Jun 30, 2002 By Justin Zackal For The 4 min read

Ignorance was indeed bliss for Vinnie Monseau’s strategy. While not knowing the distance from his pursuers, Monseau won the Uniontown Triathlon by posting his personal-best course time of 55:35.

The win marked Monseau’s third consecutive triumph at the 11th annual event held Saturday morning at the Uniontown Area Senior High School.

“That’s the fastest I’ve gone,” Monseau said. “It’s a good thing because those other guys were right there.”

Those other guys – Richard Bostwick and Matt Meehan – were left wondering what might have been had they competed in the same group as Monseau, who finished in an earlier heat.

“I never knew who had the lead,” Bostwick said. “It would have been nice just to see where he was, but I just did the best I could.”

“You are really racing a ghost,” Monseau said. “The time trail setup changes your strategy because you do not see who you are contending with.”

The ghost that Monseau was racing afforded a close victory. Bostwick finished 31 seconds behind Monseau with a time of 56:06, while six-time champion Matt Meehan placed third with a time of 56:57.

“Vinnie got me the past two years, so I figured he had the advantage,” Meehan said. “He ran real well. I don’t know if I’ll ever get (the title) back.”

Monseau, a Morgantown, W.Va., native, surpassed his personal best time by three seconds from when he won his first Uniontown Triathlon in 2000.

“I wanted to improve my time,” Monseau said. “If that time is good enough to win, then that’s great. I couldn’t ask for better.”

Monseau is also fresh off a win at the Rocky Gap Triathlon in Cumberland, Md., on June 8, where he broke the course record.

“I’m hitting my peak,” Monseau said. “I can still get faster; I haven’t hit my plateau yet.”

According to Monseau, he went hard on the 200-yard swim and on the 10.3-mile bicycling course, but it was the 4.25-mile run that made the difference.

“My big push came on the second half of the run,” said the 33-year-old Monseau. “I went hard the whole time.”

Meehan actually had a 1:10 advantage on Monseau after the first two events. But a strong finish by Monseau secured the win.

“He must have crushed my time on the run,” Meehan, an Allison Park native, said. “My time is slipping off a little, but my bike felt great and the run felt good.

“It was a good effort. I feel fortunate to be in the top three.”

Meehan has competed in every Uniontown Triathlon, winning his first of six titles in 1993, and adding two second-place finishes in 2000 and 2001.

Then there is Bostwick, who placed second as a first-time participant and native of North Wildwood, N.J. He learned of the race from long-time friend Joe Carei, who is the proprietor/chef at Caileigh’s Restaurant in Uniontown.

Bostwick was not accustomed to the course, or its hilly terrain.

“This was a little different,” Bostwick said. “I had no idea what was in store, and I wasn’t prepared for the hills.”

Leslie Becki, of Bethel Park, captured first place in the female division with a time of 1:08.13 to finish 24th overall, while Smithfield’s Janet Gates placed second with a time of 1:11.21, and wound up 40th overall.

Relay teams in men’s, mixed, family and business divisions also took part in the triathlon. The Three G’s, consisting of Jacob Gleason, Vincent Genovese and Alex Genovese, won the men’s division with a time of 56:37. Josh Dennis, Bobbi Perry and Brandon Teets formed Team Naples as the mixed division winners completed the course in 1:03.29.

Team Splash (Sandy Onofray, Carly and Jeffrey Harter) won the family division with a time of 1:03.50, while Team Herald-Standard (Steven, Christopher and Aaron Hunchuck) won the business division in 1:26.46.

Participants from the several states competed, while three local tri-athletes won their respective age groups, including Uniontown’s Wendy Craft (women’s 20-24, 1:16.11), Nemacolin’s Kurt Nickels (men’s 35-39, 57:15) and Masontown’s Jerry Solomon (men’s 60 & over, 1:16.38).

A total of 234 tri-athletes took part in the event, as all proceeds benefited the Uniontown Salvation Army Soup Kitchen. Droves of volunteers marked the course, making the triathlon yet another success, according to its organizers, Andy Ferguson and Capt. John Riley.

“It went very well,” Ferguson said. “We couldn’t ask for a better group of people.”