Triathlon raises $3,000 for Newport Aquatic Center

About 40 women rose to the challenge of a triathlon on Sunday to raise

money for the Newport Aquatic Center’s junior paddling team.

The women performed a 4.3-mile run/walk, rappelled down the side of

Pirate’s Cove, then kayaked back 2 1/2 miles through the Newport Aquatic

Center, raising close to $3,000 in the process. The women were a diverse

group of ages and athletic abilities -- some had never even been in a

boat before.

The funds will go toward getting the team and its boats to a national

competition in Georgia at the end of July, said co-organizer Susan Hogue

of Costa Mesa.