WAXHAW -- “Let’s go, let’s go! Be strong, run it in!”

Camera-clutching family members lined the street, cheering on their favorite sweaty runners with decorated signs and encouraging applause.

The Cane Creek Triathlon drew more than 1,000 people Saturday; 545 participated in the race. Competitors swam 750 meters, biked 14 miles and ended with a 5-kilometer run.

Holding a cup of water after the race, Philip Creasman of Hendersonville said swimming is his best sport; he got hours of practice during his days in the U.S. Navy.

“When I get out of the water, it gets hard,” he said.

Ed Modzelewski of Charlotte, on the other hand, said swimming was “miserable.”

“I can’t wait to get out of the water and on my bike so I can start passing people instead of being passed,” he said. By 10:30 a.m., Modzelewski had finished the race, but others were still running. Nearing the finish line, some sprinted to get the best time possible. Others were red in the face, panting to catch their breath.

Participants ranged in age from 11-year-old Elizabeth Hefron of Waxhaw to 68-year-old Bill Whorley of Greensboro, Ga.

It was those somewhere in the middle who took home an award.

Jim Rhodes, 30, of Indian Trail, took first place for men at one hour and 13 seconds. Second-place triathlete Brad Wickard, also 30, of Cornelius, came in just over a second later. Dale Mosher, 57, of Anderson, S.C., was third.

In the women’s category, Charlotte resident Stephanie Hucko, 38, took home first at one hour and 17 seconds. Tanya Houghton, 41, of Weddington came in second, and Charlotte resident Jocelyn Sikora, 25, took home third.

Many participants were from Union County; Monroe, Marvin, Indian Trail, Stallings, Weddington and Waxhaw were all represented. Others hailed from Statesville, Winston-Salem, Belmont, Cary and Chapel Hill; dozens came from Charlotte.

Sammy Vail drove from Wilmington to see her daughter-in-law compete. Leaning against a fence, she watched the road, waiting for a green sweatband to appear over the hill. Nearby, Jeff Blake of Charlotte held his camera ready for when his wife ran by. He said he has never competed in a triathlon — ”I’m not a swimmer” — but this is his wife’s second.

The competition also drew racers from Virginia, Kentucky, Florida, Illinois and one from California.

Once they passed the finish line, competitors searched for familiar faces in the crowd. Family and friends held out their arms for sweaty hugs.

“I finished,” Charlotte resident Kelly Engebretson said after the race. “I’m 11 months post-baby, so that was my goal.”

Her friend and fellow competitor Kim Rybak, of Huntersville, has a child about the same age and said their children and husbands waited patiently on the sidelines.