Smiley wins 2011 Squamish Triathlon

Ryan Smiley's consistency was key as the Vancouver resident powered his way to victory at the 14^th annual Squamish Triathlon on Sunday (July 10).

Smiley posted the third fastest swim time, the second best bike time and the third swiftest run to pick up the win and the $500 cash prize at the event. Smiley was the only participant to break the two hour barrier, finishing the race in 1:59:41.

"I feel good now that it's over," he joked, moments after crossing the finish line. "The course was amazing, it was really well marked but I think I had a slight advantage because it was my third time out here. I knew all the twists and turns."

Smiley was battling with second place finisher Mike Adams for the majority of the race and said he managed to secure the lead partway through the run.

"About halfway through the run I finally caught him," he said. "I slowly reeled him in and kept trying to push on the second lap. Once I finally caught him I just didn't look back."

He managed to defeat Adams by 59 seconds, with Guelph's Mark Linesman in third. Stephen Hastings of Calgary, who Smiley passed to move into second during the bike portion, placed fourth.

Victoria's Sarah Baker was the top female, posting the 11^th fastest time overall and beating out second place Tegan Owens of Calgary by 2:20."Overall I think I had a pretty good day," she said. "Funnily enough the swim felt really good for me and it's usually my weakest part of triathlons."

The top local male was Volker Schneider, who finished ninth overall and dominated on the bike, with the third fastest time of any competitor."I feel ok now that I've recovered," he said. "I'm really happy especially given last week's race that I was able to maintain and race a good race."

Another local who put together a solid race was Tim Moore, who finished 19^th overall. Like Schneider, he made up a lot of ground on the bike, with the 17^th fastest time on two wheels.The top local female was Jenni Chancey, who finished 54^th overall. Chancey excelled in the waters at Alice Lake, with the 16^th fastest swim time of any competitor.For more coverage on the Squamish Triathlon, check out the print edition of The Chief.