HARVEYS LAKE — On her late father’s birthday, Ann Balonis delivered a pretty great present in his memory.
The 53-year-old triathlon veteran managed to put together a gold-medal performance, taking the lead along the run course and holding it right to the finish to win the Women’s Olympic distance race at the Back Mountain Triathlon on Sunday.
Balonis, who finished fourth in the women’s race in the inaugural Back Mountain Triathlon a year ago, saved her best effort for last: after finishing her swim in fifth place, she moved up into second on the bike course and managed to grab the lead for good with a strong run to win the gold.
“Running’s my strength … when I hit the running course, I’m very comfortable,” Balonis said. “I feel great, being over 50 and winning this is an accomplishment.”
After she collected her first-place medal, Balonis noted the significance of winning this race, her first-ever triathlon win, on the birthday of her father, the late Ronald Balonis.
“It’s pretty special,” she said. “It felt like he was here with me.”
Balonis clocked in at the finish line with a time of 2:32.10 seconds, just over a minute ahead of second-place finisher Kelly Adamshick.
Adamshick, in her second straight top-three finish at the Back Mountain Triathlon (in other words, every year of the race’s young existence), took silver with a 2:33.41 time, winning her 40-44 age group for the second straight year. Joanna Bernatowicz took third with a mark of 2:37.09, winning the 25-29 age group.
While Balonis and Adamshick both boast significant experience and triathlon credentials, there were a handful of triathlon first-timers amidst the women’s field on Sunday.
Natalie Shaver didn’t even know how to swim when she first considered getting into triathlon training.
Shaver, 33, figured it out along the way, and put it all together for a finish in 3:14.33, winning her 30-34 age group in the process.
“My husband is a triathlete, when he and I first started dating I watched him win one. … It’s always inspired me,” Shaver said. “I learned (to swim) back in November, I just dove head in.”
Shaver praised the community for showing out, highlighting how much she loved the “race energy.”
“Everyone’s so pumped and supportive, I love it,” she added.
In all likelihood, Shaver probably had Balonis herself cheering her on as she made the final push to the finish line.
Balonis said that she doubled back out to the course to cheer on her fellow triathletes, becoming a part of the race day atmosphere that she loves.
She specifically pointed to men’s Olympic course finisher Ben Lawrence, who Balonis cited as an inspiration behind her entrance into triathlon competition.
“I haven’t seen (Lawrence) in 25-plus years,” Balonis said. “He got me into triathlon.”
Earlier in the week, Balonis was cited by fellow triathlete Kristin Buchholz-Quigley as a source of inspiration, proving that there’s no age cutoff or ceiling for triathletes, that they could do this as long as they want.
Now at the age of 53, Balonis has proved that theory in full, outlasting the field for a Back Mountain Triathlon victory.
She shared some wisdom for the next generation of triathletes.
“If you’re not good at the swim, don’t worry because you’ve got the bike, or vice versa,” Balonis said. “Don’t get hung up on any one particular leg, you’ll get through it.”
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