Corsello, Loggins take Sprint Triathlon Series
From The Charleston Post and Courier
Tuesday, August 15, 2000
By DAVID QUICK
Of The Post and Courier staff
Running
An Orkin man from Atlanta, a local store owner and a structural engineer were among the top finishers in championship round of the Charleston Triathlon Club's 10th annual Charleston Triathlon Sprint Series on Sunday.
The series, held at James Island County Park, drew about 1,100 participants - some repeat customers - at the four triathlons this summer. Because of the limited capacity of the extremely popular event, nearly 100 others had to be turned away from participating in Sunday's event.
Afterward, race directors Paul and Kathleen King were beaming over how smoothly the series went this year.
Paul, who helped found the triathlon a decade ago, credited the involvement of the community in its continued success, particularly noting the Charleston County Sheriff's Department, the Lowcountry Paddlers, Boy Scout Troop No. 88 and scores of volunteers.
"It's way, way more than an athletic event," said King, noting that it's one of many events which make the Charleston area an enjoyable place to live.
Kathleen was pleased that no one crashed during the bicycling segments the triathlons and that the series benefited from relatively good weather.
The right stuff
As a runner, I'm amazed at the amount of training everyday people put in to be a competitive triathlete. Most of the men and women who take the top spots overall and in age group categories face the same demands of work, family and homes as we all do, but train like Olympians.
What does it take?
Time and motivation are obvious common denominators. Good genes and an athletic upbringing are crucial bases for success. And understanding bosses, mates and families help.
Patt Loggins, the champion of the women's division on Sunday, swims three times a week adding up about seven miles in the water. She bikes six times weekly putting in about 240 miles, along with running five times a week for a total of about 50 miles.
Loggins, 38, participated in the sprint triathlon (.3-mile swim, 12-mile bike, 5K run) because she needed a break in training for an Ironman competition in Florida, which will feature a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run.
She hopes to qualify for "THE IRONMAN" in 2001 in Hawaii, even though she already has participated in the event in 1997, 1998 and 1999.
Beside training, Loggins works six days a week at The Extra Mile, a Charleston running store she co-owns with her husband Mike Loggins. For the couple, training is a shared passion. Mike won the 45-49 age group championship on Sunday.
If a spouse isn't a fellow triathlete, he or she needs to be sympathetic to the athletic cause.
Mens champion Kirk Corsello held his newborn son, Christian, on Sunday as he talked about the challenges of training and work.
Like Loggins, Corsello is an accomplished triathlete, having competed in the Ironman in Hawaii in 1989, 1992 and 1993. He also maintains a rigorous workout schedule while keeping a full-time job instructing Orkin bug zappers in Atlanta.
Beside 40-plus hours at work, a typical week for Corsello includes two swims totaling about 3 miles, four bike rides totaling 200 miles and three runs totaling about 30 miles.
"Every triathlete is an obsessive-compulsive, type A personality," he said, adding one other key element.
Corsello credits his wife Renee, who he met a bicycling race, for being able to spend so much time training. Renee, who looked as fit as her husband, said she doesn't mind one bit.
"I'm fortunate that he would rather work out than stay in bars. I'd rather have a man in shape than one who's out til dawn every night," she said.
Corsello, who comes from a swimming background, said he could drop the running and swimming and concentrate on competitive bicycling, but won't.
"There's a lot of money in cycling, but cyclists have cocky air about them. On the other hand, triathletes are more friendly," he said.
Farewell to Caskie
The ceremonies on Sunday seemed to demonstrate Corsello's point.
Steve Caskie, who finished second on Sunday, received a royal send-off from his fellow triathletes. Caskie, a structural engineer, moved from Charleston to Atlanta - literally right after Sunday's triathlon.
Caskie, 45, routinely beats younger triathletes 15 years younger than him and won the third triathlon in the series this year.
During the ceremonies Sunday, Caskie was called up front and presented with a walking cane. Attached to it was a horn and a water bottle.
He also received a goody bag. To his embarrassment, the bag contained a box of Viagra, some Just For Men hair dye and a box of Metamucil.
Don't count him out, though.
Caskie is training for a national age group qualifier for the U.S. National Triathlon team and vows to return for the triathlon series next year.
Triathlon results
MALE: Overall - Kirk Corsello 57:11, Steve Caskie 57:30, Phil Sturm 58:30, John Barrera 58:45, Mike Kresge 59:21.
Masters - Louis Smith 1:01:15.
Age Group 1-15 - Matthew Schaefer 1:05:17, Nick Daigle 1:24:00. 16-19 - Jake Karn 1:08:26, Noah Lawrence 1:13:59, Dempsey Hyatt 1:15:28. 20-24 - Jonathan Waldenmayer 1:06:38, Daniel Pittman 1:08:10, Jim Gilliland 1:09:39. 25-29 - Christopher Rizzo 1:04:36, Jacob Harper 1:07:21, John Woody 1:10:02. 30-34 - Hugh Myrick 1:01:28, Jerry Rothchild 1:02:13, Eric Parker 1:02:34, Michael Thompson 1:04:00, Cory Fleming 1:05:18. 35-39 - Lance Leopold 1:01:10, Ivo Maia 1:01:52, Stephen Thompson 1:03:09, Mark Buscher 1:03:15, John Peters 1:03:25. 40-44 - Steve Swavely 1:02:23, Rusty Smith 1:02:24, Kenneth Daigle 1:03:06, Jeff Herndon 1:04:58, Steve Stubbs 1:06:05. 45-49 - Michael Loggins 1:03:07, Barry Schneiderman 1:04:17, Billy Griffin 1:10:27. 50-54 - Charles Blackmon 1:07:41, Tom Stevens 1:08:49, Michael Hughes 1:14:23. 55-59 - Richard Weatherford 1:10:21, Neil Jacobs 1:12:11, Jim Nyland 1:17:02. 60-64 - Richard Webster 1:10:38, Floyd Deandrade 1:11:19, Donald Blanchard 1:18:09. 70-99 - William Boulter 1:22:35.
WOMEN: Overall - Patt Loggins 1:01:31, Leslie Shiozawa 1:05:29.
Masters - Janet Thiel 1:08:42.
Age Group 16-19 - Wendy Arnold 1:11:25, Kara Ward 1:31:15. 20-24 - Leigh-Ann Pursifull 1:19:19, Jamie Cross 1:23:07, Abby Lockwood 1:25:10. 25-29 - Nicole Minckler 1:07:40, Kristen Kresge 1:10:53, Jennifer Cole 1:13:15. 30-34 - Gabriele Hauck 1:07:21, Almae Smith 1:07:36, Elizabeth Letourneau 1:12:08. 35-39 - Kim Pawlick 1:08:28, Mary Johnson 1:11:29, Heather Wood 1:11:36. 40-44 - Camille McCardwell 1:23:16, Susan Wilde 1:23:57, Beverly Bayer 1:25:19. 45-49 - Jean Toth 1:10:49, Cheryl Stevens 1:18:54, Christine Case 1:21:52. 50-54 - Claudette Herman 1:31:02. 55-59 - Judy Jacobs 1:47:55, Donna Myer 1:53:53.
Upcoming
• Killer Waves Kids Triathlon: 8 a.m. Saturday in Goose Creek. Call (843) 863-1854 or email bob2runaol.com.
• Isle of Palms Beach Handicap Run: 7:30 p.m. Saturday at The Windjammer, Isle of Palms. Slower runners start first!.
Contact David Quick at 937-5516 or dquick@postandcourier.com
Copyright © 2000 Charleston.Net - All Rights Reserved.