kayak Recreation 4:37:10 265 (15)

• B: Felicita Dubois C: Domenic Previte R: Elizabeth Levison430 The Roosters 10 2 Person Female Canoe 4:37:50 35 (8)

• B: Denise Kohn C: Tammy Gates/Denise Kohn R: Tammy Gates431 3 Tough Chicks 27 Kayak All Female 4:38:57 192 (16)

• B: Jen Sellen C: Patrice Dermody R: Aimee Sinopoli432 Katherine Harwood 39 Ironwoman Kayak 4:39:09 494 (11)

• B: Katherine Harwood C: Katherine Harwood R: Katherine Harwood433 Twisted Sisters 27 Kayak All Female 4:39:20 257 (17)

• B: Melissa Mcavoy C: Lynn Mcavoy R: Crystal Kruszyna434 Mongoose 22 Ironman 60 And Over 4:40:06 420 (3)

• B: Buzz Hoagland C: Buzz Hoagland R: Buzz Hoagland435 Lauren Schiappa-Blaquiere 39 Ironwoman Kayak 4:40:41 445 (12)

• B: Lauren Schiappa-Blaquiere C: Lauren Schiappa-Blaquiere R: LaurenSchiappa-Blaquiere436 Debbie Munson 37 Kayak Iron Person 40 Over 4:41:43 459 (16)

• B: Debbie Munson C: Debbie Munson R: Debbie Munson437 5Xy 32 Kayak Recreation 4:42:11 267 (16)

• B: Jen Lapierre C: Glenn Maston R: Alison Bright438 Team Burdick Xvii 19 Family 4:42:22 24 (28)

• B: Shawn Burdick C: Todd Burdick/Kate Burdick R: Amanda Burdick439 Hot Tub Racing 38 Kayak Ironperson 50 Over 4:42:37 495 (22)

• B: David Crandell C: David Crandell R: David Crandell440 Tri Harder 36 Kayak Iron Man 4:44:24 474 (32)

• B: Eric Mandell C: Eric Mandell R: Eric Mandell441 The Carpenter 11 2 Person Mixed Canoe 4:47:14 82 (9)

• B: Therese Doyle Brigley C: Therese Doyle Brigley/Stephen Estelle R: StephenEstelle442 Christina Filkins 39 Ironwoman Kayak 4:47:16 429 (13)

• B: Christina Filkins C: Christina Filkins R: Christina Filkins443 Old Men Walking 17 Veteran 70 & Over 4:50:59 97 (4)

• B: Laurence D Cohen C: James Dami R: Eric White444 Slaves Of The Great Sage 09 2 Person Male Canoe 4:51:38 152 (17)

• B: Eric Proshansky C: Eric Proshansky R: Dan Patel445 Iron Woman Hear Me Roar 16 Ironwoman Canoe 4:58:15 212 (1)

• B: Jenny Gitlitz C: Jenny Gitlitz R: Jenny Gitlitz446 Andrew Grant 37 Kayak Iron Person 40 Over 5:03:00 433 (17)

• B: Andrew Grant C: Andrew Grant R: Andrew Grant447 Gerard Johnson 22 Ironman 60 And Over 5:03:01 490 (4)

• B: Gerard Johnson C: Gerard Johnson R: Gerard Johnson448 Triple B 39 Ironwoman Kayak 5:06:53 235 (14)

• B: Bethany Murphy C: Bethany Murphy R: Bethany Murphy449 Amanda Mccreary 39 Ironwoman Kayak 5:07:12 464 (15)

• B: Amanda Mccreary C: Amanda Mccreary R: Amanda Mccreary450 Dam Rotters 32 Kayak Recreation 5:25:45 321 (17)

• B: Cole Hanna C: Deborah Trimarchi R: Mark Hanna

ByHowardHerman

hherman@berkshireeagle.com@howardherman on Twitter

LENOX» Twelvemonths ago,Kent Lemme and Josh Fla-nagan were involved in abicycle collision that costLemme a shot at repeatingas the Ironman championin the Josh Billings RunA-ground. Sunday afternoon,the two met — safely — atthe finish line.Lemme earned back the

title he last won in 2013,finishing seventh overallin 2 hours, 40 minutes andseven seconds. Flanagan, of

Cohasset, broke his arm inthe aftermath of that earlycrash in Great Barringtonlast year and did not fin-ish. He came back stronglyin 2015, finishing second inthe Ironman and 13th over-all in 2:45.35.“First of all, it’s always

nice to have it go off with-out incident. It’s great to beable to get the ‘W’ as well,”said Lemme.Lemme, who set a Josh

record for winning theIronman in a kayak, fin-ished about five minutesbehind his record time of2:35:23.

Last year, he was in a col-lision where he had to comeback from behind to finishsecond. Flanagan was be-hind the crash last year, butwas collected in it. Flana-gan broke his left arm andafter taking a couple of pad-dle strokes, called it a day.The accident was never

far from Lemme’s mindwhen he got rolling on hisbicycle after the neutralstart.“I usually help create a

big pack because I figureit works to my advantage.This year, my strategy wasto work my butt off on the

bike to make sure the packwasn’t too big,” Lemmesaid. “I did a lot of pulling,especially for an Iron guy. Iwas out in front of that packfor a lot of it. We broke itdown to a managable sizeand it was very comfort-able.”So there was no major

incident at the start, andwhile that was good forLemme, it was better for theIronman runner up.After all, this time, Fla-

nagan got to finish.“ [Another c yc l i s t]

swerved to the left and tookKent out, and I rolled over

him and fell down. I dis-located and broke my el-bow,” said Flanagan, think-ing back to last year. “I putthe [elbow] back in, whichluckily was very easy to do,which was surprising. I wasable to finish the bike a fewminutes behind.“I got into the boat and

I couldn’t paddle. I turnedaround and came rightback in.”Flanagan won the Kayak

Ironman competition inboth 2010 and 2012.“[They were together]

for the whole bike [leg] andmost of the kayak,” said Fla-

nagan. “In the last bit of thekayak, he got 20 feet aheadofme. In the run, he’s gone.”Lemme said the Stock-

bridge Bowl was “choppy,sloppy,” so the kayak legwasn’t easy for him. But heheld the lead coming out ofthe Bowl and ran it home tothe entrance at Tanglewoodfor the win.“[The run] was prob-

ably my weakest leg thisyear,” said Lemme. “I knewI needed to put work inon the other things, and itcame at a cost of not put-ting in as much running asI normally would.

JOSHBILLINGS2015: THE IRONMAN

No trouble this time as Lemme regains titleCollision kept him from successfully defending title in 2014 ; Flanagan, who was involved incident, finishes 2nd Sunday

est-finishingmixed team inJosh history.“It’s great, are you kid-

ding?”Walton said. “It feelsvery different. I was reallythrilled to be on such a spe-cial team. It’s a really greatteam. They’re a great bunchof guys and I was reallythrilled to be asked to be onit. There’s nothing better.”From the time the race

began at 9:30 a.m., it took5 hours 25 minutes for the450th and final registrantto cross the finish line atthe Tanglewood entrance.It was a near-perfect

weather day for the annualevent. There were no seri-ous incidents.The race actually went

off somewhat accordingto the chalk. Phillips andLipka came into the cycling-paddling exchange area onRoute 183 in Stockbridgeeven. Their two boats —Keefe and Walton in a ca-noe and Pigott and Dostalin the kayak — went intothe water pretty close totogether.“We got in the water first.

Almost immediately, theywere gone,” Keefe said atthe finish line. “Today wasa race where we had to dowhat we had to do. We weretrying to win the overallcanoe for the fifth straightyear and the first time as amixed team. That was ourgoal.”When the kayak got to

the exchange point after five

miles, the lead was abouteight minutes. In each ofthe last two years, Pigottand Dostal had given Dow-sett about a two-minute ad-vantage overMonsulick andthe script was flipped giv-ing Allen Heights a healthycushion and the win. Thisyear, while Monsulick cutabout four minutes off themargin, it wasn’t enough.“I did actually,” saidDow-

sett in response to whetherhe was looking over hisshoulder for Monsulick onhis six-mile run. “Last year,he closed a pretty good gapreally fast.“I went out a lot harder

this year. My first twomileswere way faster. Once I gotover the big hill, I cruiseddown. It was pretty slow upthat last hill.”The race also started

slowly thanks to the neu-tral start of the 27.4-milecycling leg. There was an“elite” rider pen at thefront of the runway atthe Great Barrington Air-port, where the 2015 Joshstarted. That group of eliteriders was for U.S. CyclingFederation riders of cate-gory 4 or better, or anyrider with a top-25 finishin last year’s race.Both Lipka and Phillips

were in that “elite” group.“They didn’t have a per-

fect solution” for the start,said Lipka, “but they cameup with the best thing. It’soften a neutral start inraces. Honestly, in the fieldthat Dean and I do, some-times people can be prettycrazy with starting posi-tions, so it can get a little

hectic. It was pretty safe to-day. It was a good start.”Phillips said at the four-

mile mark, the top ridershit the first hill “hard,” andthe race was on. There wasan original group of 20 thatbecame four and then gotwhittled down to Phillipsand Lipka as they coveredthe 27.4 miles.“Josh was just riding

the hills so hard that oneby one, they came off andit was just he and I,” said

Phillips. “We rode togetherto the end. We went fasterriding together than wewould have attacking eachother.”They took turns leading,

and pretty much reachedthe Route 183 handoff loca-tion together.The top five finishers in

Sunday’s race were all fa-miliar names and faces.The Vermont Sports Con-nection team of cyclistKevin Bassett, kayakers

MikeMalley and Clyde Yar-nall and runner Sara Dun-ham took third (2:36:20).The Boss’ Maine-ly Mass-Ive men with cyclist A.J.Piper, canoeists KevinBoss and Nick Lysieuk andrunner Shaun Rumery re-peated in fourth placewhile the Josh Itch team ofcyclist Brian Rabuse, pad-dlers Sue Purdy and KurtKuehnel and runner Ste-phen Foley moved up fromeighth to fifth.

“Obviously, the last cou-ple of years, we were hop-ing to win it. They’ve got areally good team,” said Dos-tal. “We knew it was goingto be a race. We thought ifeverything went smoothly,this year, we should be ableto open enough on the wa-ter to take it.”And with it, a bit of Josh

history.

Contact Howard Hermanat 413-496-6253.

JoshFROMPAGE 1

PHOTOS BY STEPHANIE ZOLLSHAN — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE

Boaters run to the shore to get their kayaks, canoes and paddle boards into the water for the second leg of Sunday’striathlon.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE » BERKSHIREEAGLE.COM | SPORTS | 5C