Triathlon: Auto racing standout Kanaan to compete at the Ralphs California Half Ironman

OCEANSIDE, Calif.-Auto racing standout Tony Kanaan (Brazil) will compete in the 2004 Ralphs California Half Ironman taking place in Oceanside on Saturday, April 3.

The 29-year-old Kanaan is one of the top performers in the open-wheeled racing circuit, finishing in fourth-place overall on the IRL (Indy Racing League) circuit in 2003 and posting a win at the Purex Dial Indy 200 back in March of 2003.

Kanaan also finished ninth overall in the CART overall standings in 1998 and 2001. Kanaan is a member of the Andretti Green Racing Team, and has been competing in major circuit racing since 1998, when he made his debut on the CART circuit.

The Brazil native, who currently resides in Miami, Fla., has competed in sprint-distance triathlons, but will be competing in his first half-Ironman distance event at the Oceanside event.

“It is always great to see athletes from other sports compete in our events,” said Ironman North America President Graham Fraser. “We expect that we will continue to see more and more athletes like Tony looking to take the challenge of competing in an Ironman.”

The Ralphs California Half Ironman triathlon takes place for the third time in Oceanside and on neighboring Camp Pendleton. More than 2,000 athletes from around the world are expected to compete. Athletes will be competing for 20 qualifying spots to the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, as well as a $25,000 pro prize purse.

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