Bill Whitman finishes the 750-meter swim leg of his sprint triathlon this month in Vermont. Photo courtesy of Bill Whitman

Idyllwild resident Bill Whitman competed in the 2012 USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships on Aug. 19. He did very well.

 

Whitman finished sixth against 70 men in his division and 73rd out of a total of 1,024 competitors.

In the Sprint division, he swam 750 meters, rode a bike for 20 kilometers and then ran 5 kilometers. His overall time was one hour, five minutes and 19 seconds.

“By far the most competitive race I’ve been in all year,” Whitman wrote in an email to the Town Crier. “Only 14 seconds separated fourth through ninth place.”

The event was in Burlington, Vt.

Whitman has long been a member of Team USA. But he maintains his racing form each year. In June, he finished first in his age group at the Ventura Breath of Life Sprint, in which he was also ninth overall.

A month later, in July, he finished third in his age group and 30th overall (out of more than 1,000 competitors).