ROCKY GAP — Rick Fesler of Carlisle, Pa., built a big lead in the bicycle stage and finished over 11 minutes ahead of his nearest competitor in the international distance race in the 23rd annual YMCA Rocky Gap Triathlon on a humid Saturday morning that also included a short rain shower at Rocky Gap State Park.

The 28-year-old athletic shoe salesman toured the realigned course that included a 0.9 mile swim in Lake Habeeb, a 22-mile bicycle run and a 6.2 mile (10 kilometers) run in a time of 2 hours, 3 minutes and 38 seconds.

Troy Stram of Spring Grove, Pa. and a 20-year-old Penn State University student, was a distant second in 2:14:30. Ian MacFawn, a 17-year-old Allegany High School student from LaVale, who recently won the 1600-meter run in the Maryland Class 1A State High School Track and Field Championship, took third place with a 2:17:50 clocking.

Ian’s older sister Lauryn MacFawn, who won state titles in cross country and track at Allegany, was the top female finisher in the international distance with a time of 2:21:04 that placed her ninth overall.

Taking second place was Mandy Hudson of Sparks in 2:27:16, that was the 15th best time overall. Beth Byron of Morgantown, W.Va., was third in 2:37:23.

In the shorter sprint race Derek Clark of Morgantown, W.Va., scored his first win with a time of 49:54 after finishing second to 10-time winner Dr. Vinnie Monseau in the 2007 and 2008 races. Monseau was not on hand to go after another title.

Cumberland’s Sean Gallagher was second in 51:51, and Wes Boddy of New Creek, W.Va., finished third in 53:54.

Another former Allegany High School standout Loren Winebrenner, who is currently residing in Wellersburg, Pa., won her fourth sprint division title with a time of 55:16, that was good for sixth place overall. The 29-year-old nurse won the international distance race last year.

Taking second place was 20-year-old Laura Harmon of Shippensburg, Pa. in 59:52 that placed her 14th overall. Right behind her for third was Hannah Vernon of Morgantown in 59:52 for 15th overall.

The winning team in the international division was comprised of Tony Yurko (run), Brad Bartlett (bike) and Ryan Kelly (swim).

There were 107 finishers in the international race and 207 finished the sprint race.

Competing at Rocky Gap for the first time, Fesler found the course and conditions to his liking. Fourth coming out the water he took the lead with a fast transition to the bike and then left everyone in the dust as he pulled away.

“It’s funny that I grew up swimming, but I do better on the bike and running and I really like those two parts of the race,” said Fensler, who sells shoes for the Appalachian Running Company. “I took the big lead in the bike and just tried to keep doing the best I could. It is a tough course and rolly like where we train in Carlisle. There was also that big climb in the run that was tough.”

Fensler has had a lot of success in triathlons and won a United State National Triathlon race last year in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Earlier this year he was third in the prestigious American Zofingen that consisted of just biking and running at New Pautz, N.Y.

“That guy was flying,” exclaimed the runner-up Stram, who is a member of the Penn State Triathlon Club Team.

Lauryn MacFawn, a 2008 graduate of Allegany, is training to bounce back from a knee injury that hampered her sophomore season at Syracuse University where she is a member of the cross country and track teams. The 19-year-old runner won All-State honors nine times in high school and was a three-time state cross country champion.

What surprised Lauryn a little on Saturday was the fact that the bicycle run proved to be a bigger key to the victory than running.

“My run time should have been my best since I run cross country, but it was probably my worst,” said the first-time winner. “I really struggled on that hill climb just before the end of the fourth mile and I’m really tired and beat.”

Clark, who was competing at Rocky Gap for the fifth time, took advantage of the absence of Monseau to cruise to the easy win after also building a big lead on the bike.

“The bike is my strongest event and I was able to build about a 20-second lead there and was able to add to it with the run,” said the first-time winner. “The bike run was a little rough because of the wet road from the rain. I didn’t take any chances.”

Clark also attended Frostburg State and works for Dynamic Physical Therapy in Morgantown.

Winebrenner was the second woman out of the water and quickly took the lead in the bike.

“I haven’t been able to train as much this year due to school and that comes first,” said Winebrenner about dropping back down to the shorter distance. “I just went out and tried to go as fast as I could. The bike was a little tough after the rain.”

A 1999 graduate of Allegany, Winebrenner was a member of the state championship teams in softball and cross country and also was a standout in soccer. She was also an accomplished swimmer for the Cumberland Sea Otters.

Back in school after graduating from Frostburg State, the five-time Rocky Gap winner is pursuing a nursing degree at Allegany College of Maryland and will graduate in May. She is employed at the Frostburg Village Nursing Home.

Winebrenner qualified to go to Australia last year with Team USA but could not make the trip due to school. She also won a sprint triathlon last week in Martinsburg, W.Va.