Kitze a winner in Buffalo Trails for the 8th straight year

Michelle Kitze of Kettering, OH (photo) won a Buffalo Trails Multisport race for the 8th straight year Saturday. Kitze won the women's duathlon in a time of 1:55:48. She has won the last four duathlons and seven of the last eight. Kitze won the triathlon in 2005. The 2007 men's duathlon winner, Robert Smith of Huntington, WV, won the triathlon Saturday (1:25:31). Four-time triathlon winner Barry Knight did not return this year. Neither did Allison Poe, the two-time defending champion of the women's triathlon. Julie Knott of Centerville, OH won the women's triathlon (1:41:28). J.D. Pepper of Leslie, MI won the men's duathon (1:42:53). Donna Crawford, an amputee from Cincinnati, completed the triathlon. Crawford is a member of Team in Training which is raising money for the Leukemia Society. The triathlon began with a half-mile run after the half-mile swim was cancelled. Nathan Hauke of Winchester, OH won the 5K run (16:20). Jim Myers of Maysville was second and Eric Taylor of Maysville was fourth. Meredith Gordon of New Albany, OH won the women's 5K (21:47). Maysville will host the 2009 MidEast Region Club Series Championship on August 15.

Photo credit: Tina Curtis