Anchorage Daily News

Yaro Mucha crossed the finish line of Sunday's Eagle River Triathlon in a not-so-typical outfit of a tomato-red turtleneck and black spandex shorts, exalting in mock glory with his arms out with an expression of fake exhaustion on his face.

Not that he wasn't tired. It's just that being tired won't stop him from having a good time.

For the 78-year-old Anchorage resident, racing isn't what it used to be.

Mucha, who moved to Alaska in 1965, ran his first triathlon (one of Alaska's first, according to Mucha) at age 50 in 1980 and was a top finisher. But as the years have passed, shaving minutes off his time is no longer the goal, just crossing the finish line is.

And if the weather is nice and the reds are running, he's inclined to skip the race.

"When fishing is good, I like red salmon, so I go fly fishing," said Mucha, who was the oldest competitor to finish last year with a time of 1 hour, 59 minutes and 7 seconds after skipping two years. "I'm 78 and a half, but I try to stay tuned up. I've been remiss lately."

Mucha, a semi-retired masonry contractor who still does small jobs, swims at the Alaska Club to stay in shape. His age is catching up to him, but he doesn't let it stop him, only slow him a little.

He said a banged-up left knee turned the 5-kilometer run into a speed-walk despite a recent cortisone injection.

"If I bend it more than 90 (degrees) it hurts," he said. "I tried running a little bit, but the effort was so great I opted for a fast walk. Not to be a crybaby but the right shoulder is also (hurt)."

The run was easy for Mucha compared to the 20-K bike ride. On one of the course's hills, he counted over 500 pedal rotations while in the lowest gear to reach the top.

"After I got that done, I knew I was going to make it," said Mucha, who used a mountain bike instead of a road bike.

One racer who had no problems with the bike portion was Macky Franks. The 14-year-old is an avid cyclist who is a top finisher in the Arctic Bicycle Club's summer race series.

Despite his cycling background, he's no fan of uphills. But heading downhill is another story. That's the Central Middle School eighth-grader-to-be's favorite part of any race because he's a bit of a speed demon.

"I just really like to bike, kind of like to run and hate swimming, but it works." said Franks of how he overcomes his aversion to the 500-yard dip in the pool that serves as the race's first leg.

Racing with grown men and women can make for some interesting interactions on the biking and running courses for the diminutive and fresh-faced Franks. Some think he randomly rode onto the course, while others suspect he's supposed to be in the kids division.

"People ask 'What are you doing here?' a lot," said Franks, who stands a shade over 5 feet tall and couldn't weigh more than 100 pounds soaking wet. "They think I went too far, but I don't care. I like to have fun."

He finished his second full triathlon Sunday and raced in the kids division as an 11-year-old. He clocked in at 1:13:09 to shave over 14 minutes off his personal best time.

While he might not like the swimming leg, he's been bitten by the triathlon bug.

"I wanna do this my whole life," he said.

On the other hand, Mucha is done with triathlons, at least for the rest of the summer.

"After this moment of truth, you think about going back to the drawing boards and enjoying your savings and retirement," he said. "I washed my motor home, got the oil lubed and the tires checked. I'm just waiting for good news about the reds. They're too slow."

Contact Barry Piser at 257-4335.

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