For Immediate Release - 3/31/07 (from the Associated Press)

The first race of the triathlon season was held here in Oceanside today under almost perfect racing conditions. The past two years has been a little wet and cold, but not today. The sun came out early enough to make it tough to sight during the swim leg of this ½ Ironman event. Competitors were challenged to a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike and a 13.1 mile run. The swim was held in the 59 degree waters of Oceanside Harbor. The first wave of Professional Men went off at 6:40am, followed by many more waves of amateur competitors until 7:48am. The glare of the sun on the water made negotiating the swim course extra hard. Once out of the water competitors were off onto a rolling hills 56 mile bike ride through Camp Pendleton, into San Clemente and back to Oceanside Harbor to transition to a mostly flat 13.1 mile run along the ocean.

The KainIron and Kain ½ Iron Teams were here in force today. 27 competitors from the KP Team were ready to toe the line with an international field of competitors. The KP Team has been training hard for this event and many others since the first of the year. Many KP’ers were using the race as a tune up for Ironman events later in the year. With good race conditions, came some great race performances. Leading the charge for the KP Team was Wes “I went as hard as I could” Meyer. He set a PR by 30 minutes on this course with a 4:37, even with a stop to stretch out his back on the run. Next was Ahmed “the swim was tough” Hassan, who ran his best ½ marathon in a triathlon in 1:24 to finish in 4:47! Also coming in under the 5:00 hour mark was Mike “I felt good” Grimm, who placed 13th in the 45-49 age group with a 4:57! A new PR!

Also running to a new PR was Aron “it was the aero helmet” Cooperman. He was close to breaking the 5:00 hour mark with a 5:02! Close behind were Glenn "like a walk in the park" Blackler and Keith "I'll be ready for IM CDA" Kehl, who both PR’d in a stellar 5:07!

Leading the way for the KP Women (who outnumbered the KP Men 16 to 11), were: Melody Davila in 5:10 Sarah "another PR" Sawulski (5:20) Jill "Smiled the whole run" Stevenson (5:34). Charging through the 40+ womens field were: Kim "I hate cold swims" Hammett (5:21), Suzanne Slivkoff (5:26), Veronica Marzorini (5:28) Kim "PR in all three sports" Potter (5:30) Jana "PR by 30 minutes" Crane (5:50) Ingrid Wafelbakker(6:05).

Everyone on the KP Team looked great out on the course! Many KP members were attempting their first ever ½ Ironman, while many others were out to set a new PR!

Setting new PR’s:(Personal Records)

 

• Wes Meyer – 4:37 - by 30 minutes!
• Ahmed Hassan – 4:47 - 1:24 1/2 marathon!
• Mike Grimm – 4:57 - Sub 5:00!
• Aron Cooperman – 5:02 - 10 minutes off PR!
• Glenn Blackler – 5:07 - felt good!
• Keith Kehl – 5:07 - 2nd 1/2, look out CDA!
• Melody Davila – 5:10 - Paced Mike G. most of the run!
• Sarah Sawulski – 5:20 - New PR by 13 minutes! Look out IM CDA!
• Suzanne Slivkoff - 5:26 - Keeps getting easier!
• Jill Stevenson – 5:34 - “I felt great on the run”
• Kim Potter – 5:30 - PR’d all three disciplines!
• Jana Crane - 5:50 (New PR by 30 minutes!)
• Joanne Wicker - 6:26 (PR's by 15 minutes!)

 

Qualifying for the Ford 70.3 Ironman World Championships in Florida in November: Jana Crane – 5:50! PR by 30 minutes! Way to go Jana! Hard work pays off! Joanne Wicker – 7th in her age group! Next step - PODIUM!

Finishing a solid day’s work and loving every minute of it:

• Mikael Cars - 4:47 - 2:28 Bike! Nice!
• Kim Hammett - 5:21 - "I'm going short now"
• Jason Calvillo – "Fresh from Fiji" – 5:15
• Veronica Marzorini – 5:28 "Loved the run"
• Derek Rohlffs – "Not bad for only my 4th training day!" - 6:03
• Tami Richardson - 5:29 "I need an even longer bike"!
• Judy DeSherlia – “Had a great race B-Day!" - 6:22
• Ingrid Wafelbakker – "Glad I did it" - 6:05
• Carol Fredrickson – "One day I'll do this un-injured" 6:38
• Lori Bradford – "What a day!" - 6:49
• Josh Mader – 5:31 "Honu will be cake if I train"
• Nicky Barber – 5:45 - "finished on my toes"
• Mike Graham - 6:42 - "I love salt"
• Meredith Mortimer - 5:53 - 1st 1/2 Ironman!

Great job to all who went down and raced the Ford 70.3 Ironman in Oceanside! You all looked great and represented KP in a fabulous way! We had many great compliments on our KP Team down there, so way to go! For those who missed the trip, the entire KP Team down in Oceanside was invited to a "Post Race Party" thrown by Shimano and Triathlete Magazine. A fun time was had by all! Wildflower here we come, so get ready!