Women's champion Selene Perez from
Littleton charges toward the finish line
behind Austin Parker of Steamboat Springs

August 30, 2009 (Steamboat Springs, CO) – Having just won his second consecutive Steamboat Triathlon, Denver athlete Matt Smith had plenty he could take pride in. The thing that he was most proud of after finishing the fifth-annual event, however, wasn’t anything he did. It was what his wife, Molly Smith, accomplished

“I’m more proud of her right now,” Matt Smith said.

While Matt Smith won the men’s division of the race, finishing the .75-mile swim, 20-mile bike and 4-mile run across rural Steamboat Springs in 1 hour 32 minutes and 59 seconds, Molly Smith captured her age division for the first time in her five trips to the event, posting a time of 1:53:21 and finishing fifth overall among the women.

“Last year I was in second by six seconds so it’s great to move up,” she said. “Both of us shaved some pretty significant time this year.”

For Matt Smith, the key was consistency. He didn’t record the fastest times for any of the three legs, but managed to be in the top three of all of them.

He came out of the cold and swampy waters of Lake Catamount in second place, had the third fastest time on his bike, and knocked off the run in 24:33 for the second best split.

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