Kingsley Field Firefighter Claims Triathlon Title in First Klamath Falls Adventure Race

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Dirty Pelican 2018.jpg

Klamath Falls, OR. — Nearly 50 triathletes competed in a new adventure race held Saturday morning at Veterans Park in Klamath Falls, which included nearly 10.5 miles of competition. Clocking an impressive time of one hour, seven minutes and 14 seconds, local Kingsley Field firefighter, Derek Sherrell, won the overall race, coming in nine minutes before the next individual racer.

The Dirty Pelican Bike Paddle Run race brought participants from Southern Oregon and Northern California together in a 5.9-mile mountain biking route along Link River and Moore Park trails, a 1.6-mile paddle along Lake Ewauna and a 2.9-mile run above Moore Park. Participants were invited to race as individuals or teams of three, with an even split of singles to teams and male to female registrants. Awards were presented for top finishers in their respective age groups and as a nod to the organizer, the Pregnancy Hope Center, awards for top mother and father.

Top finishers:

  • Overall: Derek Sherrell

  • Individual Male Under 40: Derek Sherrell, 1:07:14 (Fastest Father)

  • Individual Female Under 40: Kristin Grimes, 1:36:42 (Fastest Mother)

  • Individual Male Over 40: Frank Nelson, 1:16:57

  • Individual Female Over 40: Dena Keppen, 1:48:45

  • Team: Klamath Fire District 1: Wes Kleinjan, Jake Weems, Jeff Quin, 1:15:58

The event also featured title support from Pacific Crest Federal Credit Union and contributions by Holliday Jewelry, Basin Book Trader, Jordan Cove LNG, YMCA, Dutch Bros. Coffee, Lithia of Klamath Falls and Rampage Manufacturing.

Based on the success of this year, the Pregnancy Hope Center plans to make the adventure triathlon an annual event.

“We were so excited that this event was so well received,” said Pregnancy Hope Center executive director, Teri Cline. “The participants were enthusiastic about it and even came from Medford and California for the opportunity to be part of it. The investment that we received from Klamath Falls businesses and the amount of volunteers we had allowed us to dedicate a lot of resources toward making our first year successful. We’re working with racers to learn more about their experience so we can make next year’s race even better.”

For complete event information for the Dirty Pelican Adventure Race, visit www.bikepaddlerunrace.com.

Press release provided from the The Dirty Pelican Adventure Race.

Derrek Sherrell, Overall winner of the Dirty Pelican Adventure Race.

Derrek Sherrell, Overall winner of the Dirty Pelican Adventure Race.