A bridge for all

The Old Appleton Triathlon is back for an encore -- and a fond farewell, both at the same time.

More than 20 years since the event began as a town fund-raiser and about 10 years since what is believed to be the most recent running, the classic competition will make its return on Saturday.

About 200 athletes are expected to be at the starting line in Old Appleton for the reincarnation of the race, which marks the first installment of the event since a bridge across Apple Creek was rebuilt in September 2005.

Saturday's event has been advertised as the triathlon's last hurrah, but race director Nicole Schnurbusch has not ruled out the possibility of bringing it back annually.

"It depends on how it goes," said the 22-year-old Schnurbusch, whose grandparents Bob and Ann Schnurbusch of Perryville founded the competition in 1983. "It's been well-received this year, and it seems like I've gotten a really good response from people, whether they be past participants or people who have just heard about it.

"It started as kind of one last thing that kind of honored the work that Grandpa had done over the years, but it could become an annual thing."

After a flood destroyed the bridge and delivered severe damage to Old Appleton in 1982, Bob Schnurbusch, known by family and friends as the "Ole Dutchman," began organizing triathlons, duathlons, biathlons and mountain bike races to raise money for the restoration of the bridge.

His competitions drew more attention every year for over a decade, attracting participants from across the Midwest. The triathlons ceased in the mid-1990's, by which time Schnurbusch had raised a significant amount of money.

With the help of a state grant, the Old Appleton Bridge was successfully restored last year. It is now used as a foot bridge across Apple Creek.

Several months ago, Nicole Schnurbusch, a nursing student at the University of Missouri-Columbia who vaguely remembers helping out her grandparents at the races when she was a child, decided to take a stab at bringing back the triathlon.

She created a Web site, http://www.freewebs.com/oldappletontriathlon, with information on the race and photos of the old bridge, and she distributed brochures across Southeast Missouri.

"It's basically been a full-time job for the past six months," said Nicole, who credited her father, Tim, as an assistant director. "Every day, I get e-mails and calls. I got myself into a lot more than what I thought, but it's been a good experience."

The hard work paid off, and about 160 participants had signed up as of Wednesday evening.

"They're coming in still, phone call after phone call," Nicole Schnurbusch said. "There will probably be over 200. I was hoping for 300 to 400, but everyone else was happy with what we have. It's great for the first year."

She said e-mailed entry forms are still being accepted, and she expects 30 to 40 race-day entries.

Saturday's triathlon will look very similar to the old races. The event will consist of a 22-mile bike ride, 5-mile run and 1/2 -mile swim in Apple Creek.

The only major change in the race's format is the running portion, which will shed its cross-country trail and follow a road route this time around.

"The cross-country run is a big change," Nicole said. "No one has been back in those woods in 10 years, and it would take a lot of work to make a trail through it now."

The bike route, which is described on the triathlon's Web site as "moderately hilly [with] no real major climbs," will follow a loop around low-traffic county roads. Although the participants will not cross the bridge during the race, the finish line will be positioned at the foot of the bridge.

Registration is scheduled for 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. Saturday, with the race beginning at 8. The awards ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m.

At the request of 81-year-old Bob Schnurbusch, there will be no entry fee for the contest, although donations will be accepted toward the maintenance of the bridge and town.

"Not having an entry fee makes planning something really hard," Nicole Schnurbusch said. "It's hard to determine a budget when we don't know how much money we're bringing in.

"There's no entry fee so people that maybe had never done a triathlon before can do this one. It's a really expensive sport, and we're pretty much trying to make it a race that anyone can do and trying to get more people into the sport."

Other activities for the afternoon include washers and a volleyball tournament to take place after the triathlon. Participants and spectators can buy a plate of food for $5, which includes an all-you-can-drink deal on beer, soda and water.

Contestants in the triathlon will be split into six age divisions, and trophies will be awarded to the top male and female finisher in each group. The top three men and women overall and the top team also will receive trophies.

In the end, however, it won't come down to who crosses the finish line first. In the eyes of Nicole Schnurbusch, it's about paying tribute to the man who started it all -- the Ole Dutchman.

"Everyone seems like they're really excited about it," Nicole Schnurbusch. "It's stressful, but I know it's going to make Grandpa really happy. I just think it's going to make him so happy to see something he's put so much work into over the years and see people enjoying it again. He'll appreciate it."