The annual Autumn Lake Triathlon was held on August 2, bringing in nearly 200 participants to Autumn Lake Winery for a morning of swimming, biking and running.
There were six races for participants to compete in. All parts of the race began and ended at the winery, perfect for post-celebration drinks and food at the winery.
Triathlon, relay triathlon, aquabike, duathlon, aquathon and 5K run were all the races. Each race honored the top three finishers, as well as the top male and female of each age group, which were measured in five-year increments.
All race finishers received a medal, and all winners received a money belt with the triathlon logo on it. First place winners also received a bottle of wine donated from Autumn Lake Winery.
The following people struck gold in each race: Michael Klein in triathlon; the team We Stop for Dogs in relay triathlon; Ron Marks in aquabike; Dominic McElhinney in duathlon; Kyle Keehn in aquathlon; and Theresa Albertson in 5K run.
Jessie Spindler, who placed first overall female in the aquathon race. She also is JLD co-founder Jim Spindler’s daughter.
Autumn Lake Triathlon has been around since 2017. Back then, it was run by the Williamstown Badgers, a regional triathlon club. Close friends and former triathletes Jim Spindler, Lou Burgese and Dan Seifring were part of the Badgers, and they helped lead races in the area.
Over the last year, the Badgers ended operations. However, around the same time, JLD Event Management and Timing was established. It is a local race business run by the three friends (its name coming from combining their initials) that hosts its own races and provides its services at other races.
This was the first Autumn Lake Triathlon under the leadership of JLD. The team had spent months preparing for the race. Plus, they were setting up at the race-site since the Thursday leading up to the Sunday morning event.
While the organizers put in tremendous effort to make the event possible, it is the athletes who put in admirable effort ahead of their race. As former triathletes themselves, the friends understand how meaningful it is to compete in something you have trained so hard for.
Burgese, the race director, said the race is an annual event for some participants, while it is the very first race for others. Regardless, he said it is “an amazing feeling” to watch everyone come together on race day.
“We want to make it friendly for athletes and something that they’re going to remember, and I think we pulled it off,” he said.
Burgese remembers his first race in 2013. He was 45 years old, and he competed in the Riverwinds Triathlon in West Deptford. Because it was such a sentimental experience for him, he ended up taking over as its race organizer when previous leadership wanted to step away.
Now, JLD oversees the Riverwinds Triathlon, and its April race was one of the business’ first events.
A week after the Autumn Lake Triathlon on August 8, JLD timed the 3rd Annual Tri-State Veterans Memorial Fund 5K in Washington Township, which benefits veterans in the South Jersey area. They will be back in Washington Township on September 13 for the annual HollyDELL 5K.
Athletes went swimming in Autumn Lake on race day, August 2.
