With snow falling on the patio of the Rochester Hotel, The Ultra Sexy Steam Swimdown got off to a slow start.
Friday’s chilly, wet weather wasn’t ideal for a swimsuit contest, but in the end, a lineup of five participants – two women and three men – braved the elements to strut their stuff in front of a sizable crowd.
Event organizer Ashley Sheppard said she wasn’t surprised more men than women participated.
“It’s Durango,” she said.
First place for women went to Mariah Suneson, who with her friend Kala Hunter decided Friday morning to “get some swimsuits and dress up.” Hunter, of course, took second place.
Suneson said it feels great to win. “The odds were in our favor,” she said.
Sheppard planned to award first and second place for men and women, but a tutu earned the third-place man an honorable mention.
Mark Hayden