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Local finishes strong among top field

By JESSICA MUNDIE
Published July 19, 2006

Spin coach and bike fit expert Hank Campbell of St. Petersburg knew that last Sunday's Morton Plant Mease Triathlon would be a tough race. A hectic training and work schedule, along with a recent bout with the flu, caused Campbell to miss some valuable workouts leading up to race week.

Still, Campbell's fifth-place finish at the triathlon was respectable enough, considering the high caliber of competition.

At the inaugural Morton Plant Mease Triathlon (swim .3 mile, bike 13 miles and run 3.1 miles), locals such as Campbell (Team Chainwheel Drive), 27, knew they would be chasing two of the best professionals in the world.

The two Ironman superstars competing were former world champion and Ironman champion from England, Spencer Smith, 33, now living in Palm Harbor with his wife Melissa; and Ukrainian Victor Zyemtsev, a three-time Ironman Austria winner, who won Ford Ironman USA Coeur d'Alene in 1995 and is the current ITU Long Distance World Champion.

Zyemtsev, 33, who is training in Dade City, split the run in 16:12, then won in 55 minutes, 20 seconds. Local bicycle racers who train in Pinellas county with Smith cheered as the popular Englishman sprinted to the finish line second in 55:55.

Campbell was the top local, finishing fifth in 1:02:03, followed by Andres Munera, 35, of Tampa in 1:03:26 and Clearwater's Carey Rowan, 35, eighth in 1:04:09.

Bradenton's Heather Gollnick, 36, formerly of Hartford, Wis., was the top professional female, winning with ease in 1:04:02.

"I love living here in Florida now," Gollnick said. "My husband and I were bringing the kids back and forth, trying to spend winters training here in the bay area. We moved here several years ago. Sometimes I'm homesick for Wisconsin, but not in the wintertime, that's for sure."

Christina Noordstar (Team Hersports), 29, of Tierra Verde used her cycling strength on Clearwater's bridges to earn the elite division second place in 1:08:10; followed by elite division third place Kathy Frailing, 39, of Largo (Outspokin/BATS Team) in 1:08:24.

Florida's junior triathletes are among this season's top-ranked USA Triathlon racers in the country. The second-fastest women's time at Morton Plant Mease Triathlon was Alexandria Lechner, 19, of Clearwater in 1:05:23.

Coaches lined the finish line, including some from high schools in Clearwater, Tarpon Springs and Palm Harbor. Morton Plant Mease Triathlon attracted Florida's top juniors, some who are among the top five in USAT national rankings - Kailand Cosgrove, 15, Tarpon Springs, who finished sixth in the elite division, in 1:08:54; and Palm Harbor University's talented junior Graham Steele, 17, of Clearwater, who won the 15-19 division in 1:03:31, eighth overall fastest of the day.

Division winners included John Astrab, 23, of Tarpon Springs, 1:05:31; Jim Larson, 70, Clearwater, 1:30:42; Larry Yost, 76, Treasure Island, 1:37:13; Charles Lasley, 85, Belleair, 2:14:36; Clydesdale division winner Rick Downs, 40, North Redington Beach, 1:12:20; Jeff Allen, 36, Dunedin, 1:26:01; Male First Timer Tom Jensen, 43, Clearwater, 1:13:32; Mary Pulaski (Team Boston Bill), 55, Largo, 1:17:45; Annette Frisch, 66, St. Petersburg, 1:36:29; Jackie Yost (Team Hersports), 78, Treasure Island, 2:03:24; Athena division winner Jennifer Levy, 26, Safety Harbor, and Female First Timer Lora Yasova, 20, Oldsmar, 1:22:49.

YOST INVITED TO 70.3: Jackie Yost (Team Hersports), who is a USAT All-American and USAT national champion, recently was invited to compete in the inaugural Ford Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater on Nov. 11.

A last-minute check with the grandchildren's plans allowed Yost to accept.

"I really enjoyed the bike so much at the Morton Plant Tri, with all the bridges and all, I was not sure how I would do, but I sure did love the course out here," Yost said. "Mad Dogs Coach Roger Burke is going to train with me, and I'll get the the proper hill training so I can have a good race."

GAAL AT DANSKIN: Team Hersports had to carry on without elite member Brianne Gaal. After returning from six months of training and racing in Australia with husband Marty, Brianne raced at Denver's Danskin Women's Triathlon, where she placed second overall among the field of 2,000 women.

Last June, Briane Gaal (formerly Northside Christian state cross country running champion Brianne Harrington) won overall titles at both the Subaru Women's Triathlon and the Madeira Beach Triathlon, followed by a second-place finish at the USAT National Championships in Kansas City, Mo., on July 8. At USAT Nationals, Gaal was named to Team USA, and will compete at the ITU World Triathlon Championships, in Lausanne, Switzerland, this September.

TOP GUN: Florida Race Place Magazine publisher Joe Fernandez of Tampa will play host at the sixth Annual Top Gun Triathlon on Aug. 5 at Fort DeSoto Park. Race distances are swim .25 miles, bike 11 miles, and run 3.1 miles.

To volunteer or register, call Fernandez at (813) 874-7223 or check out www.topguntriathlon.com.

[Last modified July 18, 2006, 20:59:58]