Posted: February 3, 2004

Triathlon: Ralphs renews title sponsorship of the California Half-Ironman for 2004

OCEANSIDE, Calif. - Ironman North America is pleased to announce that Ralphs Supermarkets has renewed as Title Sponsor of the California Half Ironman triathlon, which will take place on Saturday, April 3 in Oceanside and on nearby Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.

Ralphs Grocery Company was founded in 1873 and currently operates more than 460 conventional and warehouse-style supermarkets in California and southern Nevada, from its headquarters in Los Angeles. The company is a division of The Kroger Co. one of the nation's largest food retailers, based in Cincinnati, Ohio.

"Ralphs is pleased to return as the title sponsor of the Ralphs California Half Ironman," said Chuck Ackerman, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "The Ralphs California Half-Ironman is one of the premier triathlon events in Southern California and we invite not only the athletes, but the public to come watch the event and visit the Triathlon Expo where they can sample some of Ralphs healthy products as well as products from other companies."

The Ralphs California Half Ironman will take place for the third time in Oceanside and on neighboring Camp Pendleton. The event consists of a 1.2-mile swim in the Oceanside Harbor, 56-mile bike throughout the grounds of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, and a 13.1-mile run along the Oceanside strand before finishing at the Oceanside Harbor. More than 2,200 athletes have signed up for the 2004 event, which has already sold out and is quickly becoming one of the more popular Half-Ironman events in the world.

"The Ralphs California Half Ironman has become a staple event of our race calendar," said Ironman North America President Graham Fraser. "We are delighted to have Ralphs re-sign as Title Sponsor. They add tremendous value to the event, and their association has helped make this event so popular."

In fact the 2004 event sold out in early January, more than four months before the actual start date.

The Ralphs California Half Ironman has also featured some of the top triathletes from around the world, including current Ironman World Champion Lori Bowden, and past champions Tim DeBoom and Heather Fuhr. Professional triathletes will be competing for a $25,000 pro prize purse at the event in 2004.

The 2004 event actually marks the fifth year in a row that Ironman North America will host an event in the area, as 2000 and 2001 saw Camp Pendleton and Oceanside play host to a full-distanced Ironman event.

For more information about Ralphs, please visit our web site at www.ralphs.com.

For more information on the Ralphs California Half-Ironman, log onto www.ironmancalifornia.com.