Posted: March 18, 2006

Triathlon: Australians claim titles at Ford Ironman 70.3 California

OCEANSIDE, Calif.-Australians Luke Bell and Michellie Jones claimed the men's and women's titles respectively at the Ford Ironman 70.3 California Triathlon held on Saturday in Oceanside and on neighboring Camp Pendleton.

The event took place for the fifth time in Oceanside, as 2,033 athletes braved cold, rainy morning conditions to compete for 20 qualifying spots to the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, as well as a $30,000 pro prize purse. Also up for grabs were 150 qualifying spots to the new Ford Ironman 70.3 World Championship being held in November in Clearwater, Florida.

Bell, who was second in the Oceanside event in 2004, posted an overall time of three hours, 58 minutes and 24 seconds, more than five minutes faster than second-place finisher Andy Potts (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Potts was the first athlete out of the water on the swim, before being overtaken on the bike by Bell. Potts also recorded the fastest run time of the day (1:14:14).

England's Spencer Smith finished a strong third overall with a time of 4:05:20 with Swen Sundberg of Germany fourth (4:08:51) and Trenton Tollakson of Urbandale, Iowa fifth in 4:10:04.

Jones claimed her second Ford Ironman 70.3 California women's title in the past three years, posting an overall time of 4:30:43. Jones, who finished second overall at the Ford Ironman World Championship in October, has finished in the top-three at the Oceanside event each of the past three seasons.

Desiree Ficker (Austin, Texas) finished second in 4:36:06, with Erika Csomor (Australia) third in 4:39:37. Alexis Waddel (Seaside, Calif.) was fourth in 4:42:41 and Dede Griesbauer (Boston, Mass.) fifth in 4:46:18.

For more information on the Ford Ironman 70.3 California triathlon, log onto www.ironmancalifornia.com.

Ford Ironman 70.3 California Triathlon - Sunday, March 18, 2006, Oceanside, Calif.

Top Ten Men
1.        Luke Bell, Australia, 3:58:24
2.        Andy Potts, Colorado Springs, Colo., 4:03:16
3.        Spencer Smith, England, 4:05:20
4.        Swen Sundberg, Germany, 4:08:51
5.        Trenton Tollakson, Urbandale, Iowa, 4:10:04
6.        Michael Lovato, Boulder, Colo. 4:11:33
7.        Richie Cunningham, Germany, 4:11:55
8.        Luke Dragstra, Encinitas, Calif., 4:11:58
9.        Greg Krause, Denver, Colo., 4:12:21
10.        Josiah Middaugh, Vail, Colo., 4:12:56

Top Ten Women
1.        Michellie Jones, Australia, 4:30:43
2.        Desiree Ficker, Austin, Texas, 4:36:06
3.        Erika Csomor, Australia, 4:39:37
4.        Alexis Waddel, Seaside, Calif., 4:42:31
5.        Dede Griesbauer, Boston, Mass., 4:46:18
6.        Kristanna Gough, San Leander, Calif., 4:50:08
7.        Hillary Biscay, Manhattan Beach, Calif., 4:52:12
8.        Beth Hibbard, Seal Beach, Calif., 4:54:25
9.        Charlene Waldner, Canada, 4:55:13
10.        Katja Schumacher, Germany, 4:56:41

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