Kinsey Loan wins title at Gold Nugget, Alaska’s women’s triathlon

Sheryl Loan thought her daughter Kinsey would be a strong contender to win the 2022 Gold Nugget Triathlon.

A mother’s instinct proved correct on Sunday.

Kinsey won the race with a time of 1 hour, 2 minutes, 39 seconds.

“I thought she might do it,” Sheryl Loan said. “She’s just been super fit this year. She won Bike For Women (earlier this month). I said ‘You’ve won every race you’ve done this season?’ And she said ‘I think so.’ ”

Sheryl Loan, herself a decorated athlete and long one of the state’s top cyclists, said recent training with her daughter gave her a good indication of Kinsey’s potential for success.

“She was running faster,” Sheryl Loan said. “She swam on the swim team when she was in elementary school. Her swim times were definitely good enough to keep her in the mix with the fast ladies. She’s always been a good biker. I can just say that by doing road races with her, she really crushes the races.Of the three, she is the weakest link.

The Loans, both of Eagle River, were one of more than 100 mother-daughter teams that competed in the women’s triathlon.

“If you look at the number of mother-daughter teams, it’s just unbelievable,” Kinsey Loan said. “I just think it’s so cool. I don’t know how many times I’ve done it, but I’ve done it with my mom every year. There are even teams with three generations. I like.”

Like many events and competitions, the 2020 edition of the triathlon has been cancelled. He returned last year with a hybrid event where Kinsey Loan placed fourth and Sheryl Loan won her age group.

Kinsey Loan said his activity schedule is more about being active outdoors than having traditional workout days.

“I didn’t train as much but I played outside a lot,” she said. “Making big days in the mountains with friends is good.”

Training with his mother is a great barometer for his fitness, Kinsey said, and also provides a benchmark for disciplined preparation for a race. Sheryl Loan placed 69th on Sunday.

“She trains all the time and I try to keep up,” Kinsey Loan said.

“It’s nice of him, but as you get older, you feel like you have to stay on top of your game all the time,” Sheryl Loan said. “Otherwise, who knows what kind of downward spiral you’ll get into.”

Katelyn Stearns of Anchorage crossed the finish line at Pena Park in second place in 1:04:03 and former Olympic champion and 2005 Gold Nugget champion Kikkan Randall took fourth place with a time of 1:05 :53.

As Loan took the win, perhaps the biggest celebration of the day took place when Kristina Eaton McAuliffe crossed the finish line in 57th.

Decked out in birthday hats, a group of his friends and sparring partners serenaded McAuliffe with a rendition of happy birthday.

McAuliffe turns 40 next week, but was also only five weeks away from giving birth.

“I tried to stay in shape while pregnant, but today was for fun,” she said. “I met a friend on the course and we got to have fun together and it was really great.”

Among the birthday group were some of the top runners in the state – Amber Stull (3rd), Katie Green (5th), Teresa Ulrich (6th), Jody Barton (12th), Bri Lowen (15th) and Holly Boston (58), who crossed the finish line with McAuliffe.

“The real key was these women, everyone here,” she said. “They were my champions during pregnancy last year and turned 40.”

The band practices regularly and although McAuliffe’s participation was limited during the pregnancy, there are always opportunities for band members to get together.

“It varies,” McAuliffe said. “Everyone follows their own training plan. I was pregnant and postpartum. In fact, I did nothing with them. There is something every day, sometimes two. Whether biking/swimming or swimming/running. It’s just a really cool group of women.

She said most of the group was training to compete in the Ironman Alaska race in Juneau on August 7.

“Almost every one of them is training to compete in Ironman which will be held in Juneau in August,” McAuliffe said. “I was pregnant this year so I bowed out but they were my emotional support. Everyone is here taking care of each other.

For the 39th edition of the race on Sunday, there were nearly 1,300 competitors.

Longtime former Anchorage Daily News sportswriter Beth Bragg kicked off the festivities as the ceremonial starter Sunday morning at Bartlett High School.

Gold Nugget Triathlon

Top 100 graduates

1. Loan Kinsey, Eagle River, 1:02:39; 2. Katelyn Stearns, Anchorage, 1:04:03; 3. Amber Stull, Anchorage, 1:05:28; 4. Kikkan Randall, Anchorage, 1:05:53; 5. Katie Green, Anchorage, 1:05:58; 6. Teresa Ulrich, Anchorage, 1:06:00; 7. Hilary Rea, Anchorage, 1:06:02; 8. Helen Wilson, Eagle River, 1:06:06; 9. Karina Packer, Anchorage, 1:07:08; 10. Sara Miller, Anchorage, 1:07:13; 11. Colleen McGovern, Anchorage, 1:07:33; 12. Jody Barton, Anchorage, 1:08:15; 13. Victoria Summers, Eagle River, 1:08:36; 14. Claire Trujillo, Anchorage, 1:09:12; 15. Bri Lowen, Anchorage, 1:09:12; 16. Kristin Riall, Anchorage, 1:09:46; 17. Heather Helzer, Anchorage, 1:09:49; 18. Morgan Aldridge, Sterling, 1:09:54; 19. Kelcie Ralph, Anchorage, 1:10:00; 20. KC Kent, Girdwood, 1:10:01; 21. Yvonne Jeschke, Anchorage, 1:10:06; 22. Ryann Dorris, Anchorage, 1:10:29; 23. Holly Martinson, Anchorage, 1:11:05; 24. Rosie Conway, Anchorage, 1:11:27; 25. Betsy Lund, Kodiak, 1:11:30; 26. Pamela Schamber, Anchorage, 1:11:31; 27. Sarah Freistone, Anchorage, 1:11:47; 28. Kimberly Spence-Jensen, Anchorage, 1:12:02; 29. Alyse Loran, Anchorage, 1:12:04; 30. Jennifer Schmidt, Anchorage, 1:12:19; 31. Morgan Lash, Anchorage, 1:12:38; 32. Nicki Holmen, Anchorage, 1:12:41; 33. Sara Brubaker, Kodiak, 1:12:52; 34. Ina Kraus, Eagle River, 1:13:03; 35. Melanee Stiassny, Girdwood, 1:13:32; 36. Kristine Percival, Anchorage, 1:13:50; 37. Heather Onders, Anchorage, 1:13:53; 38. Emily Erickson, Anchorage, 1:13:59; 39. Mandy Casurella, Anchorage, 1:14:03; 40. Hailey Robertson, Anchorage, 1:14:24; 41. Jennifer Henderson, Anchorage, 1:14:57; 42. Erika Bennett, Anchorage, 1:15:14; 43. Ivy Eski, Anchorage, 1:15:16; 44. Katie Seybert, Anchorage, 1:15:26; 45. Liane Nagata, Anchorage, 1:15:27; 46. ​​Mia Stiasny, Girdwood, 1:15:30; 47. Katherine Kelly, Anchorage, 1:15:32; 48. Katra Wedeking, Girdwood, 1:15:33; 49. Sarah Bagron, Anchorage, 1:15:39; 50. Kellee Grenier, Wasilla, 1:15:39; 51. Jennifer Armentrout, Anchorage, 1:15:43; 52. Lauren Grippo, Anchorage, 1:15:51; 53. Shannon Perrins, Anchorage, 1:16:03; 54. Destiny Ingram, Eagle River, 1:16:08; 55. Sarah Nicholas, Anchorage, 1:16:16; 56. Holly Boston, Anchorage, 1:16:18; 57. Kristina Eaton McCauliffe, Anchorage, 1:16:18; 58. Jodi Harskamp, ​​Anchorage, 1:17:06; 59. McKinley Wallace, Anchorage, 1:17:10; 60. Suzie Hosmanek, Anchorage, 1:17:19; 61. Emily Sears, Kasilof, 1:17:24; 62. Juliet Benson, Fairbanks, 1:17:24; 63. Megan Neale, Anchorage, 1:17:36; 64. Natasha Dye, Eagle River, 1:17:37; 65. Nancy Spence, Anchorage, 1:17:40; 66. Madison Rosser, Anchorage, 1:17:45 a.m.; 67. Anna Rix, Fairbanks, 1:17:48; 68. Eileen McKean, Anchorage, 1:17:49; 69. Sheryl Loan, Eagle River, 1:18:05; 70. Holly Fisk, Anchorage, 1:18:09; 71. Jaena Tranberg, Anchorage, 1:18:16; 72. Shelly James, Anchorage, 1:18:19; 73. Taylor Ferguson, Anchorage, 1:18:23; 74. Ingrid Reese, Anchorage, 1:18:33; 75. Mikayla Savikko, Anchorage, 1:18:34; 76. Sarah Conkey, Palmer, 1:18:35; 77. Jodi McLaughlin, Anchorage, 1:18:49; 78. Donna Pierce-Wright, Anchorage, 1:18:58; 79. Jacqueline Klecka, Anchorage, 1:19:00; 80. Christina Curtner, Eagle River, 1:19:01; 81. Aviana Sorich, Anchorage, 1:19:12; 82. Sara Cleaver, Anchorage, 1:19:15; 83. Charity Duley, Anchorage, 1:19:25; 84. Maria Cvancara, Anchorage, 1:19:32; 85. Linnea Gray, Eagle River, 1:19:32; 86. Dianne Prince, Anchorage, 1:19:34; 87. Colleen Crum, Wasilla, 1:19:45; 88. Tanya Kirk, Anchorage, 1:19:56; 89. Madelin Lowen, Anchorage, 1:19:59; 90. Alana Lim, Anchorage, 1:20:07; 91. Lauren Smayda, Anchorage, 1:20:12; 92. Lauren Dorris, Anchorage, 1:20:25; 93. Hailee Rahm, Palmer, 1:20:27; 94. Carma Reed, Anchorage, 1:20:30; 95. Melanie Briggs, Anchorage, 1:20:51; 96. Riley Bennett-Vockner, Girdwood, 1:20:52; 97. Hannah Ingrim, Anchorage, 1:20:54; 98. Chelsea Grimstad, Palmer, 1:20:56; 99. Kari Fritzel, Anchorage, 1:20:56; 100. Danielle Stevens, JBER, 1:20:58.