In just his third triathlon, Clarkston’s Matt Inch took third place at the Greenfield Memorial Tri/Du in 2006. For his encore, 19-year-old Inch not only won the triathlon Aug. 5, but set a new record, finishing the event in 1:22:19.
‘My goal was to win last year too,? Inch said. ‘I kept pushing it so I wouldn’t lose by two seconds or something. But once I finished and no guys were coming in righ=t after me, I realized I had done pretty well.?
Inch took off more than six-and-a-half minutes from last year’s time (1:29:52) and finished five minutes faster than the runner-up. Inch plans for an even faster time in 2008.
‘Next year I want to reset the course record and hopefully get it under 1:20:00,? Inch said.
More extensive training was the difference between third and first place for Inch this summer.
‘Last summer was really my first summer getting into this and I didn’t really know what to do,? Inch said.
The former Clarkston swimmer, track and cross country runner had to cope with bike trouble midway through the race. Inch overcame pre-race spill off his bike at Kensington Metropark and a slow bike to finish that portion eighth in 40:29.
The Greenfield race was the fourth of Inch’s five events this summer.
Inch followed up his Greenfield performance with a 16th place finish at the Mideast Regional Championships in Sylvania, Ohio, Aug. 12. His finish of 2:02:30 qualified him for the world championships in Toronto next year.
Inch will begin his sophomore year at Michigan State University this fall. He fills extracurricular time as a member of the school’s triathlon club. The group is prepping for the Boilerman triathlon at Purdue in mid-September.
Running in big events is likely to be a staple of Inch’s life.
‘I definitely want to keep with it for sure,? he said.
Inch wants to qualify for the Kona Ironman triathlon in Hawaii. The race feature a 2.4- mile swim, 112-mile bike course and finishes with a 26.2-mile run.
‘It’s the Super Bowl of triathlons,? Inch said. ‘It’s going to be a killer.?
Inch is studying engineering at MSU and has a 3.56 grade point average.
Inch got his start in triathlons from his uncle last year.
‘He told me he was doing one out by where he lives and he wanted me to come watch him. I said, ‘why don’t I do it too and just beat you instead??? Inch recalled.