They tried and tried and tried. And then they tri-ed some more.

The fifth annual Durango Parks and Recreation Triathlon attracted a hearty field of triathletes Saturday for the sprint-distance event headquartered at the Durango Community Recreation Center.

Staged by the Durango Parks and Rec staff and a fleet of volunteers, the triathletes completed a 500-yard swim in the lap pool. Then they embarked on a 13-mile bicycle ride. The triathlon finished with a 5K run.

Nearly 100 individuals and eight teams participated in the 2008 event, heralded by sunny skies and warm temperatures.

Ben Hoffman was the overall winner in 53 minutes, 56 seconds. He also won the male 19-24 category.

Second overall went to Jesse Vondracek (59:09), who won the male 25-29 division.

Blake Voges was third among the men at 1:02:15, just seconds ahead of fourth-place Gerald Geraghty (1:02:17).

Molly Hummel won the women's overall triathlon. She also won the female 19-24 division (1:04:30).

Second among the women went to 40-44 division winner Melissa Maloney (1:09:51).

Priscilla Blevins was third overall in 1:13:23. She also won the female 45-49 category.

Fourth among the women went to Annette MacNiven in 1:14:32, the winner of the women's 50-54 division.

Complete overall results, as provided by the race organizers, appear in the Scoreboard on page 4B.

Split times for the triathlon are available on the Web site of Durango Motorless Transit at www.go-dmt.org.

Splits also are available by calling race director Heidi Schaiberger at 375-7306.

Click here to send an email to the author