Fitness Enthusiast Dale Bajcer Is 15th In Surprise Duathlon

By Andy Hutchison

GREENWICH — Whether he’s pedaling a bicycle, jogging in his running shoes, or swimming in the water, Newtown’s Dale Bajcer finds a way to exercise and keep in shape.

Sometimes the 43-year-old combines all three physical activities and competes in triathlons.

This past Sunday, Bajcer competed in the Threads & Treads Greenwich Cup Triathlon which, as a result of lightning at the start, turned into a duathlon. The half-mile swimming portion of the event was canceled so Bajcer and the other 474 race finishers pedaled and jogged to the finish line and left the swimming for another day.

Bajcer completed the event (which ended up being a 15-mile bike ride sandwiched by a pair of three-mile runs instead of the traditional half-mile swim, 15-mile ride followed by a three-mile run) in a time of 1:18:36, good for 15th place overall and second in the men’s 40–49-year-old age category.

“It felt great,” Bajcer said of completing the 21-miles of basically nonstop exertion that started and finished at Tod’s Point.

Competing in such a race was nothing new for Bajcer. A football player through his college days, Bajcer picked up individual/endurance sports about ten years ago. He has participated in probably 30-or-so triathlons and has finished an ironman race and a half-marathon, too. He will compete in the Niantic Bay Triathlon this coming Sunday.

The Greenwich event should serve as a nice tune-up for Bajcer who was among many participants who said they caught a break when the swimming portion was cancelled since swimming is not the strongest suit of many of these athletes.

“It probably worked to my advantage,” said Bajcer, adding, “I was a little disappointed because that’s what you sign up for.”

Race director Mickey Yardis said the decision was made by the Greenwich lifeguards and police. It cleared up shortly after the race was underway, but Yardis said the event had to stay close to on schedule and got rolling only a few minutes late.

Lightning lit up the sky at the scheduled 6:30 am starting time of the race. “It was visible right over the water,” Bajcer said. “It was the right decision.”

The change of format meant a little more running and a different approach to pacing, Bajcer noted.

“It’s a little more wear and tear on the legs, obviously,” he said of running three extra miles. “You had to be careful about not going too hard on the first run and at the same time you wanted to stay competitive.”

Dominic Gillen, 30, of Milford, won the race in a time of 1:10:05. Most of the participants came from Fairfield County with a few from other parts of the state and some from various other states.

The temperature was around 70 degrees and the overcast sky helped to keep the participants cool, but the slick roads were something for the cyclists to contend with.

“It was a little bit slippery. My back wheel slid out a couple of times when I hit the yellow stripe on the road,” said Bajcer, adding that he avoided falling and did not see any other cyclists tumble.

Bajcer said the course was monitored by police, who kept the bike riders from going too fast on turns.

“It was a very well-run race,” he said.

And it was a well-run (and pedaled) race for Bajcer, too.