People test their endurance at the Tongass ToughMan

Wrangell's first-ever Tongass ToughMan triathlon took place last Sunday. Beginning at 6 a.m., participants faced a 1.2-mile (42.5 laps) swim, a 56-mile bike ride, and a 14.5-mile run over Rainbow Falls in a major test of fitness, speed, and endurance. Nick Howell, who helped organize triathlon, said that there were 27 people who entered the competition. Most of these people worked as a team, with one person handling each of the three events. There were six people who signed up individually, and opted to face the entire triathlon themselves. These were Patrick Howell, John and Jamie Bursell, Lance Parker, Jeremy Stolley, and Robbie Rooney.

The individual participants started first, beginning their swim at the community pool at 6 a.m. Sunday morning. John Bursell, of Juneau, was the first one out of the pool and on his bike, for the 56-mile trek around Nemo Loop, but the others were close behind him. The team portion of the triathlon began at 7 a.m.

"Jamie, my wife, I think she saw the Facebook posting and said she was going to do it, and said I needed to do it too," said John. "So we both signed up. We really wanted to support the race. It's the first long-distance triathlon that I know of in Southeast."

In spite of his early lead, John was overtaken by Parker, who was the first person to finish the triathlon. Parker, a guide with Alaska Crossings, came in from the 14.5-mile run at 1:17 p.m., with a total time of 7 hours and 17 minutes. John was right behind him, coming in second place by a single minute.

"He and I saw each other a lot, passed each other a few times during the race," Parker said. "He beat me on the swim, then I passed him halfway through the bike, then he passed me with, like, two miles left to go on the bike. He started before me and then I passed him after the peak of the mountain."

Each leg of the triathlon began and ended around the community gym, next to Wrangell High School. Food, drinks, and medals were waiting for each person as they crossed the finish line. The Tongass ToughMan officially came to an end just before 6 p.m. as Robbie Rooney, a solo competitor, crossed the finish line with a total time of 11 hours and 52 minutes.