Crossing the Finish Line: Triathlon Club Helps High School Athletes

Dan Engelhard has only one concern when it comes to his 20 kids.

"I don’t talk about times, I don’t talk about first, second, third," he said. "Did you cover the distance? That’s all it is. It’s you against you."

Engelhard, from Lake Saint Louis, founded the High School Triathlon Team last year to encourage students who may need an athletic outlet not found at school to get involved in a sport. After starting the program with five students a year ago—including his two sons—he had 20 signed up for Lake Saint Louis Triathlon on Saturday.

Clad in bright orange and black uniforms, the team wasn’t hard to find. Even though some left after rain delayed and eventually cancelled the swimming portion of the event, those uniforms trickled in and out of the exchange area during the cycling and the running circuit—the second and third legs, respectively.

Most of the athletes come from the St. Charles County area, with many in the . Engelhard did convince his nephew from Wildwood and another athlete from Webster Groves to join the group that focuses on the Lake Saint Louis event but has competed in others.

Several did well in their age brackets, though Engelhard stressed that while he’s proud of their accomplishments he’s equally proud of all of those who did their best.  

Lyndsey Kalessa, 12, of O’Fallon, and Amber Heuston, 16, a sophomore at Holt, finished second and third, respectively, amongst girls younger than 17. Casey Borgmann, also of O’Fallon, had the third best time for women 18-24, and Lyndsey’s brother Dylan, a sophomore at , was fourth fastest for boys under 17.

“It was good,” Dylan Kalessa said. “At the start, it wasn’t so good because of the rain delay, but once we got going it was good.”

Following Saturday’s race, there were nothing but smiles as the students finished the race. In part the joy came from finishing the event, but the benefit of doing so as a team added to the fun.

"It’s really cool because I’ll invite one friend . . . and they go and invite other friends and it keeps getting bigger," said Scott Engelhard, a sophomore at .  "We keep our friends and train together and it’s awesome."

Those friends range from 12 to 18 years old. The only requirement that Dan Engelhard has for his athletes is that they try. The squad practices twice a week throughout the year, one night dedicated to running and cycling and the other to swimming.

Saturday marked the final triathlon of the season for the club, which according to Dan Engelhard is the only one in the nation dedicated specifically to school-aged students. Knowing that each one finished the race, despite the rain and in some cases the pain, provided further proof they had all reached the goal.

"When these kids cross the finish line, they can take on the world," he said.  "That was the whole goal."

Race Results

Out of more than 750 entrants in the Lake Saint Louis Triathlon, 482 competitors finished either the long or short course.

The long course consisted of a 24-mile bike course and a 6.2-mile run. (Swimming was canceled due to weather). Out of 207 finishers, 48 were female and 141 were male, and the following athletes posted the fastest times.

Male:

• First place, Mathew Brier, St. Louis, 1:38:52
• Second place, Brian Schoenholz, Lake Saint Louis, 1:42:30
• Third place, Victor Halamicek, St. Charles, 1:42:44
• Fourth place, Mark Hagenhoff, St. Louis, 1:44:44,
• Fifth place, Tim Conway, Webster Groves, 1:49:27

Female:

• First place, Andrea Robertson, St. Charles, 2:00:27
• Second place, Pamela Nitsch, Lake Saint Louis, 2:05:03
• Third place, Erin Hemme, Imperial, 2:05:36
• Fourth place, Julie Reinke, Kirkwood, 2:06:46
• Fifth place, Abbey Sundermeyer, Bridgeton, 2:09:05

The short course consisted of a 12.3-mile bike course and a 2.5-mile run. (Swimming was also canceled.) Of the 175 finishers, 63 were female and 107 were male. Short course winners follow.

Male:

• First place, Matt Hagenhoff, Ballwin, 45:38
• Second place, Rob Thames, 48:15
• Third place, Jason Lind, Dardenne Prairie, 51:03
• Fourth place, Spencer Bankhead, St. Louis, 52:41
• Fifth place, Samuel Bankhead, St. Louis, 53:32

Female:

• First place, Barbara Berndt, Lake Saint Louis, 59:00
• Second place, Margie Martens, O'Fallon, 1:01:03
• Third place, Sherri Schultz, Chesterfield, 1:02:56
• Fourth place, Amy Hirschi, Ava, MO, 1:05:27
• Fifth place, Tiffany Chambers, Wentzville, 1:05:47

The Lake Saint Louis Triathlon is sponsored by the and Recreation and the