Jaylin Mart, a 16-year-old McMinnville resident, participated in last year’s triathlon. He has been a member of the McMinnville Summer League swim team since 2013.
McMinnville strong Triathlon benefits the community BY LISA SAVAGE
M
att Feno first participated in a triathlon many years ago while living in Texas. “After that first triathlon, I was hooked,” he says. “I traded in my mountain bike for a road bike.” Now, he directs the McMinnville City Triathlon, which attracts triathletes from around the country, as well as local residents. The event benefits nonprofit organizations and groups in McMinnville and Warren County. “It’s challenging to organize an event like this, but it does so much to benefit the community,” Feno, a McMinnville resident, says. Participants swim, cycle and run through Warren County in the sprint-style race. It begins and finishes at McMinnville Parks and Recreation’s Civic Center complex, starting with the 400-meter swim at Gilley Pool. The bike course follows an 18-mile route in the countryside around McMinnville, and the race concludes with a 5K run established in the neighborhoods behind the civic center.
Ben Lomand Connect
GIVING BACK A private company organized a triathlon in McMinnville for many years but charged the city a fee that continued to increase. The city eventually canceled the triathlon and didn’t have one for a few years, Feno says. Some local athletes wanted to bring the triathlon back to McMinnville, so they coordinated the event themselves and donated 100% of the proceeds to various charities and organizations. Now dozens of volunteers work with the coordinators in the revamped triathlon’s eighth year. “All the money raised goes back to the community,” says Paige Northcutt. She serves as co-director with Feno and organizes the swim segment. Bobby Kirby, Freddy Hoover, Jim Carden, Carlene Brown, Sally Pack and Mike Niederhauser also coordinate portions of the triathlon, such as the run, bike ride, volunteers, food and transition areas. The monies raised go to the Food Bank, Families in Crisis, Kids of the Community and similar nonprofit organizations, Northcutt says. The amounts donated might depend on each group’s current needs, she says. Two $1,000 scholarships also go each year to graduating seniors, one male and one female. While participants come from across the
A triathlete from out of town prepares to transfer from cycling to the run in last year’s McMinnville City Triathlon.
nation and from some foreign countries to the USA Triathlon-sanctioned event, there’s also a lot of local participation, Feno says. The results qualify for national rankings because of the event’s affiliation with USAT, which also provides a referee. “We cater it for everybody who wants to participate,” he says. Avid triathletes give the event great reviews, but individuals or teams also participate. “We also advertise it as a beginner-friendly event,” Feno says. “You don’t have to be an athlete to participate. It’s a great opportunity to challenge yourself and achieve fitness on a personal level.” In team participation, one person might swim, while another bikes and a third person completes the run. “We have a lot of local participation because it’s an event that also benefits our community,” he says. The event begins at 8 a.m. on Sept. 7 at the McMinnville Civic Center. For more information or to register, visit www.mcminnvillecitytriathlon.com. You can also follow McMinnville City Triathlon on Facebook.
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