Triathlon champions overcome conditions

By: RICK HOFF - Staff Writer | Saturday, March 19, 2005 10:28 PM PST ∞

Ronnie Toth of Temecula feels the pain after finishing the Ralphs California Half Ironmen Triathlon held in Oceanside, Saturday.
Jamie Scott Lytle
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OCEANSIDE ---- Samantha McGlone came up with a winning formula to overcome the chilly rain that prevailed over the Ralphs California Half Ironman on Saturday.

"I was miserable out there," said the pro triathlete from Otterburn Park, Quebec. "I had to ride really hard to stay warm."

By riding really hard, McGlone stunned the women's field with her victory. Denmark's Torbjorn Sindballe won the pro men's division for the second time in four years.

The two champions led a field of nearly 2,000 pro, international and age-group triathletes who braved trying conditions that included gusty winds and a rain-soaked course.

"There were places where we were riding in an inch of water," said Sindballe, whose winning time was 3 hours, 59 minutes, 58 seconds for the half-Ironman distance, which includes a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride and 13.1-mile run.

Whereas Sindballe's victory was no big surprise, considering his experience on the course and at other Ironman events, the win by McGlone over a star-studded women's field was somewhat of a shock.

"My goal in any race is to win, but I didn't expect this to happen," said McGlone, 25. "I didn't think I was totally ready for this, but maybe being a bit cautious helped me out a little bit."

Signing up for the race just 10 days ago as one of the last entries, McGlone was timed in 4:28:15 in just her second attempt at the half-Ironman distance. She had the fastest bike time among the women (2:35:12) to overcome Australia's Leanda Cave, who led the bike portion until the final five miles.

McGlone finished with a margin of victory of more than three minutes over another surprising top finisher, Desiree Ficker of Austin, Texas. Ficker was the women's runner-up in 4:31:28 after passing defending champion Michellie Jones just over three miles into the run. Jones, a Carlsbad resident who represents her native Australia in international competitions, was third in 4:32:44.

"I just stayed centered and stayed inside myself," said Ficker, 28. "I was freezing on the bike, but you can't control the conditions. You have to focus on what you can control."

Jones actually ran a faster time than her winning mark of a year ago (4:34:00) by more than a minute.

"I didn't have a bad race at all," said Jones, 33, a two-time International Triathlon Union champion and a silver medalist in the 2000 Summer Olympics. "I felt a little sluggish on the run, but with the conditions, you use a lot more calories trying to keep warm."

Another Olympian from the 2000 Games, Joanna Zeiger, was second out of the swim right behind Cave, but Zeiger was tagged with a 2 1/2 minute penalty five miles into the bike for violating rules that govern staggering. Zeiger spent the rest of the race making up time and wound up sixth.

Cave faded to eighth.

San Diego's Jessi Stensland earned a 12th-place finish in her first attempt at this race.

Sindballe dominated the men's bike for 40 miles, then watched as Chris Lieto took the lead from there into the transition. Sindballe overcame a deficit of 1:18 just three miles into the half marathon to post the best run time of the day (1:14:36).

"I know this course, and I feel real good when I'm here," said Sindballe, 28, who hails from Horsholm, Denmark. "The weather was like Denmark, so it suits me fine. It was Viking weather."

Sindballe had a 4 1/2-minute margin of victory over Lieto, who was timed in 4:04:28. Germany's Timo Bracht was third in 4:07:13.

"Sindballe is an awesome runner," said Lieto, of Danville. "I have a lot of respect for him. I wanted to put in a good race coming off a stress fracture in my (right) femur. I have an Ironman race in three weeks (in Arizona), and this was a good starter race for me."

Luke Dragstra, who represents Canada and trains out of Encinitas, placed fifth behind Germany's Richie Cunningham.

The top age-group finishers Saturday were Jim Vance of San Diego and Amy Mills of Victoria, British Columbia. Vance, 28, was timed in 4:20:38, the 14th best men's mark overall. Mills, 22, had a time of 4:35:57, which would have placed fourth among the pro women.

Contact staff writer Rick Hoff at (760) 740-3545 or rhoff@nctimes.com.