BETHEL – Before the euphoria subsided and her weary muscles stiffened, Kimberly Keller was already hooked.

Sunday was her first triathlon, and it likely won’t be her last.

“I’m addicted,” said Keller, of North Conway, N.H. “I’m ready for the next one. I enjoyed myself the whole time. I just had a blast.”

A new twist in the 13th Annual Maine State Triathlon in Bethel was the addition of a novice division. It provided a classification for first-time triathletes. Keller ended up winning the women’s novice class. She finished in 1:38:10.5. Freeport’s Bonnie Johnson was second in 1:42:22.4 while Stacy Cimino was third in 1:44:09.7.

“It was awesome,” she said. “It was a lot of fun. The swimming was a piece of cake. It was enjoyable. I was in heaven because that’s my main sport. The bike was easier than I thought it would be, but the run definitely hurt.

“The hardest part was the transition from the bike to the run. Your legs feel like lead.”

Amanda Ivey of Oxford prevailed in the 19-and-under women’s class, winning the event in 1:36:14.6.

Edward Little coach Dan Campbell of Auburn finished fourth in the the men’s 50 to 59 class, cruising in at 1:51:9.9.

In the mixed team event, the Auburn team of Vanessa Williamson and John Grenier finshed fourth with a time of 1:29.48.6.

The event began with a 1,000-meter swim across Songo Pond. That was followed by a 15.5-mile bike ride down Route 5 and into downtown Bethel. The run was 3.1 miles through the cross-country trails at Gould Academy.

“I haven’t trained a whole lot, maybe the last month or so,” said Keller, who just started biking in the spring and was enticed to participate Sunday by friend Colleen McCarthy, who competed in the women’s 30-39 age group. “I ran and I biked. I was a swimmer growing up, a competitive swimmer.”

Michael Seymour, of Laconia, N.H., had been preparing since January. The Laconia Athletic and Swim Club offers training programs, and Seymour took advantage of those. He finished second Sunday in the men’s novice field. Portland’s Mark Goode was first with a time of 1:38:57.0. Seymour was second in 1:43:20.1. Bethel’s Bill White was close behind in third in 1:43:29.0.

“The swim was brutal,” said Seymour. “After that, it was all cruising from there. It’s a very long swim. It’s the longest open water swim I’ve ever done, but after that, I was doing okay.”

There were 10 men in the novice class and 32 women.

“A lot of my friends were doing it,” said Seymour of the sport.

“The thing I enjoy most about it was combining the swimming, biking and running, the variety of experiences and the healthy lifestyle you can create by doing that.”

Kim White knows how the newcomers to triathlons feel. She started competing last year and is already progressing rapidly. She was the top overall finisher Sunday with a time of 1:25:31.0.

“I knew I had a lot of competition, and it was anybody’s game,” said White, of Falmouth. “Once I was on the bike and just hammering through, then I knew because I’m a strong runner.”

This was White’s second try at the Maine State Triathlon. She was seventh overall last year and was first in the 40-49 age group. She won the Lake Winnecook event in Unity earlier this month. She was second at the Shipbuilder’s Triathlon in Bath and first in her age group at the IronBear race at Bowdoin College. She’s been part of the Midcoast Multisport squad that helps train athletes for these events.

“I think a lot of it is being a strong athlete and a strong runner,” said White, who was a former marathon runner and has strengthened her training over the last year to expedite her progress. “It’s being able to train smart in three sports that you have to constantly balance out with three children and a job.”

Portland’s Chessell McGee was second overall in 1:28:18.3. Erin Brennan, also of Portland, was third in 1:28:27.1.

The men’s overall winner was Rob Smith, of Cape Elizabeth. Smith is the president of Midcoast Multisports and one of the state’s premier triathletes. He finished in 1:15:51.9 Sunday to win his second straight.

He also won the event in 1999.

“I wanted to just have a strong bike ride today,” said Smith, who has over 50 triathlons and six Ironman competitions under his belt. “I felt good on the bike. I came out of the water in second. The guy in front of me on the bike, I gradually closed in on him through the whole ride, and then we came in together.”

Two other members of the Midcoast team followed. Portland’s William Thomas was second in 1:16:41.5 while Scarborough’s Brian Pettingill was third in 1:17:29.9. Smith has proven to be difficult to beat. He’s won all four triathlon events in Maine this year. He also competes in New England events and is preparing for the Ironman competition in Hawaii in October.

Though he’s won four straight events this season, he’s trying not to count.

“I don’t worry about that,” he said. “I used to but not anymore.”