Brooklyn's Popeson wins Phila. Triathlon
Spenser Popeson passed the Art Museum and felt inspired. He got a second wind Sunday in navigating the bike portion of the TriRock Philadelphia Olympic Triathlon.
Spenser Popeson passed the Art Museum and felt inspired. He got a second wind Sunday in navigating the bike portion of the TriRock Philadelphia Olympic Triathlon.
Part of it, he said, was because his new coach stressed bike training and he was prepared. The other part of it was passing the Rocky statue.
"I'd lie if I said I didn't hum the Rocky theme song when I went by," said Popeson, 30, who won the race with a time of 1 hour, 58 minutes, and 54 seconds. J.R. Creekmore of Wilmington was second in 1:59:54.
Cecilia Davis-Hayes, 27, finished as the top female racer in 2:12.21. The course featured a 0.9-mile swim, a 24.8-mile bike race, and a 6.2-mile run along the Schuylkill near Fairmount Park. Shannon Kaplan of Philadelphia was runner-up in 2:17:50.
Popeson said running is his biggest strength. Entering the final leg of the race, he knew he was in second. But with four miles left, Popeson took the lead.
"I felt comfortable, I felt good, and I felt I could win," he said of gaining control of first place.
This was the fifth time Popeson competed in the Philadelphia triathlon. Although he now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., Popeson grew up in Linwood, N.J. and said the Philadelphia triathlon is somewhat his home race.
"A lot of people plan their seasons around this race, so to win it is a huge honor," Popeson said. ". . . It's a little surreal."
Davis-Hayes said the swim is her biggest weakness. She has been running and cycling competitively for the last 10 years. Her triathlon career began only a year ago and she has competed in seven or eight races.
On Sunday, she cut about three minutes off her swimming time, putting her in position to take the lead later on.
"I had a breakthrough swim today," Davis-Hayes said. "It was much better than I ever could have hoped for."
Although she now lives in New York City, Davis-Hayes grew up in Mount Airy and attended Germantown Friends School.
When she finished the swimming portion, she was in fourth place and made key passes in the cycling segment to take the lead.
As Davis-Hayes entered the final discipline, a friend of hers who was watching told her she was in the lead. All she had left to do was hold on down the stretch and first place would be hers.
"My goal was to win," Davis-Hayes said. "So, mission accomplished."