Article reproduced with permission from The Post & Courier and David Quick.
 Story last updated at With the most dominant female triathlete in Charleston out of commission, another has emerged to take all the top awards, so far, this season. Since this spring, Tracy DeWitt, 31, of Daniel Island, has won the Family Circle Cup Triathlon, the Daniel Island Duathlon and both of the Charleston Sprint Tri-athlon Series races to date. She's the odds-on favorite to win this Sunday, but does not plan to compete in the fourth and final sprint on Aug. 15. DeWitt's success comes at a time when Charleston's triathlon powerhouse, Patt Loggins, has been sidelined with nagging sciatic nerve pain for most of the last year and a half. Loggins still managed to win last year's third sprint triathlon for women on July 6, 2003 in a one hour, two minutes and two seconds. The 42-year-old Loggins -- a seven-time Ironman competitor and one of the top local triathletes, male or female, in the past decade -- currently is recovering from a surgery intended to relieve pressure on the nerve but it is still "months off before I can think of doing anything." DeWitt knows how strong Loggins is and admits, "If Patt were competing, I wouldn't be winning." In fact, DeWitt's 1:05-ish finish times in the sprint (.3-mile swim/13-mile bike/5K run) are shy of Loggins, whose times typically ranged from 59 minutes to 1:02. DeWitt started competing in triathlons in Corpus Christi, Texas, about four years ago when her husband Dirk was deployed with the Navy. She says her sudden ascent to the top of the local multi-sport heap is a "new role for me." Like many successful triathletes, DeWitt's primary background is in swimming. She competed for Oakland University near Detroit, but described herself as "a small fish in a big sea" in Oakland's highly successful program. She started running to cross-train for swimming, and after college, quit swimming regularly. Another fortunate stroke for DeWitt is that her husband Dirk, also 31, is athletic, having competed in football, tennis and track, and caught the triathlon bug, too. After he and Tracy moved to Panama Beach, Fla., they had a plethora of events to compete in, including the Gulf Coast Half Ironman in 2001. Since moving to Charleston and having a son in September 2002, the two cooperate in juggling work, training and childcare. Tracy keeps an eye on Quinn while Dirk, who is currently training for Ironman Wisconsin on Sept. 12, puts in his training sessions, and vice versa. He did the same for her while she was getting ready for the Great Floridian Triathlon last summer in Cleremont, Fla., where she finished sixth among females in 11:57.
WHAT'S NEXT? Tracy is debating whether to compete in the USA Triathlon National Age Group Championship on Sept. 18 in Shreveport, La. Both plan to run in next year's Boston Marathon. They qualified at the Lakeshore Marathon in Chicago this spring. Tracy ran a 3:33, and Dirk, who is 6-2 and 185 pounds, ran an amazing 3:04. Tracy says Dirk also edges her out in most triathlons, adding that "the only way I can compete with him is if the swim is a bit long."
COMING UP Today -- Charleston Running Club monthly meeting will be a social, starting from Dunleavy's Pub on Sullivan's Island with a group run at 6:30 p.m. Gather at the pub for food and drink after run. Saturday -- Hampton Park Fun Run Series 5K and 1-mile walk. 8 a.m. $3. 834-1311. Sunday -- Charleston Sprint Triathlon Series, event No. 3. 7:15 p.m. James Island County Park. $45. Registration is 5-7 pm Saturday and 6-6:45 a.m. Sunday at the park. See charlestontriathlonclub.com or call 881-8872. Aug. 5 -- Daniel Island Twilight Fun Run 5K Series, No. 2. 6:30 p.m. $10-15 per race. Late registration will be 5:45-6:15 pm. See actioncarolina.com or call The Extra Mile at 853-9987.
RESULTS The four-mile Isle of Palms Beach Run was held July 24. 210 participated. Complete results at actioncarolina.com: OVERALL: Male -- Hunter Willis 24:00, David Quick 24:02, Huey Inman 24:15. Female -- Meredith Nelson 27:13, Lynne Takac 30:01, Nancy Bride 31:56. AGE GROUPS (top male and female): 12-under -- Ethan Ruckel 31:18. Chloe Lansdale 32:43. 13-17 -- Keenan Miller 24:20. Katie Peralta 39:04. 18-24 -- Will Krebs 29:02. Jennifer Bryson 32:46. 25-29 -- Doug Lake 26:58. Enlush Nagy 35:27. 30-34 -- David Rogers 26:11. Susan Segui 38:58. 35-39 -- Mark Nelson 27:33. Jen Waldron 33:10. 40-44 -- Layton Gwinn 26:48. Anne Parker 32:28. 45-49 -- Robert Sharratt 29:47. Lynne Leroy 33:29. 50-54 -- Rick King 27:16. Sherril Bean 44:09. 55-59 -- Paul Brown 31:35. Ruth Uhlmann 35:55. 60-64 -- Harry Peeples 35:31. Jo Treger 1:16:01. 65-94 -- William Boulter 32:54. Donna Lea Brown 50:12.
The Creekside Kids Triathlon Series race No. 2 was held July 24. Complete results at actioncarolina.com: OVERALL AGES 6-10: Male -- Carne Mather 15:52. Female -- Sandy Bell 18:15. OVERALL AGES 11-14: Male -- Conley Bryan 28:03. Jessica Wood 31:20. AGE GROUPS (Top male/female): Age 6 -- Walter Cole 24:34. No female. Age 7 -- Finn Melko 20:57. Marguerite McClary 24:23. Age 8 -- Bell Dirk 17:38. Carley Walter 20:40. Age 9 -- Lucas Montjoy 19:17. Martha Charles 20:18. Age 10 -- Tanner Wood 16:20. Haley Stone 20:34. Age 11 -- William Rabb 35:45. Marina Davis 35:27. Age 12 -- Wesley Mather 28:39. Age 13 -- Joseph Rutherfod 31:13. Morgan Crouse 42:52.
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