Australian Tim Reed races to overall Vineman crown

Crowds holding neon signs and ringing cowbells cheered as both amateurs and professionals crossed the finish line at the 24th Annual Vineman 70.3 Triathlon, which concluded at Windsor High School on Sunday.

With announcers keeping the stands updated throughout the race, Tim Reed from Australia was the first tri-athlete to cross the finish line - the tape held high over his head.

“I thought a few other guys were going to come up on me,” Reed said as he continued to congratulate his competition as they finished the race, “but at the running turnaround, you get to see where everyone’s at. That’s when I knew.”

Reed finished in the top spot for men’s professionals with a time of 3:47.43 and credited his preparation as key to his success, he said.

“I rode the back part of the course three or four times over the last two years because I saw that as a real opportunity to get away,” he said.

If you can get far enough ahead, Reed added, you continue to up your advantage.

“If you’re out of sight you’re out of mind,” he said. “I figured if they couldn’t see me than they don’t know how hard I’m going.”

On the women’s side, Meredith Kessler completed the three-peat as she crossed the finish line only to run back to her family and friends lining the sides.

“She’s giving high fives and kissing babies,” said the announcer over the loud speaker.

The 36-year-old from San Francisco employed the same strategy as Reed and said that knowing the track is a huge advantage.

“I came up with a couple of friends on the holiday weekend and rode the course,” Kessler said. “That’s the advantage of only living an hour away.”

With so many technical turns throughout the course, Kessler said that being able to ride the course previously gave her an edge over her competitors.

“You’ve got to know when you need to be making a 90-degree turn,” she said.

Kessler will return to San Francisco with the Vineman 70.3 title for the third straight year, as she finished with a time of 4:11.43.

“This is my hometown race,” she said. “I’ve been doing this race for as long as they’ve been offering it and it’s been great. I’m grateful to be victorious the last three years.”

The 2014 women’s champ continued to congratulate the top female racers with a hug as they finished behind her.

“You have the opportunity to see where you’re at in different spots, but the current world champion was in that race,” Kessler explained, “and she’s caught me in this race before so I was doing the math in my head, trying to figure out where I needed to be.”

The course has changed only slightly, said race coordinator Amy Latourette. The running portion is the only part that has changed over the years.

“I guess this year it’s the same, you just go backwards,” she explained with a laugh over the motivational music in the loud speakers.

Kessler has one more race before she - like Reed and many other professionals - buckles down to train for the Iron Man World Championships in Kona, Hawaii in October.

Sunday’s course began with a 1.2-mile swim in the Russian River, continued with a 56-mile bike ride through the vineyards in Alexander Valley and finished with a 13.1-mile run through the halls of Windsor High School and to the finish line.

Over 2,100 athletes competed in the Vineman 70.3, with amateurs and professionals hearing the calls of encouragement and seeing the vivid t-shirts with different team names on them.

Many athletes - including Reed - traveled from Australia or Canada while others traveled up the 101 from different corners of California.

50-year-old John Murphy finished first in his division with a tine of 4:21.23. The Napa native was the first Sonoma County native to cross the finish line.

Words of support were screen-printed onto t-shirts and as seen on one poster board, “Run, fool, run!” and Kessler held true to that mindset, she said.

“It never sets in until I touch the tape,” Kessler laughed. “I just run as hard as I can for as long as I can, until I pop like a champagne cork.”

Find complete Vineman results at vineman.com.