They finished a 5K race, but the competition was only just beginning for about 50 athletes who were among those to participate in the first charity Wingathlon, which started and finished at the Fairfield Hills campus on May 2.

The duathlon continued with a 26K cycle and concluded with another 5K run. Hustling to their bikes, competitors quickly got their helmets on and pedaled off, back out of the Fairfield Hills campus and onto surrounding streets before returning to do the 5K run all over again. This race was part of a morning-long event, which also included a Family 5K Run/Walk, to raise money for  Dylan’s Wings of Change, a foundation established to honor the life of Dylan Hockley, who was killed in his classroom at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012.

Dylan had autism and his parents, Nicole and Ian, created Dylan’s Wings of Change in order to help children with autism and other related conditions to achieve their full potential.

Greg Pelican, owner of Bethel Cycle, won the duathlon. The Washington Depot 56 year old is training for the Duathlon National Championships in St Paul, Minn, set for early June. Pelican won the national event as a 50 year old.

“It’s awesome. I think it’s a great thing,” Pelican said of the Wingathlon, adding that Bethel Cycle had ten volunteers and another 15 or 20 participants in the duathlon and Family 5K.

Among them was Ridgefield’s Sue Fleming, who was the top female finisher.

“It’s nice to see everybody out here. It’s a beautiful day,” said Fleming, adding that the hilly course was tough.

Duathlons are not nearly as popular as triathlons in the area, notes Bob Burbank, co-organizer of the event, along with Ian Hockley. Burbank, an avid cyclist and runner, participated in his first duathlon in Waterbury last year, sparking the idea for this fundraiser.

“We wanted to do something unique and different,” said Burbank, adding that the organizers aimed to meet expectations of serious competitors and also raise funds.

Newtown seventh grader Nick Jacobs won the Family 5K, which drew approximately 200 participants. His dad, Bob Jacobs, was third overall. The Jacobs clan helped the race live up to its name as a total of three siblings also participated and did well. Matt and Andrew Jacobs were fourth and seventh, respectively.

Read more about the Wingathlon in the May 8 print edition of The Bee. To learn more, visit dylanswingsofchange.org. Dylan’s Wings of Change is a project of the New Venture Fund, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) foundation.