Athletes from across the country kicked it into high gear during the second annual Vero Beach Triathlon held at South Beach Park.

Participants endured challengingly choppy waters before running up the wide beach to the parking area and jumping on bikes for the second half of the grueling ordeal. The final leg of the beachside triathlon was a flat-out run, each of the challenges pitting serious athletes against one another and the elements.

Triathletes, ranging in ages from 19 to 70, competed in the Sprint Distance Tri comprised of a 750-meter (.46 mi) swim, 20K (12.4 miles) bike ride and 5K (3.1 miles) run, or the Olympic Distance Tri, which required them to swim 1,500 meters (.93 miles), bike 40K (24.8 miles) and run 10K (6.2 miles). Olympic Aquabike sand Sprint Mixed Relay races were offered as well.

Vero Beach Triathlon founder and race director Walter Harnischfeger said he became a triathlete late in life, explaining that as a swimmer, it was a natural progression once he had more time on his hands.

“I love to swim, and that’s a key element in triathlon,” said Harnischfeger. “Triathlons are the ultimate endurance sport, so it’s a significant challenge.”

He said he wanted to revive triathlons here in Vero Beach, such as the former LLS Conquistadores Sprint Triathlon at Jaycee Park. Judging from the more than 200 participants this year, he seems to have rekindled interest in the sport. He was assisted in the endeavor by Sommer Sports, which managed the race, and the City of Vero Beach Lifeguards, who kept watch over the swimmers.

The overall winner of the Olympic distance was Ramses Rodriguez of Port St. Lucie, who finished with a time of 2:17:16, and the first-place female was Renae Tadrowski of Gainesville with a time of 2:33:45. Sprint distance winners were John and Ashley Reback of Jupiter, at 1:08:31 and 1:23:47, respectively.

For more information, including full race results, visit verobeachtriathlon.com.

Photos provided