Local athletes shine at Black Squirrel Scurry Triathlon

Athletes from Merrill and across the country converged on the Merrill area Saturday, July 25, for the Black Squirrel Scurry Triathlon, a paddling triathlon included paddling the Prairie River, biking roads north of town, and finishing with a run through Council Grounds State Park and the MARC grounds.
Local competitors turned in several standout performances. Peter and Siobahn Schuetze of Merrill made up the champion relay team, Beauty and the Beast, which took first place in the Mixed Relay division with a time of 2:15:19.
In the Individual Male division, Chris Grunenwald of Merrill placed 11th overall with a time of 2:04:05, followed by Doug Smith in 13th (2:11:08) and Joshua Fenske in 15th (2:21:45). Thirteen-year-old Elijah Fenske of Merrill finished 19th overall in 2:42:55 and placed second in the U20 division.
In the Individual Female division, Hannah Hansen of Merrill finished sixth overall in 2:24:10, followed by Dana Klug in eighth (2:29:39) and Manda Norman in 13th (2:53:42). Norman’s division results were corrected after a gender-entry error on some participants’ registrations forms placed her second in her division rather than first, as had been initially reported.
The two oldest competitors in the race were Luke Aumann, 99, of Appleton, who won the Tandem Male division, and Rita Clark, 76, of Amberg, who finished seventh in Individual Female.
The field also included athletes from Wausau, Gleason, Tomahawk, Weston, Osseo, Laona, Hixton, Neenah, Eau Claire, Milwaukee, Hortonville, Elk Mound, Ogema, Mequon, and Amberg, Wisconsin, as well as competitors from Minooka, Plainfield, Shorewood, Elmhurst, and Addison, Illinois; Ironwood, Michigan; and Waukon, Iowa. The furthest-traveling participants drove nearly 300 miles to take part in the race.