Reback, Bennett, Kemper Discover Treasure
Engaged elite triathletes Laura Reback of the United States and Greg Bennett of Australia shared victory for the first time while Hunter Kemper regained the title of U.S. elite national champion Saturday at the Treasure Island ITU International Triathlon.
The race was the finale of the 2003 USA Triathlon Race to Athens series, in which athletes race for International Triathlon Union (ITU) ranking points good toward Olympic qualifying. It also served as the U.S. elite national championship and a qualifier for the U.S. team for the triathlon world championships in December in New Zealand.
The United States swept the women's race, as Reback (North Palm Beach, Fla.), ranked No. 3 in the world, won in 2 hours, 4 minutes, 27 seconds. Joanna Zeiger (Boulder, Colo.) finished second in 2:05:30 and Becky Gibbs Lavelle (Cupertino, Calif.) was third in 2:05:39.
Reback and Bennett had not been planning to race at Treasure Island, but decided the cold waters of San Francisco (59 degrees) would be a good test prior to New Zealand, which is also expected to have chilly water temperatures.
The dual victories, and Reback's U.S. national championship title, was a bonus.
“(The dual victories) really mean a lot to us," Reback said."We've been trying for a long time."
Reback led Lavelle and Zeiger out of the swim and formed a pack with them on the bike. Susan Williams eventually caught up with the lead pack to form a U.S. juggernaut. Despite a difficult bike course with a hill and several tight turns, the leaders increased their edge to more than a minute.
“I felt great on the bike. I've really been working hard on it," Reback said.
Reback took the lead as she left transition and never looked back.
Things weren't quite as easy for Bennett, who exited the swim in seventh and rode with the lead pack on the bike. By transition, the chase pack had caught the leaders and a group of about 20 riders entered the second transition. Bennett left transition behind New Zealand's Matt Reed, but passed him on the first of two laps and went on to win in 1:52:38.
Kemper stayed on Bennett's heels to finish in 1:52:58. As the first U.S. male finisher, he regained the U.S. national championship title he won in 2001, but lost in 2002.
“(The title) was pretty much the only reason why I was here. It was a big deal for me," Kemper said.
Great Britain's Simon Lessing, the defending Treasure Island champion, finished third in 1:53:13.
The United States will send six men and six women to the world championships in December in New Zealand. The top three ranked men and top three ranked women qualified automatically. On the women's side, that was Barb Lindquist (Victor, Idaho), Sheila Taormina (Livonia, Mich.) and Reback. On the men's side, the qualifiers were Kemper, Joe Umphenour (Bellevue, Wash.) and Doug Friman (Tucson, Ariz.).
Joining the women's team on Saturday were Zeiger, Lavelle and Susan Williams (Denver, Colo.) who placed fourth overall.
Joining the men's world team with their finishes on Saturday were Brian Fleischmann (Jacksonville, Fla.), who finished fourth overall, Victor Plata (San Luis Obispo, Calif.), who finished fifth overall and Marcel Vifian (Santa Rosa, Calif.), who finished seventh overall.
The race qualified two U.S. under-23 athletes for the world championships. Greg Remaly (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) and Kelsey Withrow (Woodinville, Wash.) qualified for those spots.
Complete results are printed at www.tricalifornia.com www.tricalifornia.com .
