4th Annual Back Mountain Triathlon Draws Record Crowds to Harveys Lake
By: Matt Flanagan | SportzWire | August 31, 2026 | Photo courtesy Bradley Dieffenbacher
HARVEYS LAKE, Pa. — More than 300 athletes descended on Harveys Lake on Sunday morning for the 4th Annual Back Mountain Triathlon, a USA Triathlon-sanctioned event that has grown into one of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s signature late-summer competitions since its 2023 debut. Competitors tackled a nearly one-mile swim in the lake before transitioning to the bike and run legs, with events spread across Olympic-distance, sprint, relay and Aquabike divisions.
Sean Fenoff turned in the fastest overall time of the day, crossing the finish line in 2:05:53 to win the men’s Olympic-distance race. On the women’s side, 20-year-old Alexis Buchala of Schuylkill Endurance and Multisport ran down a crowded lead pack on the final leg to claim victory in 2:32:03, more than a minute ahead of runner-up Liz Harrison. Buchala, competing in her first Olympic-distance event after finishing second in last year’s sprint race, became the youngest women’s champion in the event’s four-year history. Kristin White took third, four-time top-five finisher Ann Balonis was fourth, and 63-year-old Raine Fussner rounded out the top five. Laura Bogert led the field out of the water, and Harrison held the lead through the bike leg before Buchala’s run split carried her past both.
In the sprint race, 15-year-old Lillian Brown of Schuylkill Endurance and Multisport edged Shaylee Gormley by roughly 23 seconds to win the women’s title in 1:33:44, capping a strong showing from the club’s youth contingent — the top four women’s sprint finishers were all teenagers. On the men’s side, Mike Sikorski held off longtime local standout Sean Robbins to win in 1:15:33, crossing the finish line hand-in-hand with his two children.
The event’s relay division saw its largest turnout yet, with more than 40 teams competing. The all-male trio of Porter Sarnes, Connor Dillman and Colton McClusky won the relay overall with a time of 2:18:17, while Mallory Kern, Joseph Szczchowicz and Vincent Amarando topped the mixed-team field in 2:22:08.
Now in its fourth year, the Back Mountain Triathlon traces its roots to the Wilkes-Barre Triathlon, a fixture at Harveys Lake for 35 years that once served as a national qualifying race. Organizers have rebuilt the event as a non-profit, with a portion of proceeds benefiting local charities.
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