Posted: May 11, 2004

Triathlon: Lovato, Cleveland To Compete at The Florida Half Ironman at WALT DISNEY WORLD Resort

CLERMONT, Fla.-Ironman standouts Michael Lovato (Boulder, Colo.) and Jamie Cleveland (Canada), will compete in the inaugural Florida Half Ironman at WALT DISNEY WORLDâ Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on Sunday, May 23.

Lovato posted the first Ironman win of his career by claiming the men’s title at the inaugural Ironman USA Coeur d’Alene triathlon in June 2003. Lovato overcame brutal conditions to post an overall time of eight hours, 40 minutes and 59 seconds to claim the title.

The 30-year-old also placed ninth overall at the 2003 Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii with an overall time of 8:36:56.

Most recently Lovato finished fifth at the Ralphs California Half Ironman in Oceanside, Calif., in early April.

Another in a long line of impressive Canadian triathletes, Cleveland won his first Ironman title of his career in November 2000 by claiming the Ironman Florida title with an overall time of 8:37:58. Cleveland also won the Canadian National Triathlon Championship and the New Balance Half Ironman in 2000.

In 2002, Cleveland posted a fourth-place finish at the inaugural Ironman Wisconsin triathlon in Madison, Wisc.

More than 2,000 triathletes from around the world are expected to compete in the inaugural Florida Half Ironman at WALT DISNEY WORLDâ Resort. Athletes will be competing for 30 qualifying spots to the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, as well as a $25,000 pro prize purse.

For more information on the event, log onto www.floridahalfironman.com.