The Mattapoisett Lions Club's Harbor Days kicked off with more than 13 miles of sweat and grit by land and sea on Sunday, July 15 with the annual Mattapoisett Triathlon.

Approximately 131 competitors stormed Mattapoisett Harbor early Sunday morning for a quarter of a mile, pedaled for 10 miles, and then ran 3 miles around the village streets back to Town Beach..

According to organizers, the race was a blend of newcomers and experienced athletes  from across the area and beyond.

For Rob Haley, the triathlon organizer, one of the best sights of the race was seeing familiar faces.

“What’s great is that a lot of people come back every year,” he said.

Haley was also excited to see how the turnout impacted fundraising efforts. He said he expects to raise $8,000, around the same amount of money as was raised in the previous four years, to come from this year’s event. All of the proceeds will go towards Mattapoisett Lions Club charities.

With only 37 people registered two weeks ago, organizers were worried that the triathlon could be a letdown. But as the race drew closer, 94 more participants signed up.

“I think the weather had a lot to do with it,” Haley said. This year's event didn't have rain, but had some cloud cover.

Despite lacking sunshine, for parts of the race, Brian Hughes, 41, of Easton, shined for the second year in a row as the top racer with 51:38 minutes. Taylor Days-Merrill, 21, of Fairhaven, was only behind Hughes by 5 seconds. Merrill ended the swim with the lead and was faster than Hughes in the run, but falling behind cost him victory.

The women’s category was also neck and neck. Northeastern University triathlete Anders Broussard, 21, captured first place by 9 seconds. This was a major jump across the leader board from last year when she captured third behind Christina Dorrer,  of Rockville, Maryland.

Broussard wasn’t the fastest in the final stretch of running, but had enough of a lead to surpass Alice Binns, 29, of Brookline.

While Broussard zoomed past the competition with 4:01 minutes in swimming, 28:36 in cycling, and 22:36 in running, she was still able to take in her surroundings.

“All of it was really pretty,” she said.

Lead racers of both gender categories aren't town residents. However, the Lions Club did recognize the top athletes of Mattapoisett. Nicole Harrington, 44, was the top female Mattapoisett resident in the race (59:09 minutes), and Rich Mark, the top male resident (1:03:06 minutes).

The 2018 Mattapoisett Lions Club Annual Harbor Days Festival kicks off on Wednesday, July 18 with a concert in Shipyard Park and a strawberry shortcake social from 7 to 9 p.m. and continues with events and activities through Sunday, July 22.