By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
On Aug. 29, two Panora athletes competed in the TRI Clear Lake sprint triathlon. Despite the name, the event was no sprint, as competitors raced through a 500-meter swim, a 20K (12.4 mile) bike ride and a 5K (3.1 mile) run.
Duane Nordquist finished in one hour and 39 minutes, placing fifth in his age group. Sandy Leiferman finished in one hour and 19 minutes, winning her age group, more than five minutes ahead of second place. Both have now qualified for the sprint triathlon national championships, to be held in Des Moines in 2027.
A total of 435 competitors finished the race in Clear Lake.
Duane Nordquist in the male 70-74 group.
Sandy Leiferman competes in the female 55-59 group.