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LTF Triathlon Report: Try, Tri Again

Hunter Kemper claims victory at last in the face of tough competition – and even tougher temperatures.

The scorching mid-90s heat and sizzling pro lineup made for another memorable Life Time Fitness Triathlon in Minneapolis on July 15. After several attempts, the world's No. 1–ranked triathlete, American Hunter Kemper, won the Battle of the Sexes title with an equalizer-adjusted time of 1:59:33 and an actual time of 1:49:44. He clinched his victory with a 12-second lead over the second-place finisher, Ukrainian Volodymyr Polikarpenko, and a full minute ahead of the first female, Australian Emma Snowsill, who finished ninth overall with a time of 2:00:34.

"This race is huge because of the prize purse and the field," Kemper says. After placing eighth overall in this race in 2003, fifth in 2004 and third in 2005, Kemper felt due for a win. "For me," he says, "disappointment is a podium finish – second or third – so it felt good to be on top."

The pro race field comprised 39 professional athletes from across the globe. They included defending champion Craig Alexander of Australia; 2004 Olympic gold medalists Hamish Carter of New Zealand and Kate Allen of Austria; the 2005 U.S. Pro National Champion Becky Lavelle; the world's No. 1–ranked woman, Vanessa Fernandes of Portugal; and 2000 Olympic gold medalist Simon Whitfield of Canada.

Life Time Fitness offers the largest triathlon prize purse in the world at $500,000. Among the rewards were $170,000 in cash and a Toyota RAV4 worth $30,000 for Kemper. Snowsill, meanwhile, pocketed a cool $80,000 for her first-place women's finish.

The Great Equalizer
This year, the female pros started 9 minutes and 49 seconds ahead of their male counterparts. The women were off to a good start when American Sara McLarty posted the fastest women's swim split in 18:06 – only four seconds slower than the fastest male swimmer, American Andy Potts. Snowsill emerged from the water in seventh and worked her way up to fourth after the bike, in part because she had the fastest transitions among the women. Julie Dibens of Great Britain was out of the second transition first, followed closely by Lavelle. Snowsill and American Laura Bennett took off on the run more than a minute later with McLarty and American Sarah Haskins on their heels. Snowsill quickly picked off Lavelle and Dibens, but by the end of mile three, Kemper was encroaching, just 18 seconds behind her.

The equalizer format allows the women to start the race ahead of men by a designated time margin that's determined each year, based on previous Life Time Fitness Triathlons, personal records of the professional participants and results from various international-distance triathlons around the world. Men work to close the gap throughout the race, ideally ending in a sprint finish at the end.

This year that gap might not have closed on the women if it weren't for Minnesota-based professional triathlete David Thompson, who was last out of the swim but rode fast and furious to take the lead on the bike. His 55:40 bike split was nearly a minute ahead of the other men. And he set a pace only two others – Kemper and Andrew Johns of Great Britain – wanted to follow.

"David Thompson was tremendous," Kemper says. "Our bike group was just kind of hanging there until he came through. It really changed the dynamic. He made the race and shook it up."

Thompson caught the lead cyclists around mile 12. "I gave it all I had on the bike. Once I caught them, I rode through them all and got out in front. At that point I was trying to make sure I had a gap, because I know those guys can run." Thompson exited the transition area with Kemper, who soon ran into the lead, and by the end of mile two, the field began to pass up Thompson.

He says the heat got to him, as it did many other pros and age-groupers. "My legs felt it from start to finish," Thompson says. "Even the water was hot." Indeed, the water temperature registered 82 degrees F.

Record Heat on Race Day
The sultry weather led race officials to shorten the Olympic-distance course for all but the pro and elite-amateur competitors. Normally a 1,500-meter swim, 40-kilometer bike and 10K run, the amateur course became a 1,500-meter swim, 34K bike ride and 5K run instead.

"Because we took those steps, we had a lot fewer medical situations to deal with this year compared to last," says race director Marilyn Franzen. In 2005, similar conditions caused some 40 participants to be treated for heat-related problems.

In addition to shortening the amateur course, Franzen says, they added two additional water stations to the six that had been planned for the 3.1-mile loop run course. Three of the aid stations had misters, and a fire-truck hose was strategically placed on the course to rain cool water on the racers as they went by.

Franzen believes experience also played a role in keeping heat-related complications to a minimum. "The folks who raced last year – as well as the production and medical teams – were better prepared to face it again."

While some athletes were disappointed in the abbreviated course, most appreciated the accommodation: Start times for most racers came well after 9 a.m., when temperatures had already reached into the 90s and the heat index felt closer to 100 degrees F.

"I had fun, but I didn't push myself because I was freaked out by the heat," says age-group athlete Sara Martin, 34, from Minneapolis. "Thank goodness they shortened the course. I think I would have stopped after three miles anyway!"

Amazing Age-Groupers
Approximately 2,700 athletes competed in various divisions, which cater to all levels and abilities. The elite amateur division (which, like the pro race, was not modified) was established to support "up-and-coming" athletes. The amateur Olympic-distance event also included divisions for Clydesdale and Athena athletes (more than 200 pounds and 145 pounds, respectively), a sprint-distance race comprising a 0.4-mile swim, 15-mile bike and 5K run, and relay teams for both distances.

Although there wasn't an official physically challenged division, several challenged athletes competed, including a Team Ortho blind relay team and Rudy Garcia-Tolson, a 17-year-old double above-the-knee amputee from Bloomington, Calif., who was selected as one of Teen People magazine's "20 Teens Who Will Change the World" in 2003.

There were many other inspiring athletes, including 88-year-old Mary Stroebe, who has competed in four Life Time Fitness Triathlons; 14-year-old Joe Schneeman, who raced with 15 of his family members; and Anne Marie Seward, 53, a below-the-knee amputee and mother of three.

Even in the midst of daunting heat and intimidating competition, the heart and determination of athletes like these made some of the most lasting impressions of all.

Kara Douglass Thom is the author of Becoming an Ironman: First Encounters with the Ultimate Endurance Event (Breakaway Books, 2002).


SIDEBAR: Life Time Fitness Triathlon Pro Results

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