Valley women stay strong in triathlon Big local contingent hits Seattle event

Valley women were strong competitors in the Danskin Women’s Triathlon, held Sunday, Aug. 17, in Seattle.

By Rhett Workman • August 26, 2008 2:57 pm
North Bend athlete Gina Volken comes into the transition area following the bike portion of the Danskin Women’s Triathlon
North Bend athlete Gina Volken comes into the transition area following the bike portion of the Danskin Women’s Triathlon

Valley women were strong competitors in the Danskin Women’s Triathlon, held Sunday, Aug. 17, in Seattle.

A total of 45 athletes from Snoqualmie, North Bend, and Fall City took part, with the North Bend delegation taking up nearly half the contingent.

Leading the way for the Valley contenders, Heidi Riley finished third in the 40-to-44 age division and 24th overall in the entire event with a time of 1:15.45. Riley’s strength was in the bike race portion of the event, as she finished sixth overall in that section.

Right behind Riley in the overall standings was Snoqualmie resident Heather Liati, competing in the 35-to-39 age division. She finished fourth in that division and 25th overall in the entire event with a time of 1:16:03. Liati steadily improved throughout all three portions of the competition, which included a swim, bike race and run.

North Bend’s Jodi Defenbaugh, competing in the 25-to-29 age classification, won that age group and finished 28th overall in the entire competition with a time of 1:17:24. Defenbaugh had a strong run, finishing 40th in that section of the race.