Triathlon: Auto racer Kanaan finishes the Ralphs California Half Ironman Triathlon

OCEANSIDE, Calif.-Auto racer Tony Kanaan (Brazil) competed a race of another kind on Saturday, completing the Ralphs California Half Ironman Triathlon taking place on Saturday in Oceanside, Calif.

The Brazil native, who currently resides in Miami, Fla., has competed in sprint-distance triathlons, but completed his first half-Ironman distance event in Oceanside on Saturday.

A half-Ironman triathlon consists of a 1. 2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike and a 13.1-mile run. Kanaan finished the event, his first attempt at the half-Ironman distance, in five hours, 56 minutes and 13 seconds.

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.

More than 2,000 athletes competed in the 2004 event, which was the third time that the event took place in Oceanside. Camp Pendleton played host to a full Ironman-distanced event in 2000 and 2001. A half-Ironman consists of a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike and a 13.1-mile marathon.

Athletes were 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.