Worrell excels in ideal conditions

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on August 2, 2014 11:12 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

Competitors couldn't have asked for more ideal conditions during the 29th installment of the Goldsboro Family Y Triathlon on Saturday morning.

Cooler temperatures and low humidity greeted the racers who battled over a half-mile swim, a 20-mile bike ride and three-mile run through picturesque Walnut Creek.

No one seemed to mind the rain.

Or the fog that temporarily hid the buoys on Lake Wackena.

"Today was easy," Goldsboro resident George Worrell said.

Indeed.

A lover of triathlons, Worrell finished the meet in 1 hour, 18 minutes and 16 seconds -- nearly six minutes faster than runner-up Dave Mirra. Havelock's Andrew Dominguez took third in 1:25.50, followed by Justin Little and Goldsboro's Jeff Dukay.

Tiffany Brakefield, a psychologist at Seymour Johnson AFB, emerged as the top female finisher in 1:41.53. Michelle Bingley placed second in 1:47.15, while Jacksonville's Sarah Horn ended up third in 1:50.15.

The Mooring clan captured the team competition in 1:46.46.

But the biggest cheer from the crowd occurred when Goldsboro's Dr. Lee Adams, escorted by the fire trucks, crossed the finish line on his bike. An octogenarian, Adams insisted he waited for the fire trucks to help herald his return.

The long-time triathlon enthusiast competed in the team portion along with Wayne Christian alum Chase Darden and his younger brother, Zach, a standout swimmer at Wayne School of Engineering. Chase handled the run duties, while Zach swam the meet's fastest time of 12:16.

The trio posted a time of 2:28.30.

"I'm going to be OK," smiled Adams.

Goldsboro's C.C. Wilkins jump-started Worrell's career when he was 15 years old. Since then, Worrell has excelled and Saturday was no different.

He logged the fastest time (17:16) in the three-mile run, and ended up second overall behind Darden and Mirra in the swim and bike ride, respectively. Mirra owned a 43-second advantage.

"I love this course ... little longer for a bike (but) flat which is what I train on because obviously I live here. It kind of suits me," said Worrell, who will attend the age-group nationals in Milwaukee next week.

"I'm carrying some pretty good fitness, had a good rhythm which allows you to move pretty good. The conditions were great because it's been a pretty humid, hot summer which is what we've been training in."

Brakefield said she competes in triathlons as a hobby and that she practices for longer races. Like the other competitors, she avoided any critical mistakes on the bike ride and wrapped up a solid performance with a 22-minute, 48-second run.

She even enjoyed the swim.

"Everyone had talked about the swim being really mucky, but it wasn't that bad," laughed Brakefield. "I was expecting the worst. I think everyone ran as hard as they could. The course had minor inclines, but was mostly flat."

A top-16 finisher in each part of the meet, Raleigh's Sam Hopkins placed 12th overall. The 56-year-old has participated in all 29 triathlons and, as usual, marveled at Walnut Creek.

"The course and venue is exceedingly well done, everything about it is ideal in terms of doing a race," Hopkins said. "I do the big races and those are hyper-competitive. I like that, but I also like to come (here), it's friendly with a good sense of competition and it's a good time.

"It's a gem of a race that I wish more people knew about."