5K winner keeps her distance at final Summer Series race

Clearwater resident Briana Whaley, 31, breezed past the competition Friday at the final 5K race of the St. Pete Beach Summer Series, presented by the St. Pete Road Runners.

Whaley crossed the finish line in 18:28, well ahead of Tierra Verde resident Christina Noordstar, who came in second after finishing in 21:31. St. Petersburg's Amy McClenathan (22:02) was third, Palm Harbor's Whit Lasseter (22:06) placed fourth and Melody Janson (22:23) came in fifth among female competitors.

On the men's side, Keith Sawayda, 46 of Clearwater, crossed the finish line in 18:23 to take second. Tampa resident Max del Monte (17:37), 15, was the overall winner. St. Pete Beach's Zach Hoge (19:02) and Pinellas Park's Blake Arnold (19:05) placed fourth and fifth, respectively.

Local age group winners: (M10-14) Sam Chandler, 19:07, St. Petersburg; (F10-14) Mary Margaret Mason, 25:26, Safety Harbor; (M15-19) Hoge; (F15-19) Savannah Dearden, 22:43, St. Petersburg; (M25-29) Jonathan Bell, 28:25, Clearwater; (F25-29) Lasseter; (F30-34) Noordstar; (M35-39) Chris Pyhel, 20:03, Tierra Verde; (F35-39) Rachel Winter, 22:46, St. Pete Beach; (M40-44) Ken O'Day, 20:33, Palm Harbor; (F40-44) Connie Mendoza, 23:16, Madeira Beach; (M45-49) Sawayda; (M45-49) McClenathan; (M50-54) Chris Pedersen, 22:36, St. Petersburg; (F50-54) Deb Robinson, 27:35, St. Petersburg; (F55-59) Vicki Linkovich, 28:44, St. Petersburg; (M60-64) Peter Magee, 24:58, St. Petersburg; (F60-64) Jeanie Fowler, 37:25, St. Petersburg; (F65-69) Annette Frisch, 29:13, St. Petersburg; (M70-74) Joe Burgasser, 21:50, St. Petersburg; (M75 and over) Larry Yost, 32:01, Treasure Island; (F75 and over) Jackie Yost, 55:31, Treasure Island.

Youth triathlon results: The Palm Harbor YMCA hosted the Youth Triathlon Series on Saturday with a number of local participants among the leaders.

The course for ages 5 and 6 covered 25 yards in the water, 1 mile on the bike and a quarter-mile running. Palm Harbor's Ellie Dillard was the top 5-year-old finisher after crossing the line in 8:37.6. Clearwater's Trevor Parks’ time of 6:59 was good enough for a first-place finish among 5-year-old boys, edging Clearwater Beach's Kipp Ciampini (7:17).

The course for 7- to 10-year-olds was slightly more difficult, covering 100 yards in the water, 2 miles on the bike and half a mile running. Local age group winners were (M7) Jackson Mehr, 9:10.3, Clearwater; (F9) Regan Quilty, 16:19.9, St. Petersburg; (M9) Parker Sanderson, 14:44.1, St. Petersburg and (F10) Ashley Ellingham, 15:17, Clearwater.

Ages 11 to 15 years old were presented with a 200-yard swim, 4-mile bike and 1-mile run. The fastest triathletes among Pinellas County residents were: (M11) Trey Smith, 21:48.8, St. Petersburg; (M12) Nathan Cosgray, 22:28.5, Tarpon Springs; (F13) Caroline Condon, 22.33; St. Petersburg; (F14) Sarah Sykes, 21:05.3, Largo; (M14) Cody Sanford, 18:20.4, Clearwater.

The YTS also offered a super sprint division for adults that covered the same distance as the 11- to 15-year-old age group. Bethany Saunders, 16 of Treasure Island, cruised to a first-place finish in 19:53.5. Her nearest competitor was Patricia Hoffman, 59 of Palm Harbor, who finished second in 23:34.4.

In the men's super sprint division, Tom Hoffman, 45 of Palm Harbor was the champion, crossing the line in 21:16.9. Clearwater's Paul Williamson was second (23:10.1).