GLADSTONE — It was like a blast from the past Saturday as a familiar face became the winner of the inaugural MISH Triathlon.

Justin Vasseau of Marquette, winner of several area triathlons in the 1990s, covered Saturday’s three-mile kayak, 13 1/2-mile bike and five-kilometer run course in one hour, 37 minutes, four seconds.

“This brings back a lot of memories,” he said. “I remember doing the Summer’s Done and Summer’s Almost Done triathlons down here. Overall, I was pleased with how everything went. This was a great race put on by a great company.”

Vasseau was followed by Scott Diment of Gladstone (1:37:22.6) and David Vanderlugt of Rockford, Mich. (1:42:27.4) in a race delayed a half-hour by rough water resulting from thunderstorms and windy conditions early Saturday morning.

“The canoe was interesting,” said Vasseau, noting past events started with a swim rather than kayak. “It was kind of crazy, but that’s okay. For me, the canoe and swim are about the same. Trying to keep the canoe straight was challenging, especially in the open water. The run was also challenging in the end.”

Samantha Frederick of Gladstone was crowned women’s champion at 1:56:42, followed by former Escanaba resident Krista O’Dell (1:57:39.2) of Monona, Wis. and Belinda Smith of Williamsburg, Mich. (2:04:42.6).

“It was fun, fast and beautiful,” said Frederick. “It’s a great course and the water was smooth and beautiful after the storm. It calmed down nicely right before the race. I trained a lot for this. I just went out hard and gave it all I had. It wasn’t hot, but the humidity made it challenging.”

The event, which drew 72 individual entrants and a pair of three-person teams, was run under cloudy conditions with temperatures near 70.

The summary:

Male

Top three — 1, Justin Vasseau, Marquette, 1:37:04; 2, Scott Diment, Gladstone, 1:37:22; 3, David Vanderlugt, Rockford, Mich., 1:42:27.

19 & under — Mason Frederick, Escanaba, 2:38:20.3; 20-29 — Daron Degrave, Bark River, 1:46:41.6); 30-39 — Eric Lundin, Gladstone, 1:51:05.3; 40-49 — Teddy Foote, Coldwater, Mich., 1:44:23.5; 50-59 — Steve Tarnowski, Roscommon, Mich., 1:44:00.8.

Female

Top three — 1, Samantha Frederick, Gladstone, 1:56:42; 2, Krista O’Dell, Monona, Wis., 1:57:39.2; 3, Belinda Smith, Williamsburg, Mich., 2:04:42.6.

20-29 — Georgia Frazier, Escanaba, 2:04:52; 30-39 — Jennifer Stenberg, Bark River, 2:06:55; 40-49 — Tracy Germain, Engadine, 2:05:40; 50-59 — Elizabeth Bosworth, Naperville, Ill., 2:23:08.5; 60-69 — Dodie Schneider, Manistique, 2:22:59.8.

Team relay — Brothers, Traverse City (Ralph, Karl and Pete Dollhopf), 1:45:38.