Heppolette claims victory in first-ever Shawanathon

GARDINER, NEW YORK, JUNE 30--The first-ever Shawanathon adventure race proved to be an international affair as two of the top three spots were claimed by foreign-born athletes. After a grueling four-leg race involving 7 miles of kayaking on the Walkill River, 5 miles of cycling, a 4.5-mile run, and a final ten-mile cycle leg, John Heppolette, hailing from New York City by way of Toronto, emerged the victor. Showing remarkable resolve after a harrowing bike crash in Central Park less than one week ago, Heppolette used his leg speed on the uphill 4.5 mile run in the Shawangunks Mountain to take over the lead from eventual runner-up Steve Linaweaver of Oakland, CA, who finished about three minutes back. British born Mark Williams, currently living in Washington, DC, took the final spot on the podium on this pleasantly warm and breezy afternoon.

An unfortunate turn of events on the water took twins Laurel and Rebeccah Wassner, of Hoboken, NJ and New York City respectively, out of medal contention very early on. Choosing to race tandem, the Wassner sisters were tossed into the river after their kayak capsized. Fellow competitor Jordan Erenrich, of New York City, selflessly halted his own race to aid the struggling team. Later dubbed a "hero" by race organizers, Erenrich was able to turn over the capsized boat and get the Wassners back on their way. At that point, however, the top three competitors had a lead of more than 40 minutes going into the run--a gap too large for either female competitor to bridge--shattering any hopes of an overall victory (Rebeccah finished in fourth followed by Laurel, then Erenrich).

Topping the podium to the strains of "Oh, Canada" as his country's flag flew behind him, Heppolette celebrated his victory with a champagne toast, vowing to return next year to defend his title--and his newly-established course record (3:01). "This win was amazing," said an elated Heppolette. "Long live the Shawanathon!"

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