A Rainy Wolfman Triathlon 2022

I don’t make it to the Wolfman Triathlon every year so I enjoyed my sixth or seventh return to the annual event this past Saturday. This unique off-road triathlon features a three-mile down-river paddle on a class II section of the Wolf River, a 13-mile mountain bike ride on a technical single track, and finishes with a rugged three-mile trail run on the banks of the Wolf River in Eastern Langlade County, Wisconsin.

This year, instead of racing, I opted to be a volunteer safety boater with more than 20 whitewater kayaker friends. I left home at 4:50 a.m. Saturday and ended up standing on a rock in the middle of the Wolf River section 2 — mostly in the rain — from 6:45 until about 10 a.m. directing racers as they approached the final rapid of the race. Just for fun, I danced with my paddle like a sign spinner while yelling encouragement to the apprehensive kayakers, many with little whitewater kayaking experience. Our safety boater group assisted with a few capsizes just downriver from my rock but those racers managed to empty their boats and continue on to the mountain biking and trail running segments of the race.

After the final racers passed by, 11 of us from Sierra Club’s River Touring Section (RTS) extended the rainy day by paddling section 3 of the Wolf River.

Afterwards we shuttled back to Gardner Dam Camp for lunch and live music provided for racers and volunteers. Proceeds from the annual race are returned to the community. They do this, in part, by giving a stipend to organizations that help out at the Wolfman. RTS was given $500 for our participation in the event. As in past years, RTS donated the money to the Wolf River Volunteer Fire Department, which provides rescue services on the river.