Remembering the Buffalo Trails MultiSport Races

Memorial Day weekend brings back great memories of the Buffalo Trails Multisport Races in Maysville. 

(Full disclosure: I was a member of the race committee and provided live coverage on WFTM radio.)

The races, hosted by the Maysville-Mason County Area Chamber of Commerce, started in 2001 with a duathlon. A triathlon, featuring a half-mile swim in the Ohio River was added in 2005.
Runners and walkers also competed in a 5K.

Athletes from throughout the United States came here for the races and they raved about the city and the race course.

In addition to the river swim, the course featured "Big Hiney Hill" on Tuckahoe Road and the homestretch on top of the levee.

There were dominating performances and multiple wins by Michelle Kitze of Kettering, Ohio and Paducah firefighter Barry Knight. 

Maysville native Allison Poe won the 2007 and 2008 women's triathlons.

We were inspired by amputee Donna Crawford who was raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and Jenn Sommerman who was competing in 50 triathlons in all 50 states to fight ovarian cancer.

Some years the Buffalo Trails Triathlon was the Kentucky qualifying race for the Best of the U.S. Triathlon Series.

Race Director Mark Day, Chamber of Commerce Executive Directors John Carpenter and Vicki Steigleder, the chamber staff, the race committee, city workers, the police and sheriff's departments, sponsors and volunteers pulled it all together. 

From 2001 through 2013, the races were held on the Saturday of  the Memorial Day weekend. The 2014 races were held on September 13. 

Declining participation led to the decision in January of 2015 to stop having the races. 

Six years after the last races, the memories are still vivid.

Husband and wife win Olympic triathlons, Kitze women's Du for 8th time

Ryan Shanahan of Bloomington, Indiana won the Olympic Triathlon in a time of 1:27:17.6 at the 10th Annual Buffalo Trails MultiSport Races in Maysville this morning. Shanahan's wife, Sarah Sanders, won the women's Olympic Triathlon in a time of 1:45:03.8. Shanahan set a new record in the swim with a time of 8:46.2.
Michelle Kitze won the women's Duathlon for the eighth time. Kitze did the bike-run-bike in a time of 1:53:59.2. Kitze is 9-0 in Maysville. She won the triathlon in 2005. The races were delayed 91 minutes because of heavy fog. Other winners include:

Men's Sprint Triathlon
Ian Schweitzer (1:03:56.6)

Women's Sprint Triathlon
Michelle Stopher (1:21:35.6)

Men's Duathlon
Jonathan Atwell (1:38:10.9)

Men's 5K Run
Nathan Hauke (17:19.4)

Women's 5K Run
Kathryn O'Neil (22:02.6)

Here is a link to the It's Race Time website that has complete results.

10th Annual Buffalo Trails MultiSport Races are Saturday

The 10th Annual Buffalo Trails MultiSport Races take place Saturday morning in Maysville. The event includes an olympic triathlon, a sprint triathlon, a duathlon and a 5K run. The olympic triathlon and duathlon both begin at 8 a.m. The water samples were good and the swim is on. Online registration has ended. You can register at French Quarter Inn today from 3 to 8 p.m. and Saturday beginning at 6:30 a.m. WFTM-FM and http://www.soft96.com/ will have live coverage of the races. For more information, visit http://www.buffalotrailsraces.com/

(Edited to note the water tests were good and the swim is on and that online registration has ended)

BuffaloTrails Multisport races May 29

Here is the press release:

The 10th Annual Buffalo Trails Multisport Races will be held Saturday, May 29 in Maysville, Ky. The Duathlon- a 2.45 mile run, 26.1 mile bike and 3.1 mile run-begins at 8 a.m. The Triathlon also begins at 8 a.m. and features a .5 mile swim in the Ohio River, a 26.1 mile bike and a 3.1 mile run. The Sprint Triathlon is a .3 mile swim in the Ohio River, 12 mile bike and 1.5 mile run and begins at approximately 8:15 a.m. The 5K Run covers 3.05 miles and also begins at approximately 8:15 a.m. The run course is through historic downtown Maysville and a residential area in the east end of the city. The bike course includes the downtown area, rolling hills in the country and the challenging “Big Hiney Hill.” The Buffalo Trails Multi-Sport Races feature chip timing and are sanctioned by the USAT.

Register online at www.imathlete.com. More information is available online at www.buffalotrailsraces.com.

May 29 is the date for Buffalo Trails MultiSport Races

May 29 is the date for the 10th Annual Buffalo Trails Multisport Races in Maysville. This year's event will include a triathlon with a nine-tenths of a mile swim, a sprint triathlon with a half-mile swim, a duathlon and a 5K. This year's races have a new online registration service-imAthlete.com and a new timer- It's About Time. Online registration is under way. For more information about the races, visit buffalotrailsraces.com. Below is a highlight video of last year's MidEast Region Club Finals held in Maysville. The video was produced by Jeffrey Huxman of SolTerra Communications®.

Team Toledo wins Mideast Region Club Championship

Club scores from the Buffalo Trails Multisport races last week have been finalized and Team Toledo won the event by 12 points and the series championship by one point. Here are the totals from the Maysville races:

1. Team Toledo 226
2. TriKats 214
3. Ann Arbor Tri Club 173
4. Team Cincy Express 159
5. Circle City Tri Club 119
6. Tri NASTI 92
7. Mideast Team Elite 83
8. Forward Motion 82
9. Bluegrass Tri Club 66
10. ECI Endurance 32
11. Wright Tri Club 25

Mideast Region Club Finals photos

261 registered for Multisport races Saturday

261 athletes have registered for Saturday's multisport races in Maysville. Buffalo Trails Multisport Racing is hosting the Mideast Region Club Finals for the first time. The event includes an International/Olympic Triathlon, an International Distance Duathlon, a Sprint Triathlon, a 5K run/walk and a 10K run/walk. The races begin at 5 p.m. Online registration is closed. On-site registration begins at noon Saturday at French Quarter Inn. You do not have to be a club member to participate. For more information, visit the race website.

Sprint distance triathlon added to Aug. 15 multisport races

There will be something for multisport athletes of all levels August 15 in Maysville. The MidEast Region Club Finals will be held here for the first time. A sprint distance triathlon has been added to the schedule, and a 5K run and a 10K run will be held that evening. Here is the press release:

(Maysville) A sprint distance triathlon has been added the multisport race schedule on August 15 in Maysville, Ky. The MidEast Region Club Finals will be held in Maysville with a duathlon (3.1 mile run, 26.1 mile bike, 6.2 mile run) and a triathlon (.7 mile swim, 26.1 mile bike, 6.2 mile run) beginning at 5 p.m. The sprint distance triathlon (.5 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 3.1. mile) will begin after the duathlon and triathlon. The races are sanctioned by USA Triathlon and feature chip timing. You can register online at http://www.getmeregistered.com/. For more information about the races go to http://www.buffalotrailsraces.com/ or call the Maysville-Mason Co. Area Chamber of Commerce at (606) 564-5534.

Interview with Donna Crawford

Video credit: Robert Roe

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

Swim portion of triathlon cancelled

For the second straight year, the swim portion of the Buffalo Trails Trialthon has been cancelled because of high bacteria levels in the Ohio River. Water samples were taken Thursday and the test results announced today showed bacteria levels too high for a safe swim. The half-mile swim will be replaced by a half-mile run. The triathlon and duathlon begin at 8 a.m. The 5K run begins at 8:30 a.m. You can listen to live coverage of the races on www.soft96.com.

Buffalo Trails Multisport races Saturday

The Buffalo Trails Multisport races are this Saturday in Maysville. The triathlon and duathlon begin at 8 a.m. The 5K run begins at 8:30 a.m. The Maysville Recreation Commission is in charge of the 5K run this year. Donna Crawford, an amputee from Cincinnati, has signed up for the triathlon. WKRC-TV has been following her story as she trains for a triathlon in Philadelphia next month. The Buffalo Trails Triathlon will be Crawford's first triathlon. Here is a link to the WKRC-TV report on Crawford.
For more information about the races, visit http://www.buffalotrailsraces.com/. Here is a list of the former champions of the duathlon and triathlon:

Men's duathlon
2001 Nicholas Ciaccio
2002 Jonathon Hastings
2003 Jonathon Hastings
2004 Jacon Porter
2005 Sean Ion
2006 Ryan Slone
2007 Robert Smith
2008 Greg Howard

Women's duathlon
2001 Jennifer Gibson
2002 Michelle Kitze
2003 Michelle Kitze
2004 Michelle Kitze
2005 Barbara Walker
2006 Michelle Kitze
2007 Michelle Kitze
2008 Michelle Kitze

Men's triathlon
2005 Barry Knight
2006 Barry Knight
2007 Barry Knight
2008 Barry Knight

Women's triathlon
2005 Michelle Kitze
2006 Lisbeth Kenyon
2007 Allison Poe
2008 Allison Poe

Allison Poe 2nd in age group in St. Anthony's Triathlon

Maysville native Allison Poe, the two-time defending champion of the Buffalo Trails Triathlon, finished second in her age group in St. Anthony's Triathlon in St. Petersburg, Fla. last month.
Poe finished the race in a time 1:54:54. The Buffalo Trails Multisport races will be held in Maysville on Saturday, May 23. Here is a link to the race website.

Maysville will host two multi-sport races in 2009

Maysville will host two multi-sport races in 2009. The annual Buffalo Trails multisport races are scheduled May 23, and the Mideast Region Club Series Championship will be held August 15.
It will be the first time the MERCS Championship has been held in Kentucky.
Both dates will feature a duathlon, triathlon and 5K run. The distances will be longer for the MERCS Championship. Race Director Mark Day says the swim will be seventh-tenths of a mile,
the bike will be 25 miles and the final run will be 6.2 miles. The May race consists of a half-mile swim, 22 mile bike and 3.1 mile run. The MERCS Championship will begin at 5 p.m.
Businesses interested in sponsoring the races should contact the Maysville-Mason County Chamber of Commerce. Sponsorships, including the title sponsor, include both races.
Here is a link to the USAT Mideast Region website.

Knight, Poe and Kitze Repeat Winners

Paducah firefigher Barry Knight (above left photo) won the Buffalo Trails Multisport Racing Triathlon for the fourth straight year today. Knight's time was 1:14:54. Maysville native Allison Poe (above right photo) was the women's triathlon winner for the second consecutive year. Her time was 1:26:08. Michelle Kitze of Kettering, Ohio won the women's duathlon (1:45:48) for the third straight year and the sixth time in seven years. Greg Howard of Fort Wayne, Indiana won the duathlon (1:30:22) for the first time. The swim portion of the triathlon was cancelled due to high levels of bacteria in the Ohio River. The swim was replaced by a half-mile run. Robbie Detro of Maysville won the 5K Run in a time of 17:56. Jacinda Thompson of Manchester, Ohio was the female winner of the 5K (24:32). Gabcast! Multi-Sport Racing 2008 #0

No Swim in Triathlon This Year

High levels of bacteria in the Ohio River have forced the cancellation of the swim portion of this year's Buffalo Trails Triathlon. The swim will be replaced by a half-mile run. The triathlon, duathlon and 5K run take place tomorrow morning.

It's Multisport Race Weekend

The Buffalo Trails Multisport Races are Saturday morning in Maysville. The duathlon and triathlon begin at 8 a.m. The 5K run starts at 8:30 a.m. All four defending champions are returning this year:

Barry Knight, Men's Triathlon

Allison Poe, Women's Triathlon

Robert Smith, Men's Duathlon

Michelle Kitze, Women's Duathlon

Knight, a Paducah firefighter, has won all three triathlons. Poe is the only local winner of a race.

Kitze of Kettering, Ohio has won the duathlon five times, including the last two. She won the triathlon in 2005.

Here is a link to the race web site.

Buffalo Trails Multi-Sport Races in Three Weeks

The Buffalo Trails Multi-Sport races are just three weeks away. Here is a press release about the races:

Buffalo Trails Multi-Sport Racing will present three races in Maysville on Saturday, May 24. The races include the 8th Annual Buffalo Trails Duathlon (2.5 mile run, 22 mile bike, 3.05 mile run), the 4th Annual Buffalo Trails Triathlon (.5 mile Ohio River swim, 22 mile bike, 3.05 mile run) and a 5-K Run.
The run course is through historic downtown Maysville and the east end of the city. The bike course includes the downtown area, rolling hills in the country and the challenging "Big Hiney Hill."
The duathlon and triathlon are both USAT sanctioned with an official on site. The duathlon and triathlon begin at 8 am. The 5K Run starts at 8:30 a.m.
A street party is scheduled at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 23 in downtown Maysville featuring live music by The Legends beginning at 7 p.m.
For more information visit www.buffalotrailsraces.com.
All registration is online at www.getmeregistered.com.

Allison Poe 15th in Best of the U.S.

Allison Poe of Maysville finished 15th in the Best of the U.S. Amateur Triathlete Competition Saturday in Winter Haven, Florida. Poe had a time of 2:20:15. She qualified for the national event by winning the Buffalo Trails Triathlon in May.