Posted: February 27, 2005

Triathlon:Defending champion Jones, 2000 Olympian Zeiger to compete at the 2005 Ralphs California Half Ironman

OCEANSIDE, Calif.-Defending champion Michellie Jones (Australia) and 2000 U.S. Olympian Joanna Zeiger (Boulder, Colo.) will compete at the 2005 Ralphs California Half Ironman scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 19 in Oceanside.

Jones, the 2000 Olympic silver medallist in triathlon, has made a successful transition to long-course racing.

In 2004 won both the Ralphs California Half Ironman and the Ironman Florida triathlon, posting an overall time of nine hours, 28 minutes and 34 seconds to win the first Ironman title of her career.

Jones bested an all-star field to win the 2004 Ralphs California Half Ironman, posting an overall time of four hours and 34 minutes.

The 33-year-old Jones is a two-time ITU World Champion and has won 10 ITU World Cup events in her long and illustrious short-course career.

Zeiger ranks as one of the top U.S. females that compete at the Ironman-distance.

Most recently the 34-year-old Zeiger finished second at the 2004 Subaru Ironman Canada Triathlon held in Penticton, B.C.

Zeiger also finished fifth at Ironman Florida and second at Ironman USA Lake Placid in 2001, and was fifth overall at the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in 2000.

The 34-year-old has also been a standout at the Olympic-distance finished 4th at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

The duo joins an outstanding women’s field which features, among others, 2004 Ironman Wisconsin champion Nicole DeBoom (Lyons, Colo.), 2004 Ironman USA Lake Placid champion Kate Major (Australia) and two-time Ironman Wisconsin champion Heather Gollnick (Hartford, Wisc.)

The Ralphs California Half Ironman will take place for the fourth time in 2005 in Oceanside and on neighboring Camp Pendleton. More than 2,000 athletes are expected to take part in the event.

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