By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Individual athletes and teams competed for bragging rights and a good cause Saturday in the 5th Annual Adventure on the Creek triathlon.
Contestants started the three-part race near Del Rio Rotary Park, just off the intersection of Barron and Cisneros Streets, at 8:30 a.m. Saturday.
The bright, clear morning, with temperatures hovering in the mid-50s, was perfect for outdoor activity.
Racers began with the cycling leg of the contest, biking 6.5 miles through the pecan tree-lined streets of south Del Rio. The second leg was done on foot, a 2.75-mile run. The competition finished with a 1.25-mile kayak course on the San Felipe Creek.
during Saturday’s Adventure on the Creek Triathlon. (Contributed photo/Debbie Nieto)
Two three-person teams finished first and second overall, with an individual finishing third overall.
The top three overall results were as follows: Mueller Textile, first, with a time of 55:07.295; Los 3 Amigos, second, with a time of 57:47.967; Jesus Ordaz, third, with a time of 58:06.963.
Ordaz, owner of Del Rio’s Zen Bikes, was the top finisher in the individual category.
Robert Zapata finished second, with a time of 1:06:36.610, and Jesus Rocha was third, with a time of 1:07:23.209.
Jaqueline Bueno was the top female contestant, finishing fourth overall among individual competitors with a time of 1:11:32.212.
Contestants also vied for top placement in their age categories.
Leading the men in the 20-29 age group was Eloy Chavez, with a time of 1:19:35.751. Amanda Underhill placed first among women in the 20-29 age group, with a time of 1:17:41.664.
First place in the 30-39 age group/men was Ordaz, the overall
Triathlon Saturday set off on the cycling leg of the race on Saturday morning.
Contestants cycled a 6.5-mile course and ran 2.75 miles in downtown Del Rio, then
kayaked 1.25 miles on the San Felipe Creek. (Photo by Karen Gleason)
individual winner. Second place went to Zapata, who also placed second overall among individual competitors. Joseluis Renteria came in third in the division with a time of 1:21:34.892.
Bueno, who led the individual female contestants overall, also took home top honors for the 30-39 age group/women. Second in the division was Brooke Flores, with a time of 1:25:49.905. Lorena Rodriguez was third with a time of 1:33:36.154.
Rocha, who placed third overall, was the winner of the 40-49/men division. Second in the division was Frankie Soto, with a time of 1:18:00.625. Robert Cardenas was third, with a time of 1:28:37.254.
Aidee De Blas Contreras won the 40-49/women division, with a time of 1:16:38.341. Yaira Spelman was second, with a time of 1:20:48.254. Third in the division was Carolina Cardenas, with a time of 1:33:08.937.
The top finisher in the 50-59/men division was Jesse Chavez, with a time of 1:14:07.356. Ricardo Guajardo finished second in the division, with a time of 1:16:27.953. Al Trevino was third, with a time of 2:01:33.035.
Francisca Canizales topped the 50-59/women division, with a time of 1:22:00.470. Second place in the division went to Ana Sanchez, with a time of 1:32:51.241. Rebecca Cardenas finished third, with a time of 1:42:25.170.
Joe Cortinas placed first in the 60 & older/men age group, finishing with a time of 1:26:38.341.
The overall top three teams competing in this year’s Adventure on the Creek were Mueller Textile, captained by Caleb Perez, competing in the Business Relay division. Mueller Textile finished the race in 55:07.295.
Second overall team was Los 3 Amigos, captained by Arnulfo Ramirez. Los 3 Amigos completed the race in 57:47.967.
The third place team overall was GOERO-1, captained by Daniel Dominguez. GOERO-1 finished the race in 59:23.832.
The top three teams in the School Relay Division were Heritage Strong, captained by Carol Mireles, finishing with a time of 1:06:48.960; Memorial Monsters, captained by Erin De Luna, finishing with a time of 1:08:50.311; and Tri Baby Tri, captained by Jose Limon, with a time of 1:13:18.220.
Los 3 Amigos also captured first place in the Team/Male Relay Division. Creekers, captained by Tim Byrne, took second in the division with a time of 59:46.456, and Buena Vista Dads, captained by Adrian Vargas, came in third with a time of 1:03:49.364.
SFE-2, captained by Cristela Atilano, took first-place honors in the Team/Female Relay Division, with a time of 1:16:00.891. Sanchez Construction, captained by Cristian Muzquiz, took second in the division, with a time of 1:27:41.061, and SFE-1, captained by Celeste Lopez, took third, with a time of 1:44:40.259.
Worst Pace Scenario, captained by Mark Dotson, took top honors in the Team/CoEd Relay Division, with a time of 1:03:26.158.
Mueller Textile, the overall winning team, also took top honors in the Team/Business Relay Division, with GOERO-1, which took third place overall, coming in second in this division. Third place went to Amistad Heating & AC-1, captained by Hector Pineda, with a time of 1:01:13.729.
Tri Baby Tri, third-place finishers in the overall School Relay Division, took first place in Team/School Relay Division (Elementary), with Buena Vista Elementary, captained by Lauren Bradford, placing second with a time of 1:13:43.729, and Kodiak Crew, captained by Lee Jenkins, coming in third with a time of 1:16:10.957.
Heritage Strong, which won the overall School Relay Division, also took top honors in Team/School Relay Division (Secondary), with Memorial Monsters, which finished second in School Relay overall, coming in second. Placing third was Garfield Champions, captained by Jorge Jurado, with a time of 1:13:52.540.
The Wings and Rings Future Aggies team, captained by Eddie Amezcua III, took home top honors in the Team/Male Student Division, with a time of 1:30:33.247.
Team G.E.M., captained by Elia Gonzalez, won the Team/CoEd Student Division, with a time of 1:21:30.121.
The Adventure on the Creek event raises funds for the San Felipe Del Rio CISD Education Foundation, an organization that gives away some $50,000 each year to local teachers and counselors for original projects.
Eddie Amezcua Jr., education foundation president, explained further: “I like to think of it as a booster club for teachers. They come up with projects for their students that are innovative and outside-the-box, and then they write grant proposals for those projects.
“Each year the pool of applicants gets bigger and bigger, and we can’t wait to see what the next idea is, the next grant that we’re going to say ‘yes’ to,” Amezcua added.
He said the Adventure on the Creek triathlon is one of two fundraising events the organizations holds every year. The other is a “Dinner on the Creek” event that typically takes place in April.
Amezcua said he was pleased with this year’s turnout, in spite of the fact the ongoing federal government shutdown prevented participation by teams from Laughlin Air Force Base and federal law enforcement agencies.
“We saw a lot of healthy competition between our local schools this year. It was great to see them not only competing against each other, but really supporting each other, too,” Amezcua said.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
