The popular Charleston Sprint Triathlon Series championship round had already reached its cap when Mark Woody called the race director asking if he would let his wife Christine slip in the race.
The Chapin resident -- a top level triathlete in the state, who, like many, started his tri career with CSTS -- hadn't done one of the sprints since 2005 when he finished second. But he wanted Christine, who started triathlon this year and had a rough second race, finish her season with a newbie-friendly one at James Island County Park.
"I didn't want her to end her season on a bad note," said Mark.
Unfortunately for the other open-elite male triathletes, the director let both Christine and Mark in. And Mark handily beat the field with a time of 56 minutes, 29 seconds -- nearly a minute faster than the second-place finisher. The time was third fastest of the four-race series that concluded Sunday.
For the women, 25-year-old Bridget Campbell of Bluffton won the final race in a time 1:04:19. Campbell, a math teacher at Bluffton High School, competed despite having a major event next weekend at the USA Triathlon Age Group National Championship in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Despite their top finishes Sunday, neither Woody nor Campbell were in the running for the championship of the Charleston Sprint Triathlon Series, which requires competitors to race in at least three of four triathlons. Points are given to the top finishers in each division and the one who finishes with the most points wins his or her respective division.
The winners of the open-elite championship were Adam Martin, 37, of Mount Pleasant, and Tracy Dewitt, 36, of Daniel Island. On Sunday, Martin finished third and Dewitt second.
Martin is considering extending his tri season by participating in the inaugural Long Bay Triathlon on Pawley's Island on Oct. 11.
While a top female triathlete in Charleston for several years, Dewitt has never won the championship, largely because she typically trains for and competes in national competitions. She finished second in the first and fourth races and first in the second race.
"It (winning the CSTS championship) isn't the same as qualifying for the worlds, but it is fun and made it worth racing," said Dewitt.
In all, 362 finished the fourth and final triathlon in the series.
Sunday's results
See complete results on www.charlestontriathlonclub.com.
OPEN-ELITE: Males -- Mark Woody 56:29, Adam Pomerantz 57:26, Adam Martin 57:49, Dawson Cherry 57:58, Brian Fancher 58:34. Females -- Bridget Campbell 1:04:19, Tracy Dewitt 1:05:03, P.L. Fields 1:14:35. MASTERS: Male -- John Peters 1:02:51. Female -- Caroline Sinkler 1:10:49. CLYDESDALE -- Rick Christensen 1:08:02. ATHENA -- Lisa Lockhart 1:25:49. AGE GROUPS (Top male and female only): 15-under -- Ian West 1:04:36. Audrey Scholz 1:26:20. 16-19 -- Thomas Pittman 1:06:17. Catherine Humphries 1:42:46. 20-24 -- David Johannesmeyer 1:02:39. Brittany Crosby 1:13:56. 25-29 -- Stephen Sprinkle 1:00:49. Jamie Touchberry 1:10:30. 30-34 -- Jacob Driggers 1:02:46. Rives Poe 1:06:12. 35-39 -- Trenton Norris 1:00:48. Jennifer Jones 1:11:27. 40-44 -- Robert Teachman 1:02:55. Jane West 1:12:11. 45-49 -- David Quick 1:03:45. Dicksie Johnson 1:16:36. 50-54 -- Steve Stubbs 1:05:01. Jodi Joye 1:12:58. 55-59 -- Kenneth Hangar 1:10:22. Susan Radley 1:24:34. 60-64 -- Rick Widman 1:13:38. Anne Boone 1:21:43. 65-69 -- Keith Douglass 1:15:43. No female. 70-74 -- Donald Blanchard 1:31:05. No female. 75-79 -- William Boulter 1:25:19. No female.