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Races so popular there's no room left

ST. PETERSBURG -- How popular has the St. Anthony's Triathlon become? This year, organizers may end up hanging the "no vacancy" sign on all three races.

Sunday's age-group race has been closed since Jan. 2, its nearly 2,000 spots filled in record time. Last year's amateur event also had a full field, though the pro race could have accepted a few more.

That's not the case today. With the 2004 Athens Olympic Games inching closer and the 2002 International Triathlon Union World Cup season getting underway, St. Anthony's was besieged with entries from pros all over the world.

St. Anthony's race director Steve Meckfessel said nearly 100 men and 100 women expressed interest, though ITU policy requires smaller fields. Last year 25 women and 52 men competed, today about 55 and 85 will start.

"We didn't imagine it would grow to this stature, but we thought the possibilities were endless," Meckfessel said. "And this event has added a lot of value to our Sunday event. The (amateurs) come in for the weekend and watch the best compete right here."

Full fields do not appear limited to the .93-mile swim, 24.8-mile bike and 6.2-mile run events, however. Today's Meek & Mighty race for youths and first-time triathletes is close to its limit of 500.

"After (Friday's) late registration, we expect to be right near that point," Meckfessel said.

BACK IN THE HUNT: Who knows, perhaps a future ITU World Cup competitor will be in the Meek & Mighty races. After all, Hunter Kemper was in the late 1980s.

Now the Longwood native is the No. 2-ranked U.S. triathlete and has returned to St. Anthony's to try to match or better his 2001 second-place finish.

Kemper, 25, didn't think he had trained enough before last year's race to compete for a spot on the winner's podium, yet found himself running alongside the leader in the closing miles. He ended up second behind Canadian Simon Whitfield but was excited with his best finish in a World Cup race.

"This was one of the races that made my season, that and the national championships in August in New York, which I won," the Lake Highland Prep graduate said. "I got sick in the middle of the summer and never got into the flow of the year, but it was a good start."

Since February, Kemper has been training at the U.S. Olympic center in Colorado Springs, Colo., and returned to Longwood about a week ago to get reacclimated to the Florida heat. He said he's ready, but not exactly welcoming the near-90-degree temperatures expected.

"I can't say I prefer it anymore," Kemper said. "I've had some really good races in the heat, but being that I'm coming from Colorado I'd probably prefer it not to be so humid."

Kemper is one of nine members of the U.S. top 10 competing, along with top-ranked Joe Umphenour of Seattle. Whitfield is not racing because of an injury.

BARB WIRED: Eight of the top 10 U.S. women are entered, led by No. 2 Barb Lindquist of Victor, Idaho. She's coming to St. Petersburg from Australia, where she spent the winter training and competing in seven triathlons.

The ITU World Cup season kicked off April14 in Geelong, Australia, and Lindquist finished second. She believes that experience, plus a St. Anthony's bicycle course that includes four turns in each of its eight laps, could pay off big.

"There's 32 turns you can accelerate out of, that's one of my strengths," said Lindquist, who is ranked third in the world. "The first race of the season is always a shock to the system, and having to sprint 32 times off a corner should be a little wake-up call."

Canadian Carol Montgomery, No. 5 in the world, is returning to defend her 2001 St. Anthony's title.

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