By MCKENZIE CASSIDY, “mailto:mcassidy@breezenewspapers.com”>mcassidy@breezenewspapers.com

Runners, swimmers and cyclists came by track, water and bicycle to Cape Coral’s first Reverse Sprint Triathlon hosted a the Yacht Club.

Early Saturday morning, hundreds of athletes at varying levels of ability participated in the event. From 6:45 until 9 a.m. the athletes ran five kilometers, biked 11.5 kilometers and either swam one-quarter mile or kayaked two miles.

Since this weekend’s race was a “reverse” triathlon, it flipped the traditional order of the events on its face — starting with running, then biking and finishing with swimming.

“This is the first time we’ve done this,” said Mark Hunter, recreation specialist at the Yacht Club. “I’ve done a couple of these up north and wanted a chance for people down here to do this.“

Hunter explained the triathlon was open to everyone regardless of their ages, skill level or athletic ability. In order to accommodate every athlete, for example, the race gave participants the option of either swimming or kayaking the last leg of the race in case some people didn’t feel comfortable swimming out from the dock.

“We had 35 people kayaking who weren’t very comfortable with swimming,” he said.

During the race, athletes went from the Yacht Club as far north as El Dorado Parkway and back, explained Amy McGarry, a Yacht Club assistant.

She explained the average running time for all three events was anywhere from an hour to an hour-and-a-half depending on their athletic ability.

“There were serious athletes and some were just out for fun,” she said. “Some were first timers as young as 11, and some as old as 60.“

The turnout for the race was brought more than 200 people out, with some 160 registering before the race began on Saturday. The entry fee was $45 for an adult and $25 for a child.

Organizers said the day went relatively smoothly, with only one injury. They explained that a younger girl had potentially broken her arm during the running portion of the event, and had to be taken to the hospital.

Larry Black came in first place for the three events, Matt Reedy came in second and Erick Montoya came in third.

Montoya,16, also competed and came in first at the Cape Cops 5K on May 10.

In the co-ed division, the Cape team of Tom Pear, Lori Jones and John Browning took first place.

Pear, who competed in the bike portion of the competition, said he’s been doing triathlons across the state for about a year, but was glad to see one in Cape Coral.

“It was fun to do one in my hometown,” said Pear, a professor at Southwest Florida College. “I’ve gone to Orlando a couple times and Sarasota. I thought it was exciting they finally brought one here.“

At the end of the triathlon, awards were given out for the best times in age categories ranging from 10-14, 15-18, 19-35, 36-55 and older than 55. They also presented awards to the “Fastest Overall” male and female, and relay teams.

Results for the race will be available this week at the 3D Run Shoppe Road Runners Web site at: 3drunners.org.