PTRF News Release

Saturday marked the sixth-annual running of the Race for the River Kayakalon at Goose Creek State Park.

The unique sprint triathlon included a 1.5-mile kayak paddle in the Pamlico River, a 15-mile bike ride and three-mile run on trails within the state park. More than 90 individuals participated in the race.

This year, the overall male and female winners were from Greenville. Bert Kelly was the first male participant to cross the finish line in a time of 1:25:56. The overall female winner was Melanie Sartore-Baldwin with a time of 1:38:17.

Three men from East Carolina University’s Adventure Program — Brad Beggs, Eric Gardner and Dave Kindle — recorded a time of 1:25:16 to take the relay team title.

The fastest kayak split in the history of the race was recorded as Greenville’s Scott Mantie completed the 1.5-mile kayak leg in 16:14.

The race, sponsored in part by Greenville Subaru and Edward Jones-Rod Cantrell, continues to grow in popularity by attracting participants from various states. The race was highlighted in Fitness Magazine’s May 2010 issue as a race at a great destination that shouldn’t be missed.

All proceeds from the kayakalon benefit the Pamlico-Tar River Foundation, a nonprofit, grassroots environmental organization with the mission to protect and enhance the Pamlico-Tar River. PTRF is the sponsoring organization for the Pamlico-Tar riverkeeper. It provides community education, advocacy and research concerning the river, estuary and watershed.

For more information about PRTF and its work, visit www.facebook.com/pamlicotar or follow PTRF on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PTRFRiverkeeper.