By John RittenhouseLuverne athletes traveled to Brookings, S.D., to compete at a triathlon Sunday.The 2004 version of the I’m Ready for Summer Mini Triathlon attracted seven competitors from the area.The triathlon consisted of a 1,000-meter swim, a 12-mile bike ride and a 5K run.Competing in the division for athletes between the ages of 50-59, Luverne’s Preston VerMeer won his age group with a time of 1:31.53.VerMeer placed 39th out of 54 men in the final overall standings.Luverne’s Amy Chartier also saw individual success at the triathlon.Chartier placed third in the 20-29 division and fifth overall with a time of 1:26.07.Luverne athletes also formed a pair of three-person squads to compete in the team portion of the triathlon.Dave Duffy, Nick Van Wyhe and Jesson Vogt formed a team called Clif Bar #1, which placed second in team competition and fourth overall in all divisions with a time of 1:07.39.The team champion recorded a time of 1:06.11.Van Wyhe swam, Duffy biked and Vogt ran for the Clif Bar #1 squad.The second team of Duffy, Mike Van Wyhe and Erica Smith competed under the name of the Speed-D-Minnows.The Speed-D-Minnows placed sixth in team competition and 27th overall in all divisions with a time of 1:17.37.Duffy ran, Smith biked and Mike Van Wyhe swam for the Speed-D-Minnows.
