33 Photos
Overall champions of the full triathlon Jillian Jacinth, left, and William Huffman. MARIANNE BARNETT
Salena Huang of Brooklyn was one of the first women out of the water of Saturday's triathlon. MARIANNE BARNETT
Joe Connelly gets ready to start the bike portion of the sprint tri. MARIANNE BARNETT
One of the first triathletes to get out of the water on Saturday morning. MARIANNE BARNETT
Heading out of the water and on to the next phase of the race. MARIANNE BARNETT
Joshua Jastemski won Saturday's sprint triathlon. MARIANNE BARNETT
Lake Montauk was the site of the 43rd anniversary of the Robert J. Aaron Memorial Mighty Montauk Triathlon on Saturday morning. MARIANNE BARNETT
Lake Montauk was the site of the 43rd anniversary of the Robert J. Aaron Memorial Mighty Montauk Triathlon on Saturday morning. MARIANNE BARNETT
Michael Woyevodsky on his bike in the sprint triathlon. MARIANNE BARNETT
Getting some much needed energy ready for the triathletes. MARIANNE BARNETT
Joe Connelly gets ready to start the bike portion of the sprint tri. MARIANNE BARNETT
Getting ready to get off the bike. MARIANNE BARNETT
Calling Saturday morning's race. MARIANNE BARNETT
One of the first women in from completing the bike portion. MARIANNE BARNETT
Rooting on the triathletes. MARIANNE BARNETT
Rooting on the triathletes. MARIANNE BARNETT
Enjoying the race together. MARIANNE BARNETT
Crossing the finish line with the little ones. MARIANNE BARNETT
Thomas Brierley gets out of the water. MARIANNE BARNETT
William Huffman rips apart the finish line tape as the overall champion of the full triathlon. MARIANNE BARNETT
One of the top finishers of Saturday's triathlon with her husband. MARIANNE BARNETT
Jillian Jacinth crosses the finish line as the women's champion of the full triathlon. MARIANNE BARNETT
Mark Lucas heads out of the water. MARIANNE BARNETT
Enjoying the sun and the water. MARIANNE BARNETT
Getting ready to swim. MARIANNE BARNETT
Saturday was the 43rd anniversary of the race. MARIANNE BARNETT
Saturday was the 43rd anniversary of the race. MARIANNE BARNETT
Saturday was the 43rd anniversary of the race. MARIANNE BARNETT
Max Bertz, left, and another triathlete in the bike portion of the race. MARIANNE BARNETT
Peace MARIANNE BARNETT
Rachel Kaplove is all smiles. MARIANNE BARNETT
Fans MARIANNE BARNETT
Jillian Jacinth crosses the finish line as the women's champion of the full triathlon. MARIANNE BARNETT
Ever since the Robert J. Aaron Memorial Mighty Montauk Triathlon returned from its two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s had the same male and female champions.
William Huffman and Jillian Jacinth repeated as champions for the third year in a row at the 43rd anniversary race on Saturday morning. Huffman, 31, of New York City, was once again the overall champion, this time in 1:55:21.74. Jacinth, 31, of Babylon was the women’s champion in 2:08:26.35.
The second and third place overall finishers from last year also repeated the same placements on Saturday. Tim Steiskal, 34, of Patchogue, placed second, in 1:58:42.99. Shayne Lewis, 34, of Brightwaters, finished third in 1:59:18.47.
Salena Huang, 31, of Brooklyn placed second among women in 2:22:32.79. Rachel Kaplove, 36, of New York City, finished third in 2:25:29.68.
Full results are at trisignup.com.
The event offers three different distance options, the full triathlon of a 1-mile swim in Lake Montauk, a 20-mile bike ride and a 6.2-mile run being the longest. Registrants can also choose the AquaBike portion, which is just the swim and bike, or a sprint triathlon, which is a half-mile swim, 14-mile bike ride and 3.4-mile run. All courses are USA Triathlon sanctioned.
According to mightymontauk.com, Robert Aaron, who enjoyed many outdoor activities such as surfing, skiing, marathons and fishing, participated in his first triathlon in the early 1980s and was so inspired by the then emerging sport that he decided to produce one of his own. Known for its scenic beauty, Aaron thought Montauk was the ideal place to host a triathlon, and so, in 1982, the Mighty Montauk was born.
After a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer, Aaron died in 2002, but his legacy lived on through the race, which is one of the oldest triathlons on Long Island. Not long after his death, his wife, Merle McDonald-Aaron, who has been the race director since, renamed the race to honor his memory.
The Lustgarten Foundation, which raises money for pancreatic cancer research, has been the primary beneficiary of the race, as another way to honor Aaron’s memory. Other beneficiaries include the St. Therese Youth Group, East Hampton PBA, the Montauk Ambulance Squad and other local nonprofits.
