Posted: June 25, 2006

Triathlon: Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon Cancels Swim, But Not The Excitement

American Thompson earns first pro victory while Cave takes home the women's crown

(PHILADELPHIA, PA — June 25, 2006) After a sprint race that went off flawlessly yesterday on the banks of the Schuylkill River, intense overnight rain affected the second annual Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon in Fairmount Park today. All week long river bacteria and pollutant samples had been taken, ensuring a clean swim, but then the unexpected: debris in the water. "When we arrived at the race site this morning, we took a look at the river and there was substantial debris floating in there," said race director Lars Beck. "The water itself never came to question, but we didn't want people hit by debris. Safety is our first concern."

Safety indeed was on ongoing concern of the day as the triathlon became a duathlon, and race organizers scampered to save the day, which they did perfectly, for the 2000+ racers, including a large contingent of Team in Training participants. It was announced at 6:30 a.m. that the sophomore-year race—and first-time pro event—would still go on as a 5K run / 40K bike / 10K run, with the latter two stages being identical to those of the planned triathlon. The only difference would be a 5K run that started at the original finish line and headed East, toward the art museum, before returning to the transition area for their run-to-bike transition.

The lineup at the starting line was impressive. Greg Remaly, Jimmy Archer, Jasper Blake, the green mohawked Will Kelsey and others tossed their swim caps to the side and readied themselves for the race as the female professionals—led by Ironman World Champion Karen Smyers, Leanda Cave, Laurie Hug and Nina Kraft. Starting together, the pack quickly dissipated, getting Canadian Jasper Blake to the front entering T1 in a small pack closely followed by Americans Jeffrey Boyd and David Thompson, Aussie Paul Matthews and Remaly. On the women's side, it was all about Cave and Kraft, who fought a tight battle on the first run stage of just over three miles.

The two-loop bike course, spitting athletes onto the lush green tree-lined parkway of Fairmount Park, saw the triathlon gods split the pack further, with Cave storming to a lead in the bike over Kraft and a third-place Smyers, while on the bike, Minnesotan Thompson flew into first place of the men when rounding the Philadelphia Museum of Art for the first time, just ahead of Blake. Remaly started to fade after a loop one, and pulled from the race when he arrived at transition. "I've had a tough few races this year," he said. "I pulled my calf at Alcatraz running barefoot to the first transition, and my back was spasming."

With Remaly gone, the race continued to be for second place, with Blake and Simpson trying to claim the second slot on the podium while the women's race was all but over settled; Cave's first, Kraft's second and Smyer's third positions would hold until the tape was crossed forty minutes later.

The cooler temperatures today provided little relief for the athletes as the humidity was still high. "It was like racing back home in Minnesota in July," said eventual winner Thompson. "Just with more humidity." The 28-year old took home his first win as a professional, though he's won nearly everything there is to win in his home state, which is regarded as one of the toughest states in which to compete.

"I don't think it's sunk in yet," said Thompson who will now gear up for the Life Time Fitness triathlon in Minneapolis. "Maybe it will on the plane with my [first-place] check?" The overall male and female winners of the Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon each took home $3,000. "All I know is that I'll be back here next year to defend my win. This was a great race, and the bike course was awesome." Thompson finished the duathlon course in 1:48:58.

Local crowd favorite Chris Martin of Princeton, New Jersey and last year's overall winner was a sentimental underdog with the new pro field. Early reports had Martin—who had placed 100th in last year's Hawaii Ironman—overcoming his start time deficit to be the overall winner.

The women finished strong, with Cave crossing the line first in 2:02:21, with Kraft on her heals just 1:50 back. "I was a bit concerned with the swim being cancelled," said Cave. "Kraft runs well, so I was relying on my bike most of the day. I hammered the second lap [to lose her] but running out of T2 I was surprised to see her coming in, so the first 5K of the [last] run I went flat out, and at the turn around, I knew I had it."

Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon - Olympic Event (5K run - 40K bike - 10K run) - June 25, 2006

Men's Results
1. David Thompson, 28, St. Paul MN, 1:48:58 ($3,000) 
2. Jasper Blake, 33, Canada, 1:49:56 ($1,500)
3. Michael Simpson, 23, Canada, 1:50:33 ($1,000)
4. Jeffrey Boyd, 27, Atlanta GA, 1:53:10 ($500)
5. Stephen Hackett, 24, Boulder CO, 1:54:15 ($250)
6. Todd Wiley, 36, Doylestown PA, 1:55:39 
7. Jonathan Salerno, 27, Colorado Springs CO, 1:56:40
8. Paul Krochak, 31, Canada, 1:57:07
9. Paul Matthews, 23, Australia, 1:57:16
10. Jimmy Archer, 34, Boulder CO, 1:57:17

Women's Results
1. Leanda Cave, 28, Colorado Springs CO, 2:02:21 ($3,000)
2. Nina Kraft, 38, Germany, 2:04:17 ($1,500)
3. Karen Smyers, 45, Lincoln MA, 2:06:07 ($1,000)
4. Malaika Homo, 28, Salt Lake City UT, 2:15:54 ($500) 
5. Laurie Hug, 41, Ambler PA, 2:17:11 ($250)

For information about the race, visit the Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon Web site at PhillyTri.com.

About the Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon
The Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon was founded in 2005 and is one of the largest triathlons in the country and is held in the city's historic Fairmount Park, in and around the Schuylkill River and the Art Museum. This year's triathlons will include 3,000 athletes racing on June 24-25, 2006 in the sprint, kids or sold-out Olympic-distance, which includes some of the world's top professionals. The race will raise an estimated $1 million for the two official race charities, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Oncology department and the Police Athletic League of Philadelphia, and for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through its Team In Training program. In addition to Philadelphia Insurance Companies and Accenture, sponsors to-date include: Cadence Cycling & Multisport Centers, Endless Pools, Nathan Human Propulsion Laboratories, UnitedHeatlthcare, Sorbothane Insoles, Penguin Sports Wash, AXA Financial Protection and Karr Barth Associates, Gatorade, Philadelphia Inquirer, Triathlete Magazine, Wissahickon Mountain Spring Water, Comcast, GU Sports, Great Harvest Bread Company, Winnie’s Le Bus in Manayunk, Healthplex Sports Medicine Institute, Zoot Sports, REI, Savran Bensen Certified Public Accountants and Kildare’s Pub in Manayunk. More information about the Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon can be found by visiting www.PhillyTri.com or by contacting pr@phillytri.com.

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