Whisky Dick favorites a familiar bunch

This is a test sub headline

Yakima Herald-Republic

Links
Email_black_18  E-mail           Print_black_18  Print            Talk_black_18  Comments
Advertisement

More 'Sports'

  1. Hotshot hoops weekend a family event
  2. Rams up to speed
  3. Star's illness doesn't stop Eisenhower
  4. Davis rallies for OT win
  5. Fajardo gets 31 points; Grandview tops Selah
  6. Wapato makes big lead stand behind Blodgett's 32-point effort
  7. Momentum swings for Yakima Valley
More Stories:   Today's News | This Week

YAKIMA -- Although some of the big, front-of-the-pack regulars in the Whisky Dick Triathlon's storied history aren't expected to be in the lineup this year, Sunday's 26th annual summer test of will and stamina might just look a lot like the 2007 edition.

Eight of the top 14 finishers in the 2007 race are back, including the fourth- through eighth-placers.

Fourth-placer Joshua Fitchitt of Bellevue is an accomplished Ironman triathlete and he's in great racing shape this year, having placed second out of more than 1,000 entrants in last month's Issaquah Triathlon.

The guy who finished behind him in the 2007 Whisky Dick, Ellensburg's Jesse Nye, was a mere 22 at the time -- young by triathlon standards -- and he's rapidly becoming a consistent contender. And Ladd Preppernau, also of Ellensburg, might also challenge after nearly breaking five hours in a half-Ironman race two weeks ago in Lake Stevens.

The reigning female champion, Heidi Hubler of Bonney Lake, is also back. So is perhaps her strongest challenger, Coupeville's Keri Fezzey, who has been a top-four Whisky Dick finisher in two of the last three years.

But if there's an unknown who could surprise the field, race director Vince Nethery thinks it might just be Robert Pritchett, recently hired to join the Central Washington University faculty.

A South African native and a former Division I distance runner at Western Kentucky, Pritchett is fairly new to triathlons.

"But he's a super athlete," Nethery says. "He swims fairly well, he's a very good biker and he goes uphill well, which is going to suit him well on (the Whisky Dick) course.

"And if he's anywhere within breathing distance of whoever's in the lead when he gets off the bike, I don't see anybody running as fast as he can run for almost nine miles."

The race begins at 8:30 a.m. at Vantage with a 1-mile swim in the Columbia River, followed by a 26.4-mile bicycle stage that climbs Whisky Dick Ridge and finishes at Kittitas, and then the closing 8.8-mile run that winds through Ellensburg and finishes at the gates to the Kittitas County Fairgrounds.

 



Commentsicon2
Log in or Register to leave a comment.

Posting Guidelines - Updated Aug. 21 2009
Readers are encouraged to use these forums to discuss issues affecting the Yakima Valley. Debate the ideas presented in stories and other comments, but refrain from personal attacks and offensive remarks aimed at others; e.g., you may call an idea idiotic, but don't say the person is an idiot. The Herald-Republic reserves the right to remove any comment for any reason. Examples include material that is obscene, encourages illegal activity or stereotypes based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs and other factors. Continued violation of these guidelines can lead to suspension or revocation of your ability to post comments. If you believe a comment is inappropriate, you can bring it to our attention by clicking the "report violation" link by each comment. Guidelines revised Aug. 21, 2009.

Registered User?