Nickel second in USAT national race

Courtesy Photo<p>Kevin Nickel works his way through the transition area en route to a second place finish in the USAT Long Course National Triathlon race in Oklahoma City Saturday. Nickel is a graduate of Goessel High School and Tabor College.Kevin Nickel, a Goessel and Tabor College product, turned in a second-place finish in the USAT Long Course National Championships at Lake Hefner in Oklahoma City Saturday.

The Newton resident was one of 538 male competitors in the long course triathlon. Nickel covered the 70.3 miles in 4 hours, 15 minutes, 42.80 seconds, trailing the winner, Tom Woods of Lincoln, Neb., by 1:12.

The race began with a 1.2 mile swim, which Nickel covered in 31:25.

He traveled 56 miles by bicycle in 2:17:59, for an average of 24.4 miles per hour.

Nickel completed the triathlon with a 13.1 mile run, which he finished in 1:24:29.

?I train in Kansas, so the gently rolling hills on the bike part are what I am used to,? Nickel said. ?I was hoping for a top-five finish, so I am pleased with second place overall.???

A week earlier, Nickel finished 12th in his age group among 197 competitors in the ITU World Triathlon race in Chicago.

An Exercise Specialist for Pinnacle Rehabilitation and Sports Performance at The Summit in Hutchinson, Nickel is a member of the Kansas River Valley Triathlon Club in Wichita.

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