Spirit of Racine Triathlon overcomes foggy start

Swimmers trudge through the fog to the starting point

The big story at the start of the Spirit of Racine Triathlon this morning: fog. It covered everything. It limited visibility -- it was hard to see the buoys swimmers would have to pass, and impossible to see the safety boats.

And it delayed the start of the race...

But then it lifted! By 8 a.m. the first waves of what would prove to be almost 2,000 triathletes hit the water for the 1.2-mile swim, the 12.4-mile run, the 56-mile bicycle race. Here are some pictures from the beginning of Sunday's race.

Transition point a mass of bicycles and cyclists at 7 a..m.

A last moment to reflect, and get ready for what's ahead

As far as the eye can see: Swimmers waiting for the start

At 8 a.m., the fastest men's pros hit the water

Less than four hours later...winners!

All received finisher's medals...

...and this one also got the pretty girl!

We'll link to the complete race results as soon as they're online. For now, only this: The overall winner is Luke Bell, who completed the course in 3:49.58. Joe Gambles was second, barely a minute behind at 1:51.03. David Thompson, who won in 2006 and 2007 and was seeking a tri-peat, came in third, not quite four minutes behind with a time of 3:53.47.

AND HERE ARE THE RESULTS:

Spirit of Racine Half Triathlon
Spirit of Racine Half Triathlon/Half Aquabike

Yesterday's Women's Only Triathlon and Blue Wave Sprint results HERE.