Smith shines at U.S. Championships

Three Sandpoint triathletes fare well at competition

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — For Sandpoint's Jeff Smith, a 26 year-old personal trainer at Coldwater Creek, traveling to Incline Village, Nevada for the XTERRA U.S. Off Road Triathlon Championships was as much about the experience as it was about winning.

"I had no idea what to expect," said Smith, who finished the race in 2:49.15, which placed him first overall in his age category (25-29) and second among all amateur racers. "This is the most beautiful course I've ever raced on and I'm just happy to have been here and experienced this."

Smith was the top amateur for nearly the entire race, before being passed in the last 100 feet and finishing 13 seconds behind Matt Boobar, a 35 year-old from New Hampshire. Smith was 13th overall out of more than 350 racers, from 46 states and eight countries, including many professional racers. The course was both beautiful and demanding, including a 1.5 K swim in 58 degree Lake Tahoe, a 32 K mountain bike ride which climbed 2,500 feet in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and a 10 K trail run.

"I tried my hardest to beat him (Boobar) at the end, but my legs were shot and I just couldn't jump over the last few logs and streams," said Smith, noting his legs cramped for the last three miles of the run and the 7,000 feet elevation proved challenging.

Smith finished the swim in 25.26 (7th fastest out of the water), the bike in 1:43.12 and the run in 40.37. His time qualified him for one of two spots in the World Championships in Maui later this month. He feels he has a shot at being the amateur world champion since the race will be held at sea level, amid hot and humid conditions, which he doesn't mind.

After this season, Smith hopes to get his professional license and race as a pro in XTERRA (off road), Half Ironmans and Olympic Triathlons.

? Grays show well at XTERRA

Sandpoint husband and wife triathletes Trever and Brandyn Gray also had strong showings at the XTERRA U.S. Championships last weekend.

Trever finished the course in 3:18.45, which placed him 13th in his age group (30-34) and 81st overall. Not surprisingly, he had a great swim, coming out of the water in second place among the more than 350 competitors with a time of 24.13. He finished the bike in 1:59.16 and the run in 55.16.

Brandyn finished in 3:39.22, placing her 6th in her age group (25-29) and 150th overall. She also had a strong swim, coming out of the water in 24th place (4th among all women) with a time of 27.22. She finished the bike in 2:18.27 and the run in 53.33.

The Grays will join Jeff Smith later this month at the XTERRA World Championships in Maui, Hawaii. The trio of triathletes, all of whom competed in the Long Bridge Swim and the Dover Bay Triathlon, each excel in the water. All three were in the top 25 swimmers out of the water in Lake Tahoe, a remarkable feat in and of itself and reflective of the swimming Mecca Sandpoint has become.