Cynthia Woolbright William Warnekros, 54, of Seattle, leads a pack up the Saratoga Road hill.

�Be nice to visitors” was heard being whispered as Erin Simms recouped from a cold, Challis Stringer fought off the flu, and Curt Gordon, who was racing for the first time since major surgery this winter, said it�s going to be an easy year. A host of other locals gave the old nod that implied they may not have trained as hard as usual.

Well, not everyone heard that cry as even those on the injured list rose to take age-group glory, as well as podium finishes, amongst the field of almost 300 competitors.

It�s one thing to think soft, but our Islanders showed, once again, that they race hard.

Race favorite Peter Oakley of Langley took second overall, after beating Ryan Brown of Richland out of the water but falling behind on the bike and run by several minutes.

Brown and Oakley were matched almost second-by-second last year and finished only 23 seconds apart in 2004, with Brown squeaking out a second-place win just behind last year�s winner Nate Reiss.

A quicker swim time and an almost two-minute lead on the bike gave Brown a comfortable win.

John Mauro of Seattle made great strides between 2004 and 2005.

Taking four minutes off last year�s time, Mauro jumped from finishing 18th to finishing fifth with a time of 1:34:46, just behind almost-local Pedro Guzman, who finished 16 seconds ahead of him.

In age-group finishes, Freeland�s Ryan Peterson, 19, took fourth and Langley�s Christopher Depender, 17, took 10th in the 1-19 men�s age group. They had times of 1:56:43 and 2:24:47, respectively.

Langley�s Brian Brereton, 26, placed 16th with a time of 2:04:27 in the 25-29 men�s age group.

Clinton�s Charley Lewarne, 39, took fifth place in the 35-39 men�s age group with a time of 1:49:37.

The men�s 40-44 age group saw heavy local traffic with Peter Oakley taking first, Frank Jacques, 43, of Langley, taking second with a time of 1:38:53 and Clinton�s Theodore Peterson, 40, placing a close sixth in 1:51:05.

In the men�s 45-49 age group, Curt Gordon placed eighth with a time of 2:01:45, and Rick Hill, 48, also of Clinton, placed 10th with a time of 2:09:05.

Gordon, who has raced in several Ironman competitions, pledged to be a contender again next year. Last year he placed ninth overall with a time of 1:34:19.

Freeland�s Kurt Johnson, who made the top 10 overall, took his age group, men 50-54, with a time of 1:39:48. Bob Thome, 50, of Langley was just behind him, finishing fourth in the age group with a time of 1:47:54.

Freeland�s Nick Tollotson followed in seventh place in 1:56:02, Langley�s Steve Mooney, 51, followed with an age-group eighth-place finish in 1:59:19, Bruce Brereton placed ninth in 2:04:27 and Jean Fankhauser, who shed his triathlon �newbie” title Saturday, took an age-group 10th in 2:05:49.

Frazer Mann, 56, of Clinton took an age-group first in the men�s 55-59 age group, with a time of 1:49:43. Clinton�s John Jacobs, 58, placed fourth in 2:14:57.

The 61-year-old dynamo Blake Willeford of Langley placed first in the 60-98 age group in 1:51:11, while Duke Lebaron, a first-timer to triathlon at the age of 76, took fifth in the age group with a time of 3:03:15. Willeford took 6 minutes off his 2004 finish time.

In the women�s race, there were a few very familiar names in the top four.

Two Bellevue athletes took first and third respectively. Stacia McInnes, 37, won the women�s overall by almost two minutes in 1:41:54, while Liz Strathy, 41, took third in 1:45:15.

Coupeville�s Keri Fezzey, 31, took second in 1:43:07. Clinton�s Challis Stringer, who is also an Ironman triathlete, placed fourth in 1:47:10, five and one-half minutes ahead of Langley�s Erin Simms, who took sixth overall in a time of 1:52:49.

Stringer and Simms are training partners, as is Pam Jacques, who conquered her swim jitters from last year and finished comfortably in 24th place in a time of 2:04:48. No one can blame Jacques for her discomfort in Lone Lake as the Brazilian elodea that plagues the lake was just as thick, if not more, than it has been in past years. She also took first in the women�s 45-49 age group.

Langley�s Patricia Buchanan, 55, placed 12th overall and first in her age group with a time of 1:57:49. Langley�s Linda Irvine, 40, placed 16th overall and fourth in her age group in 2:00:02.

Not new to triathlons is Katie Gordon, 16, of Clinton, who has been racing as part of teams over the past several Whidbey races. Her legs are some of the fastest on the South End. This year Katie raced individually, but alongside her Ironman dad, Curt. She placed 18th overall and first in her age group in 2:01:32.

Langley�s Arlene Taylor, 51, was considered a newbie at this year�s race, but quickly shed that moniker when she placed 31st overall and first in her age group in 2:08:03.

Another veteran triathlete, 17-year-old Dale Freundlich of Clinton, took a minute off last year�s time to finish 36th overall and second in her age group just behind Gordon, in a time of 2:09:17.

Breaking away from team competition, Langley�s Heidi Hammer, 32, jumped into the individual category, finishing 46th overall and 12th in her age group in 2:12:18.

Coupeville�s 23-year-old Randi Schultz, who was new to triathlons this year, placed 73rd overall and sixth in her age group with a time of 2:25:48.

One minute later Janet Hall, 49, of Freeland, took 76th place overeall and fifth in her age group, 50-54, in 2:26:57.

Local inspiration and cancer survivor Kelly Henriot of Clinton finished 81st overall and 13th in her age group in 2:29:56.

Greenbank�s Cathy Formosa, placed 98th overall and 18th in her age group in 2:53:26.

Spectator Megan Scudder, who watched the cyclists from the corner of Keller and Lone Lake roads said she was inspired to train for next year�s triathlon after watching the participants rush past her on their way up the never-ending Lone Lake climb. It�s the second best hill on the course, not to be confused with the .3-mile grunt up Saratoga Road to the crest at Pan Vista and Archwood.

From recovering athletes and cancer survivors and those in treatment, to those people like 24-year-old Cyrus Pohwala, who lost almost 100 pounds while training for Race the Rock and finished 113th overall, or Duke Lebaron who chose to begin training in his 70s for his first endurance race, Whidbey�s Race the Rock continues to bring out a wealth of talent and apparently, a bit of sunshine.

Race Director Dave Hall of South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District said the field was a bit smaller than last year, but the race was still an overall success.

�I think one of the best parts about hosting this race is that I get to hear so many stories from the participants as they register,” Hall said. �There are so many inspirational stories.”

Visit www.swparks.org for more triathlon results.

At press time, results gathered by Perfect Time Events were still unofficial.