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St. Charles North's Ernst wins national triathlon title

Audrey Ernst brought home so many memories at the recent ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in Chicago that winning wasn't necessarily the best part.

Of course, that was pretty fun, too.

The St. Charles North sophomore made a name for herself among the best triathletes in the world, winning first place in the 16- to 19-year-old age division on Sept. 17. She swam in Lake Michigan, biked along Columbus Drive and finished her run at Buckingham Fountain.

Ernst had a total time of 1 hour, 7 minutes and 40 seconds to beat her nearest challenger Jocelyn Bonney's time of 1 hour, 8 minutes and 43 seconds. There were 67 athletes from 10 countries in Ernst's age division.

"It was amazing," Ernst said. "I was so excited beyond words. It was such an amazing experience to represent my county and meet all these people from all over the world and race against them."

Ernst won despite being on the young side of the age division. She just turned 16 on Sept. 3.

The race started with an 800-meter swim - a half-mile - in Lake Michigan from Grant Park to near the Adler Planetarium. From there the athletes got on their bikes and rode laps for 12 miles along Columbus before finishing with a 5K run.

"Exhausting," Ernst said of the work required to finish. "It's hard to describe the feeling. That was a really cool experience."

Ernst was in eighth place after the swim but caught up to first place during the bike race. From there she extended her lead in the 5K, which should come as no surprise to those who have seen her dominate the field in a high school cross country race.

Her swimming time was 10 minutes, 59 seconds, then a transition of 3:24 to get on her bike. She rode for 31:16 - fourth best - before a 2:13 transition to her 19:50 time in the concluding 5K.

She said she doesn't really have a favorite or least favorite among swimming, biking and running.

"I think of it as one sport even though it's three different disciplines," Ernst said. "You are putting your best effort out there the whole time. The swim is really tough because swimming isn't my best discipline. I'm working really hard to stay with those girls. Running is just as hard to keep up that cadence and don't slow down too much. They are each difficult in their own way."

​Ernst said among the many highlights was watching the other triathlon races from the pro division to the para-athletes.

"It was really inspiring to watch them get out there and race," Ernst said.

The world championship ended Ernst's triathlon season. She now turns her full attention to cross country.

Ernst won the Flyin' Hawk Invite Saturday at Sunrise Park in Bartlett. She's gearing up for state in a little over a month after placing 13th in the Class 3A state meet to earn all-state honors as a freshman.

"Every season just keeps getting better and better and more fun and a new experience each time," Ernst said. "No race is the same. It's really cool every time to come out and race.

"I'm looking to improve. I want to improve my time from 16:53 (at state last year) and maybe improve my place. I hope my team gets to come with me this year."

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