Hundreds try their luck at 10th Annual OC Triathlon-Duathlon

George Serbia competes in the bike portion of the OC Triathlon in Mission Viejo on Sunday, June 4, 2017. Photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer
Julie Swail Ertel of Irvine, who competed in the 2008 summer Olympics as a triathlete, and who was on the women’s Olympic water polo team in 2000, is the first woman out of the water as she competes in the annual OC Triathlon in Mission Viejo on Sunday, June 4, 2017. Photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer
Men in the 50-and-over category enter the water of Lake Mission Viejo as they begin the OC Triathlon on Sunday morning, June 4, 2017. Photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer
Athletes in the Males 19-39 swim in Lake Mission Viejo during the first leg of the annual the OC Triathlon on Sunday, June 4, 2017. Photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer
Brad Hibbard takes a deep breath as he stands up and nears the shore of Lake Mission Viejo after completing the swim portion of the OC Triathlon, in 3rd place, on Sunday morning, June 4, 2017. Photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer
Athletes compete in the bike portion of the OC Triathlon in Mission Viejo on Sunday, June 4, 2017. Photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer
Athletes in the Males 19-39 enter the water at Lake Mission Viejo for the OC Triathlon on Sunday, June 4, 2017. Photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer
Kris Guilfoyle competes in the bike portion of the OC Triathlon in Mission Viejo on Sunday, June 4, 2017. Photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer
Men in the 50-and-over category enter the water of Lake Mission Viejo as they begin the OC Triathlon on Sunday morning, June 4, 2017. Photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer
Hundreds of athletes make their way through 1.5 kilometers of Lake Mission Viejo during the swim portion of the OC Triathlon on Sunday morning, June 4, 2017. Photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer
Athletes mount their bikes as they ride away from Lake Mission Viejo for the 2nd stage of the OC Triathlon on Sunday morning, June 4, 2017. Photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer
Athletes in various categories near the shore of Lake Mission Viejo after completing a 1.5-kilometer swim during the first leg of the OC Triathlon at Lake Mission Viejo on Sunday, June 4, 2017. (Photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Athletes gather at the shore of Lake Mission Viejo before the start of the annual OC Triathlon-Duathlon on Sunday morning, June 4, 2017. Photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer
Athletes in various categories near the shore of Lake Mission Viejo after completing a 1.5-kilometer swim during the 1st leg of the OC Triathlon at Lake Mission Viejo on Sunday, June 4, 2017. Photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer
Athletes prepare their bikes and other gear in the parking lot at Lake Mission Viejo before the start of the annual OC Triathlon-Duathlon on Sunday morning, June 4, 2017. Photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer
Athletes in various categories near the shore of Lake Mission Viejo after completing a 1.5-kilometer swim during the 1st leg of the OC Triathlon at Lake Mission Viejo on Sunday, June 4, 2017. Photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer
Brodie Mckay clicks his stopwatch as he mounts his bike and begins the 2nd leg of the OC Triathlon on Sunday, June 4, 2017. Photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer
Athletes strip off their wetsuits and strap on their bike shoes for the start of the 2nd leg of the OC Triathlon on Sunday, June 4, 2017. Photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer
Women ages 19-49 sprint toward the water as they begin the annual OC Triathlon on the shore of Lake Mission Viejo on Sunday, June 4, 2017. Photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer
Men in the 40-54 year-old category enter the water at the edge of Lake Mission Viejo on Sunday, June 4, 2017 for the start of the OC Triathlon. Photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer
Dylan McNeice, an elite competitor in the Olympic Charity Challenge category, is the first athlete out of the water as he begins to remove his wetsuit for the bike potion of the OC Triathlon on Sunday, June 4, 2017. Photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer
Ryan Fiege competes in the bike portion of the OC Triathlon in Mission Viejo on Sunday, June 4, 2017. Photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer
Men in the 50-and-over category sprint toward the water of Lake Mission Viejo as they begin the OC Triathlon on Sunday morning, June 4, 2017. Photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer
Men in the 40-54 year-old category enter the water at the edge of Lake Mission Viejo on Sunday, June 4, 2017 for the start of the OC Triathlon. Photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer
Athletes in various categories near the shore of Lake Mission Viejo after completing a 1.5-kilometer swim during the 1st leg of the OC Triathlon at Lake Mission Viejo on Sunday, June 4, 2017. Photo By Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer

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MISSION VIEJO A grand total of 661 participants tried their hands – and legs – at the 10th Annual OC Triathlon-Duathlon last weekend at Lake Mission Viejo, raising $11,000 for the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s in the process.

Officials said more donations will be accounted for and sent to the Davis Phinney Foundation at the end of next week.

Of the participants who signed up for the annual event, 553 finished their respective races, which included the triathlon, duathlon, tri-male relay, tri-female relay, tri-coed relay and the charity challenge relay.

Alexander Romanenko, 21, of Aliso Viejo, took the top spot among all competitors in the triathlon with an overall time of 1:56:36, 44 seconds faster than Dylan McNeice, 32, who finished second at 1:57:20 in the Elite Men’s Division.

Stefanie Cullingford’s time of 2:17:12 was best among female competitors. The 29-year old from Lake Elsinore beat out Kylie Chevalier – competing in the Elite Women’s division – by more than three minutes.

Former Olympians Michellie Jones, Julie Ertel and Joanna Zeiger teamed up for the Charity Challenge Relay, each completing one leg of the course. Ertel completed the swim, while Jones completed the bicycle portion and Zeigler finished it off with the run. They finished in 2:10:54.

Ertel and Jones earned silver medals in the 2000 Olympic Games – Ertel with the water polo team and Jones – an Australian – in the Triathlon. Zeiger finished fourth in the Triathlon in 2000 and is a seven-time Olympic Trials qualifier in marathon, triathlon and swimming.

Not all competitors had reached the finish line before the roads were reopened to traffic, Sunday, but that didn’t mean all the competitors gave up on the course.

Bike and run coordinators with the event continued to monitor the progress of two male competitors from Bakersfield – Gregory Heyart, 60, and Abdul Alas, 41 – who were determined to finish the race. Officials said they were able to rally the troops specifically for the final two competitors to allow them a finish line atmosphere back at Lake Mission Viejo where they earned their medals.

The course started with a swim in Lake Mission Viejo, followed by a bicycle ride up Santiago Canyon Road and back before a six-mile run took competitors along the Aliso Creek trail and El Toro Road before cutting back in through North Mission Viejo neighborhoods to get back to the lake for the finish.

Hundreds try their luck at 10th Annual OC Triathlon-Duathlon

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