Donley wins her eighth Gold Nugget Triathlon

Smiles were plentiful Sunday at the 29th Gold Nugget Triathlon at Bartlett High, as athletes and spectators enjoyed warmer, sunnier weather than they were used to, and then welcomed a winner they've gotten quite used to seeing in recent years.
When Shannon Donley cruised across the finish line, she tied the record for most victories in the event, matching Alice Godfred's eight. The win gave Donley her second three-peat, having also completed a trio of wins in 2002. She finished the 500-yard swim, 14-mile bike ride and 5-kilometer run in 1 hour, 5 minutes, 7 seconds.
Donley, 39, said the weather was some of the best she has ever seen for the event, but entering the cool, spring air after completing the initial swim in the Bartlett pool still created a challenge.
"Even on a day like this, I was freezing on the bike," Donley said.
She trailed several racers when she got out of the pool, but Donley pedaled her way to the lead during the biking portion and held off a hard-charging Kikkan Randall on the final run.
Randall, a three-time Olympic nordic skier, was in fourth place when she got off her bike, but overtook Kinsey Loan and Amber Stull during the run on the Glenn Highway bike trail.
Stull was in second place, about 30 seconds behind Donley, when she hit the running trail, and said Randall didn't catch her until the end was near.
"It was less than a mile," she said. "Little stinker."
Randall, the 2005 champion, said she likes the running portion of the race, because it's an out-and-back trail where she can see the runners ahead of her and gauge how fast she needs to go to catch them.
"It pushed me to go faster," she said.
There were 1,540 athletes pushing themselves Sunday, many doing so for the first time, and feeling lucky to have made the list of participants. Due to a new online registration process earlier this year, the event completely filled up in less than 30 minutes.
Sarah Murray, a 30-year-old medical biller, signed up because one of her co-workers thought it would be something fun to experience together, and Murray had a helping hand with the registration process.
"My fabulous husband did it for me," she said.
Murray, who was a swimmer in high school, said she was feeling nervous before her start, in part because she wasn't sure what to expect, but also because her doctor recently told her she was pregnant.
"They said not to be too competitive," she said.
Veronica Vania, 48, entered her first Golden Nugget in 1993, and said one of the best things about the race is the wide range of athletes who can enter and enjoy it. She has raced in the front with the top-seeded athletes and in the back with the casual crowd, and said she always has a good time.
One of Vania's training companions, Martha Marlow, didn't even know how to swim when she decided to start training for the Gold Nugget, more than 10 years ago. This year, the 33 year old turned in her most competitive time, finishing in 1:13:19 and taking 14th place.
Marlow said she was so determined to make sure she got in the Gold Nugget, she used three computers to make sure she beat the rush on registration day.
"It's a group of women celebrating," said Marlow. "It's a positive atmosphere."

Gold Nugget Triathlon
Bartlett High
Sunday's results
Top ten -- 1) Shannon Donley, 1:05:07; 2) Kikkan Randall, 1:05:32; 3) Amber Stull, 1:08:09; 4) Kinsey Loan, 1:08:55; 5) Danell Winn, 1:09:19; 6) Kristi Waythomas, 1:09:19; 7) Larrell Lockard, 1:10:46; 8) Erin Beam, 1:11:34; 9) Natasha Bergt, 1:11:54; 10: Deane Watson, 1:12:13.

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