Former IST member records fast swim time By Tyler Roush Ben Collins said he was looking for a wire-to-wire victory in the Issaquah Triathlon. He found it.The 23-year-old Seattle resident was the first competitor out of the water Saturday, June 2, at the seventh annual Issaquah Triathlon at Lake Sammamish State Park. Just a cool 58 minutes, 37 seconds later, he was the first to cross the finish line.
The former Issaquah Swim Team member said he likes to parlay his skills as a swimmer into an early lead in the endurance race.
"I tried to get a lead in the swim and hold it for the rest of the race, and it worked today," he said.
Collins finished the quarter-mile swim in just 6:06. That mark was the fastest recorded during Saturday's race. It was also just the beginning of Collins' dominance.
He transitioned to the 15-mile cycle with ease, completing the second leg of his triathlon in a blistering 34:52 - also the best overall time in that event.
By the time he cruised up to the bike-transfer area at a little after 7:40 a.m., he had already built a sizable lead on the nearest competitor.
His advantage only grew in the 3-mile run. With a mark of 16:11 in the final leg of the event, Collins once again owned the top time of the day.
He had ample time to catch his breath before the second-place finisher, 22-year-old Scott Seamster, crossed the finish in 1:03:39.
Given his performance, it's no surprise Collins doesn't see the Issaquah Triathlon as the biggest race on his schedule.
He's training for the USA Nationals triathlon, which will be held June 30 at Hagg Lake in Oregon.
"This is sort of a tune-up, make sure my transitions are sharp, make sure I feel good on my bike, and the run, and just kind of check my equipment," he said.
But the Issaquah Triathlon is also a homecoming of sorts for the Seattle native - and not just because he was an Issaquah Swim Team member in 2004.
Just two years ago, Issaquah was the site of his very first triathlon.
"This is a special race for me, because it's my first race," Collins said. "It's kind of fun to come back two years later, do the same race and do a lot better."
After his first performance, Collins said there was room for improvement - particularly in the bike portion.
"When I did it before, I'd owned a bike for three days," he said. "So my bike today was a lot faster."
Don Koslowsky, of Sammamish, was among the top local finishers after completing the race in 1:08:06. He said the event offered a rare visual treat.
"Beautiful weather - the lake was warm, this bike course and run course are just beautiful," he said. "It's actually hard to race because you're too busy sightseeing."
Owen Jones, 16, of Medina, had the distinction of being the first teen to finish. He completed the race in 1:12:34.
"My favorite sports are swimming and cycling, so it's just the best of all worlds," he said of the triathlon.
Orcutt wins women's race
Tracy Orcutt won the women's side of the Issaquah Triathlon, but just barely.
Sure, the 40-year-old Seattle resident won a relatively close race against 27-year-old Karolyn Nielsen, winning in 1:10:10, just 27 seconds ahead of Nielsen.
But it was a late registration that nearly left Orcutt frozen out of the field.
"I have a bad habit of signing up late for races - I'm a last-minute signer-upper," Orcutt said.
With the race field already filled two weeks prior to the start, Orcutt had to be wait-listed for the event. When a spot opened up thanks to a cancellation, she was able to register.
"I'm really grateful that I even got in," she said.
Orcutt finished the swim in 8:27, then completed the bike in 41:05, giving her some ground to make up on both Lisa Walker and Cynthia Krass (former IST Masters Swimmer) in the final leg.She was able to catch them both with a time of 18:34 in the run. Krass, 43, of Sammamish, was the top local female finisher. She placed fourth in 1:11:01.
The endurance racer is training for the Ironman Coeur d'Alene Triathlon, which will be held June 24.
She said the Issaquah Triathlon was a good race for her.
"It was a very exciting race this time because there were a lot of fast girls out there, and the lead changed hands a bunch of times," she said. "It was a real race out there."
Reporter Tyler Roush can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or
