Four years ago, while driving his daughter to swimming practice, an idea popped into Jim Young’s head. A resident of Ann Arbor, Young decided to get in the pool with his daughter, giving him some exercise and a chance to spend time with his kid.

The more time he spent in the pool, the more he enjoyed the water — and it didn’t take long for him to couple swimming with running and biking to join the local triathlon circuit. Although he says it’s a recreational pastime, Young was good enough for first place in the duathlon in the 45-49 division at the annual Waterloo Triathlon/Duathlon on Sunday in Grass Lake.

“I really enjoy it, but it’s pretty recreational for me,” Young said. “I try to fit it around my family life.”

Although he didn’t compete in the event that first introduced him to the local triathlon circuit.

“Well, when my daughter stopped swimming, so did I,” he said, laughing.

The duathlon — which Young finished with a personal best 1 hour, 38 minutes and 35 seconds, consisted of two runs and a bike portion, instead of the swim. He usually competes in four or five competitions every summer, but this was his first of 2010.

Like most of the runners at the Waterloo, Young had high praises for the challenging, but scenic course.

Mostly through back roads and trails — which aren’t a part of most races of this size — the running portion added a cross-country element, complete with hills.

Upon finishing, one breathless racer joked with fellow runners, “You know that hill on the back stretch? I looked up at it, like, ‘When is that thing going to end!’ ”

“I’ve done this course a couple of times, and I love it,” said Ann Arbor’s Melissa Sunderman, who won the overall women’s competition in the triathlon with a time of 1:35.42. “The trail run is just great.”

Most racers agreed that the toughest portion of the triathlon was the half-mile swim. The recent Southeast Michigan heat wave struck the Waterloo, raising the temperature of Portage Lake.

“I actually had a good swim today,” Sunderman said, who said that it was usually her weakest of the events. She sat in second place after the swim, claiming first before the end of the biking portion, never looking back.

Young’s first-place finish was even more impressive, considering the competition that the Waterloo traditionally draws.

“It was a pretty challenging race,” Jeremy Zeigler, of Ann Arbor, said. “All the heavy hitters in the area were out here today. … It definitely raises your level, and I’d be willing to bet that it was a fast day for a lot of people. It’s a confidence-booster when you do well against this kind of competition.”

But as competitive as the races can get, the local triathlon circuit is a very close-knit group. The Ann Arbor Triathlon Club had 12 competitors in the race yesterday, and there were several other clubs sporting their running jerseys in the field.

Because of that, most racers knew each other and enjoyed getting back together for the Waterloo. Afterward, race sponsors Elite Endeavors held a barbeque, and racers stuck around to chat and reminisce.

“Most of us out here train together, too,” Zeigler said. “So it’s great to get a chance to really compete against some of your friends, to see everyone push themselves.”

Zeigler, who finished third in the 30-34 division, has been competing in triathlons for about three years. It started as a dare between him and his brother, Nathan, and soon the two were signing up for Iron Man competitions all over Michigan.

Triathlon results | Duathlon results