The race began precisely at 10 a.m., literally at the peal of UNC's Bell Tower, sending runners down South Road.

Comprising a short run-swim-run combination, competitors set off on a 1.5-mile run around campus, followed by a 350-yard swim in UNC's Bowman Gray Pool, before pounding the pavement for a final repeat of the same 1.5-mile run course.

Given the brevity, it seemed as if the echoes of the Bell Tower's chimes had barely dissipated before male overall winner Alex Kuuskoski (24:12) crossed the finish line. Overall women's victor Brittany Walsh, a UNC sophomore, also was right on time and crossed the line in 27:18.

Both competitors said they were particularly challenged by the final hill on the running loop around Gimghoul Road before a final sprint back west along South Road to a finish line across the street from UNC's Woollen Gymnasium.

"That last hill was a killer," Kuuskoski said.

"Yeah, the last hill kills you," Walsh agreed, "especially after getting out of the pool, where your legs are all 'gummy.' But it was nice to have a straightaway coming down to the finish line."

Both runners used a strong performance in the pool to their advantage, however.

"That was kind of my plan, because I swim year-round," Kuuskoski explained. "I figured with the run, I'd just try to keep up with people, and then I'd work the swim. ... I was at the finish line (of the first run) in third place, but I think I was second into the pool."

"I was around the fourth girl into the water," Walsh said, "but I was first out of the water."

Numbers were important to Meghann Martinez, an MBA student at Carolina who coordinated the free event for UNC Recreation.

"It's just a fun activity that we use to encourage fitness, campus-wide ... open to faculty, staff, and students, as well as the community," she said. "Last year we had 45 participants, and this year, we had 68 people pre-register."


Free time and space

Martinez noted that while much groundwork for the event had been laid out by predecessors, considerable planning took place. She availed herself of typical resources for publicity, but did a little extra by painting "The Cube" in UNC's Pit area with a promotional message for the Splash and Dash. That required some stealth and precise timing to grab an open space.

"I just did all of the traditional things that we do to prepare for events," she said.

UNC Recreation supervisor Marty Pomerantz credited several agencies for their assistance with the event.

"I thought this went great," he said. "Campus Dining Services donated all of the food, which was really nice, and Officer (Jonathan) Foster from UNC Public Safety was a great help."

However, perhaps it was Mother Nature who assisted the most.

"It was just about a perfect day," Martinez said.

The day was particularly bright for near perfect performers like Kuuskoski and Walsh. Also posting impressive finishes were men's second place finisher Tyrone Sampson (26:11), and third place competitor Greg Randolf (26:17).


Taking a dive

Like some others, Sampson thought the race was won or lost in the pool. "That's where I passed most of the people," he said. "The run's my strongest event, but I was a little out of shape for it. I just got over a cold."

Sampson was unfazed by the hilly terrain on the run.

"I actually love hills," he said. "That's actually a strong point, because I actually speed up when I get to hills."

A half-minute off Brittany Walsh's pace, women's overall runnerup Lisa Vogel was one of very few UNC seniors willing to brave early morning hours to compete Sunday.

"This is actually the first time I've done one of these," Vogel said. "I want to do a triathlon, and I've heard this is a good stepping-stone."

In third place overall among women, it was Erin Becker (28:01), a sophomore who runs with the UNC cross-country/track and field club team.

"It's just a beautiful day out, and it's fun to do stuff like this on campus," Becker said. "I felt really good. My swimming isn't so good, and I lost a lot of time there, but the run felt great, and the Gimghoul Road loop is somewhere (our club team) always runs."

Among the women's staff/faculty (open) division, it was Jill Harrell's 29:09 earning gold, while Jazmin Brown's 30:20 claimed silver.