WOODCOCK TOWNSHIP — So will The Dam Tri be back next year?

“Absolutely,” said Chip Fuller, one of the event’s organizers.

Good thing, too. Otherwise, he and the rest of the event’s coordinators — which included Kristoph Kocan, Nina Bell and Steve Bell — would have a lot of disappointed people to answer to.

The new triathlon, held in its inaugural form Sunday at Woodcock Creek Lake, was a resounding success. It drew approximately 400 competitors, and Fuller estimated there were about 1,500 people total in the main staging area at Col. Crawford Park.

“We were overwhelmed with what it turned into,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like it around here.”

Many of those folks said they were looking forward to returning in 2010.

“This is the best organized first-time race I’ve ever been to,” said John Brockenbrough, of Murrysville, Pa, who raced in the men’s Elite division and finished second.

“This was better organized than a lot of races I’ve been too and this is their first year. I just hope they can keep it going. Because, in my opinion, it was wonderful.”

That’s saying a lot, especially considering the logistical breadth of this type of event; like the kayakers and scuba team monitoring the 1.5K swim, or the emergency services folks directing traffic around the 40K bike race, or the volunteers along the 10K running course.

“We made shirts for 70 volunteers, and we had more volunteers than we had shirts,” Fuller said.

A real treat for the racers was the scenery around the Woodcock Dam area.

“This is so beautiful down here,” said Erie’s Pamela McCormick, who was the top female finisher in the race’s Elite class “I had no idea this was so close to Erie.”

McCormick wasn’t the only one.

“This is one of the most beautiful places,” said the day’s oldest competitor, 75-year-old Joyce Quadri. “And I’ve lived in Erie all my life and I never imagined how nice this place is.”

Yet, while Woodcock was easy on the eyes, it was brutal on the legs.