Admiral's Cup gives everyone a chance

Even before they got in the water, Admiral’s Cup triathletes Hillary and Brent McLoughlin of Camarillo knew they’d have some tough competition:

Dolphins were swimming near the shore.

“Actually, I don’t think we’ve ever had a race where there were no dolphins,” said Kent Blankenship, who, as the outgoing athletics director of Morale, Welfare and Recreation, was organizing his last events at Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) with the June 5 Admiral’s Cup and Armed Forces Triathlon.

He ended on a high note.

“We had a great turnout for the Admiral’s Cup,” said Capt. Jim McHugh, commanding officer, NBVC. The morning was overcast and the ocean was a cool 56 degrees.

“I love this course,” said Brianna Blanchard of Agoura, who came in first among the women with a time of 57:20. “The weather is always great, and I love all the fans. I like a flat, fast course, and this is perfect.”

Finishing first among the men was Christopher Baird of Westlake Village with a time of 50:24. He runs track and field for the University of Pennsylvania, where he attends the Wharton School of Business.

Blanchard, too, is a business major, having just completed her undergraduate work at Pepperdine University. Both hope to become professional athletes.

“I’ll just have to see how far I can go,” Blanchard said.

One who has gone a long way on the amateur circuit is Peggy McDowell-Cramer. She started competing in triathlons in 1992, when she was 51 years old. Now 69, she still competes in about nine a year, but the Admiral’s Cup, she says, is a priority.

“I feel really safe here,” she said of the base. “I’m not afraid someone will jump out. It’s a wonderful environment.”

Also competing in the Admiral’s Cup was Robert Sumpter, a 61-year-old Vietnam veteran from Oxnard.

“This is his third year of triathlons,” said his wife, Mary, as she patiently waited for him near the finish line. “He does about half a dozen a year.”

Sumpter was the last one out of the ocean for the first leg of the triathlon, and lifeguards in kayaks and on boards had formed a semi-circle around him, encouraging him on. The night manager of the Warfield Gym, Miguel Fernandez, walked with him up the beach and over to the bike racks — never helping him, just being there with him.

Aquatics Manager Mandy McCarthy had told the lifeguards to keep a close eye on the slower swimmers.

“The ones who are in the water longer have a higher risk of hypothermia,” she explained. “They’re not necessarily professionals, and they might not be so strong.”

But Sumpter made it and went on to finish both the bike ride and the run, crossing the finish line with a time of 2:15:26, about half an hour after the 92nd place finisher.

“He always finishes,” his wife said.