More than 400 swimmers, cyclists and runners, braved wet and cold conditions to take part in Sunday’s fifth annual Angels Race Triathlon, starting from Lynchburg’s downtown YMCA.

The sprint triathlon, which supports the Brittani Groover Memorial Scholarship Fund, and the Karla Bolan Memorial Fund, is the second of 16 events in the Virginia Triathlon Series. It features a 300-meter swim at the YMCA pool, a 25-kilometer cycling stage across the James River and out River Road and back, and a 5K run mostly on the Blackwater Creek Trail.

Trey Tanner of Lynchburg completed his fifth Angels Race in memory of his father, L. H. Tanner, Jr., who died unexpectedly in 1996. For the past three years, he has been met by his daughter, Kyleigh, 7, who runs with him hand-in-hand for the final few blocks to the finish line in front of the Community Market.

“I’m always looking forward to seeing her there at the end of the race to help pull me across the finish line,” Tanner said. “She’s one of the angels who are here with us. She really enjoys doing it every year.“

The weather made this year‘s event, a bit more challenging, especially during the cycling stage.

“I froze on the bike, but it was fun,“ said Tanner, who was given the nickname “Tuna“ by race director, Tim Groover, since swimming is his specialty. “I don’t mind the conditions. My body minds it more than my mind does“

At the Sept. 16 Angels Race Triathlon in North Carolina, Tanner will let Kyleigh, also a good swimmer, start the race before doing the cycling leg himself, and allowing his wife, Karen, to complete the tri with the 5K run.

Jefferson Forrest, athletic director, Nancy Claudio entered a relay team with her two older sons.

“It’s a family affair today,“ she said. “My husband (Dominic) is directing traffic on Fifth and Main (streets) and our youngest son, Vincent, is a mile mark checker.“

After Brian, 18, did the swim, Michael, 20, did the cycling stage before Nancy completed the family tri with the 5K run.

“I just told them I’d finish. That’s part of the deal,“ Nancy Claudio said as she waited for Michael’s return to the YMCA transition area. “I’ll probably do more powerwalking than anything.“

Darrell Wargo, who has run a few Double Iron Man triathlons, experienced trouble on the bike of his sprint event due to the wind and rain.

“That’s the worst conditions I’ve ever done a triathlon in. It’s nasty out there,“ said Wargo, who was thankful he didn’t crash. “The rain was coming down so hard, every time you turned, you thought you might go down.“

He ran across the finish line with arms raised triumphantly before heading back to the YMCA to warm back up with a hot tub.

Rainy conditions didn’t put a damper on the spirit of the runners, who were encouraged by dozens of cheering volunteers.

“I thought we’d see a lot of no-shows today with all the rain,”Groover said. “It’s surprising how few we had.“

Triathletes are a rare breed of athlete, accustomed to overcoming and even thriving in adverse conditions. Running in memory of lost loved ones gave many a sense of purpose and determination to finish the race, bad weather, or not.

Brian Wilson ran in memory of his son, Andy, a medic with the Greene County rescue squad who died in action on Feb. 10.

“We got an email from him the day registration closed that said he really needed to be in this event,“ Groover said. “We made a special exception to get him in because that’s what this race is all about.“

Registration was supposed to be limited to 400 triathletes, but 408, signed up to compete with a total of 470 participants, including members of 30 relay teams.

Lindsay Conrad, who graduated from Brookville last spring, was a good friend of Brittany Groover, who died in a car accident in November 2002. She competed in sports with her and both were active in their churches youth group. On Sunday, Conrad didn’t race, but recruited 26 volunteer classmates from Christopher Newport University to help run the event.

Tim groover estimated 160 volunteers were on hand for Sunday’s event, more than three times that of most of the triathlons in the Virginia series.

“It gives people a chance to participate in a meaningful way,” Gruver said, noting mini wanted to give the race a try after lending a helping hand on the sidelines. “People start out as volunteers, and then they see the race and say, ‘I can do that.’“

The triathletes wore timing chips and had staggered starts for the opening 300-meter swim, entering one corner of the YMCAs, 20-meter pool at 15 second intervals. They each swim six full labs, changing lanes after each one, to zigzag down the pool. Triathletes were seeded by how fast their swim times are, giving them the early advantage, but allowing for those who are stronger, cyclists and runners plenty of time to catch up.

The first swimmer started at 8 AM, and the last one didn’t complete their swim until after 10:15 AM, with the final runners crossing the finish line after noon.

James Madison University won the college challenge for the first time last year and repeated as champions on Sunday after Virginia Tech took the title for the event’s first three years.

Justin Stauder, who graduated from JF last year and swam as a freshman at JMU, entered as part of a relay team with fellow Dukes Abe Shearer, and Will Shoemaker, who did the cycling and running legs, respectively. Their team was named Clatsop, a Native American word for dried salmon, though all three were soaking wet when they completed their stages of the triathlon.