Locals have strong showing at Leadman 2022
Bridget Hojem of Dave Smith Motors awarding a 2022 leadman participant a trophy.
Courtesy photo
KELLOGG — After weeks of unpredictable weather, the sun shined upon those participating in the 2022 Dave Smith GMC Leadman Triathlon this last weekend.
In what is being heralded by organizers as another huge success, Saturday's Leadman clocked in at 281 participants coming from as far away as North Carolina and Alaska, with locals also trying their hand at skiing, biking and running from the top of Kellogg Peak and finishing in the Silver Mountain parking lot.
“We live in a special community with a lot of great people who helped make this a successful race,” said Gus Colburn, Silver Mountain event coordinator. “There were tons of muddy smiles and new friends being made in the gondola village during the after party.”
Four local participants and one team, The Sunnyside Shady Ladies from Kellogg, were among the winners who took home second in the Female Team division. In addition to them, Kelton Enich and Scott Albrethson from Kellogg, Kyla Berendzen of Wardner, and Michelle Castro of Kingston were among the notable local winners.
Enich received second place in the Women’s 16-30 category, with Albrethson taking home third in the Male 28-34 division. Berendzen finished second within the women’s 31-39 division and Castro received second place in the women’s 40+ division.
From Spokane, Billy Morse Jr. regained his King of the Hill title by posting an impressive time of 52:15, which is two minutes better than the next best. Emma Saarel, from Coeur d’Alene, took home Queen of the Hill honors with a time of 1:02:06.
The event was organized by the Kellogg Rotary Club and Silver Mountain Resort, with all profits going toward local community organizations. This year’s beneficiaries include Kellogg Storm Football, Kellogg Class of 2026, Shoshone Medical Center, Silver Valley Cat Wranglers, and Kellogg Girls Basketball. These groups all assisted during the event, as it takes nearly 100 volunteers to staff the 13-mile course.
“We love hosting this event with Kellogg Rotary because we can support local groups while celebrating the mountain lifestyle in our town,” Colburn said. “We are proud to say that over $155,000 has been donated back to the Silver Valley community by this event over the course of its 18-year history.”
Complete results can be found at silvrmt.com. To get involved with Kellogg Rotary, email Sid Armstrong at sarmstrong1739@gmail.com.