Results/Photos

Date: July 25, 2026 Participant: Vern Draney #3083 Race: 2026 Spudman Olympic Triathlon Event: Olympic Triathlon Weather: Hot, but otherwise a great day for a triathlon.

Strong Bike Splits Power a Hard-Fought Olympic Finish Vern Draney completed the 2026 Spudman Olympic Triathlon in 3:42:12, placing 1170th overall out of 1987 finishers and 33rd in the competitive 55-59 age group. His swim through the Snake River current was steady, and his transitions were crisp, setting up a bike leg where he found real strengthreaching speeds that pushed his overall average to roughly 15.4 mph, with mid-course segments dipping as low as 3:31 and 3:40 per mile and briefly vaulting him into the top 300 overall. The run told a different story, as his pace slipped from an early 13:06 mile split to over 15:00 per mile in the final miles. Compared to his 2024 (3:09:12) and 2025 (3:14:13) Spudman finishes, this year's overall time was slower, pointing to run endurance as the clearest area to sharpen before returning to Burley's potato-fueled start line.