Swim, bike, and run across three of St. Lawrence County's most beautiful natural venues — here's everything you need to know about one of Upstate New York's most unique community triathlons.

Perfect Day, Perfect Race: Potsdam's Annual Tri-Beach Triathlon Delivers Scenic Multi-Sport Challenge

When Michelle Garrow, the Town of Potsdam's Recreation Director, called August 15, 2026, "a perfect day," she wasn't just talking about the weather. She was describing something rarer than sunshine in the North Country — a community triathlon that actually delivers on its promise of scenic beauty, inclusive design, and genuine athletic camaraderie.

The Course: Three Venues, One Unforgettable Route

Starting at the Water: Norwood Beach

Every triathlon begins with a decision. For most events, that decision is "how hard do I go in the swim?" At the Tri-Beach, athletes face a more interesting opening question: swim or kayak?

The race launches from Norwood Beach with a choice that immediately sets this event apart from its peers. Participants can complete a ¼-mile open water swim or opt for a 1-mile kayak — a rarely seen format that dramatically expands who can show up on race day. Not comfortable with open water? Grab a paddle. Want to mix disciplines? The kayak leg is waiting.

This dual-format start isn't just logistically clever — it's philosophically significant. It signals from the first moment that the Tri-Beach Triathlon is built for a community, not just a competitive elite. The kayak option adds roughly three-quarters of a mile to the overall distance for those who choose it, but it removes a barrier that keeps many potential athletes on the sideline at traditional events.

Beginner tip: If you're new to triathlon and open water swimming feels intimidating, the kayak option is a legitimate race-day choice — not a consolation prize. Several participants in competitive fields have been known to choose kayak for tactical or comfort reasons.

On the Bike: Norwood Beach to Sandstoner Park

From the beach, athletes transition to the 8-mile bike leg heading toward Sandstoner Park in Potsdam. This cross-venue transition is where the multi-location format truly shines. Rather than completing loops or out-and-back stretches on the same road, cyclists move through the genuine landscape of St. Lawrence County — passing through the kinds of rural roads and small-town streetscapes that make Upstate New York worth exploring at any speed.

The bike leg serves as both a physical and psychological reset between the water and the final push on foot. With 8 miles to cover, athletes have time to settle into a rhythm, shake off any early-race nerves, and mentally prepare for what comes next.

Crossing the Finish: Sandstoner Park to Hannawa Falls

The run leg — 6 miles from Sandstoner Park to the Hannawa Falls area (Postwood Park) — is where the race earns its most dramatic payoff. Few triathlons can claim a waterfall as their finish line backdrop. Hannawa Falls, tucked into the Raquette River corridor southwest of Potsdam, provides a genuinely scenic terminus for athletes who have earned every step.

For context, here's the full course at a glance:

Leg	Start → Finish	Distance
Swim	Norwood Beach	¼ mile
or Kayak	Norwood Beach	1 mile
Bike	Norwood Beach → Sandstoner Park	8 miles
Run	Sandstoner Park → Hannawa Falls	6 miles

Why the Multi-Venue Format Works

Most triathlons are logistically conservative by design: one transition zone, one loop, minimal travel between stages. The Tri-Beach takes the opposite approach — and it pays off in ways that spreadsheets can't fully capture.

By threading through Norwood, Potsdam, and Hannawa Falls, the event engages three distinct communities rather than one. Spectators don't need to park at a single spot and wait — the race comes to them. Local residents along the route become informal supporters. And athletes experience the genuine geography of St. Lawrence County rather than an artificial circuit designed purely for timing convenience.

There's also a practical benefit: spreading the field across multiple venues naturally reduces congestion at transition zones and along the course. When you're not funneling every athlete through the same bottleneck, the race flows more smoothly for everyone involved.

2026 Results: Who Raced, Who Won

Men's Division

Place	Athlete	Time
🥇 1st	Jackson Dinan	1:10:13
🥈 2nd	Ben Stauffer	1:10:39
🥉 3rd	Paul Stauffer	1:14:44
4th	Corey Williams	1:19:13
5th	Cole Meacham	1:44:46

Jackson Dinan took the top spot with a time of 1:10:13 — just 26 seconds ahead of Ben Stauffer. The Stauffer name appears twice in the top three: Ben (2nd, 1:10:39) and Paul (3rd, 1:14:44), making the family's presence in this race a notable story within the story. The 4:31 gap separating first through third place reflects a genuinely competitive front pack — this wasn't a runaway.

Cole Meacham's 1:44:46 finish rounds out the men's field and illustrates the event's wide ability spectrum. The 34-minute gap between 1st and 5th place in the men's division means this race accommodates both sub-75-minute specialists and endurance-focused recreational athletes on the same course.

Women's Division

Place	Athlete	Time
🥇 1st	Karen Stauffer	1:25:58
🥈 2nd	Leah Stauffer	1:30:23

Karen Stauffer claimed the women's title in 1:25:58, with Leah Stauffer finishing 4:25 behind in second. The Stauffer surname's dominance across both divisions — men's and women's — is one of the event's charming human-interest threads and speaks to a family deeply embedded in the local athletic community.

The women's field of two reflects an opportunity for growth that the race organizers and local community might consider prioritizing in future editions. Expanding women's participation — through targeted outreach, women's training groups, or showcasing role models like Karen and Leah Stauffer — could meaningfully enrich the event's competitive depth in coming years.

Team Division: Where the Real Stories Live

Place	Team	Time
🥇 1st	Lynzie & Scott Schulte	1:30:39
🥈 2nd	Eugene Morgan & Kari Lock-Morgan	1:45:45
🥉 3rd	Josh & Piper Stokes	1:55:30
4th	Cal, Axel, Zinnia, Daisy & Lock Morgan	2:14:52

If the individual divisions showcase pure athletic performance, the team division showcases what makes community triathlons irreplaceable. Four of the 2026 entries were team entries — a participation rate that suggests the team format isn't just a novelty, but a genuine draw.

The teams reflect a beautiful cross-section of participation styles:

• Couples racing together (the Schultes, the Stokes, the Morgan/Lock-Morgans)
• A five-person family team (Cal, Axel, Zinnia, Daisy, and Lock Morgan) — the largest entry of the day

That five-person family crossing the finish line with a 2:14:52 time isn't just a result — it's a story. It's what happens when an event designs its format to say everyone is welcome here.

Organization & Community Spirit

The Person Behind the Race

Michelle Garrow, the Town of Potsdam's Recreation Director, organized the 2026 Tri-Beach Triathlon and described race day simply as "a perfect day." That kind of quiet confidence from an event director usually signals something more meaningful than good weather — it reflects months of logistical planning, volunteer coordination, and community relationship-building that make a multi-venue event run smoothly.

Managing transitions across three separate geographic locations is no small feat. Each handoff point — from water to bike, from bike to run — requires course marshals, signage, timing infrastructure, and athlete support. That it came together seamlessly enough to earn a "perfect day" assessment speaks well of the Town of Potsdam Recreation Department's operational capabilities.

What "Perfect Day" Really Means

In triathlon, conditions matter enormously. A "perfect day" for a swim-bike-run event typically means calm water, manageable temperatures, and dry roads. For August in the North Country — where summer weather can swing between sweltering and stormy — hitting that window on race day represents genuine good fortune on top of good planning.

Perfect conditions also have a downstream effect on results: times tend to be faster, athletes tend to push harder, and the overall experience lodges in memory as the kind of day that makes you sign up again next year.

What Makes This Race Worth Your Time

Accessibility by Design

Not every triathlon is built for the person who's never competed before. The Tri-Beach is. Consider the evidence:

• Kayak option removes the open water swimming barrier entirely
• Team divisions allow participants to split legs based on individual strengths
• Wide finish-time spectrum (1:10:13 to 2:14:52) demonstrates that athletes of all levels are welcome and finish with pride
• Family-friendly format means your training partner could be your partner, your sibling, or your entire household

For beginner triathletes — or for anyone curious about multi-sport events but not yet ready to commit to a full individual race — the Tri-Beach offers a genuine entry point. If you've been eyeing your first triathlon but felt uncertain about whether you're "ready," this event's structure suggests that readiness is more flexible than you think.

A Race That Showcases Place

There's a growing philosophy in endurance sports that the best races don't just happen in a place — they reveal it. The Tri-Beach Triathlon does exactly that. Athletes leave Norwood Beach having experienced the lake. They arrive at Sandstoner Park having seen the roads that connect these communities. They finish near Hannawa Falls having earned a waterfall view that most locals only ever drive past.

That's not incidental to the race design. It's the point.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Tri-Beach

The Annual Tri-Beach Triathlon is, by its own name, an established tradition. Recurring events build something that one-time races never can: institutional memory, participant loyalty, and community identity. When athletes know they can return to the same course, improve their times, bring new friends, and reconnect with the community around them, an event becomes something more than a race.

A few areas where the event appears poised to grow:

• Women's participation. With two women's finishers in 2026, there's significant room to expand. Targeted outreach, women's training partnerships, and visibility campaigns featuring Karen and Leah Stauffer as role models could shift that number meaningfully by 2027.
• Team categories. The 5-person family team is proof that creative team structures work. Corporate teams, school groups, and neighbor pairs could all find a home in an expanded team division.
• Beginner programming. A pre-race clinic or training program — especially one that demystifies the kayak-to-bike transition — could convert curious spectators into registered participants year over year.

For athletes planning ahead, keeping an eye on the Town of Potsdam Recreation Department's announcements will be the best way to catch 2027 registration when it opens. Race day logistics for multi-venue triathlons often require early planning, so the more runway you give yourself, the better.

Your Tri-Beach Triathlon Checklist

Whether you're planning to race in 2027 or just want to understand what competitors experienced in 2026, here's what the event demands:

Equipment you'll need:

• Wetsuit or swimwear (for the swim option) OR a kayak and paddle (if available through race organizers — confirm equipment policies when registering)
• Road or triathlon bike + helmet (mandatory)
• Running shoes
• Appropriate layers for August North Country conditions

Training benchmarks (based on 2026 results):

• A sub-90-minute finish puts you in the top half of the individual field
• A sub-75-minute finish is elite-level performance on this course
• A 2:00+ finish is entirely respectable and reflects real athletic commitment

Gear worth having:

Whether you're chasing a podium spot or just want to cross that finish line feeling strong, having the right race day essentials and transition gear makes the experience significantly smoother — especially when you're navigating multiple transition points across different venues.

Final Thoughts: Why Potsdam Gets It Right

The 2026 Annual Tri-Beach Triathlon delivered exactly what the best community sporting events should: competitive racing for those who want it, accessible participation for those who need it, and a course that makes the North Country feel worth celebrating.

Michelle Garrow called it a perfect day. The results — from Jackson Dinan's 1:10:13 winning effort to the five-person Lock-Morgan family team crossing together at 2:14:52 — suggest she was right in every way that matters.

If you've been looking for a triathlon that feels human-scaled, scenically rewarding, and genuinely inclusive without sacrificing competitive integrity, put the Potsdam Tri-Beach on your radar for 2027. The beach is waiting. So is the waterfall.

Frequently Asked Questions

Source: northcountrynow.com — Potsdam Tri-Beach Triathlon Results