Northpinellas: Bennett prepares rookies for race

Largo's Lewis Bennett led a group of rookie triathletes into the water off Fred Howard Park on Monday with life-saving equipment and the look of a determined triathlon coach.

"Some of these athletes are from Team In Training," Bennett said. "They are fundraising for the Leukemia Society.

"Two are doing the San Francisco Triathlon next month, but most are doing today's practice triathlon as first-timers -- for their debut at the Tarpon Springs Triathlon this Saturday," he said.

Bennett, a USA Triathlon certified coach, recently was named as the new head coach for Florida's Team In Training triathletes.

Bennett's own training time is running out. He has been preparing for the Great Floridian Triathlon XI, also known as Florida's Ironman. The national championship is scheduled for Oct. 20 in Clermont.

Bennett's group of 15 men and women swam the Tarpon Springs Triathlon course, exiting the water quickly and heading toward their "mock transition area."

Piles of towels, helmets, shoes, bikes and bottles were being monitored by Bennett's wife, Barbara, who worked as a course official.

After the bike/run segments were over, Bennett's group clustered around the water stop, asking the typical rookie questions about what to eat, how early to arrive at body marking and the dangerous possibility of a shark attack.

It was only after the last questions were answered that Bennett sent the final triathlete home, a woman who had to drive back to Naples. She said she met Bennett and his group on the internet site for the local chapter of Basic Training.

Running bridge overpasses at 5 a.m., teaching intense spin classes at the Bardmoor YMCA and training for an Ironman keeps the 56-year-old Bennett -- a Jabil executive and St. Pete Mad Dog -- in racing shape.

For information on Basic Training fitness programs, check Bennett's web site, www.trilewis.com.

TARPON SPRINGS TRIATHLON: The Tarpon Springs Chamber of Commerce will present the Tarpon Springs Sprint Triathlon at Fred Howard Park on Saturday. The first wave leaves the beach at 8 a.m.

The race distances are a .25-mile swim, 10.5 miles of cycling and a 3-mile run. Categories for top awards will include overall, masters, age groups, clydesdale men and women and relay teams.

The host hotel will be the Sheraton Four Points Hotel, 37611 U.S. 19 North, Palm Harbor, where there will be race packet pickup and registration Friday from 3-7 p.m. To contact the hotel, call (727) 942-0358.

For information, call Leif Lang, (727) 244-1037, or George Nicholas, (727) 868-4866.

ST. PETERSBURG TRIATHLON: Making it a triathlon double weekend, CFT/Sommer Sports will bring its final sprint event, worth double series points, to St. Petersburg.

The St. Petersburg Triathlon will be across from the downtown pier Sunday. The first wave hits the water at Spa Beach at 7:30 a.m.

The race distances are a .5-mile swim, 15 miles of biking and a 3-mile run. No race day registration will be allowed. Fred Sommer expects a field of 1,500. Sommer will play host to an interactive race expo at the St. Petersburg Pier noon-7 p.m. Sunday. If there are any entries remaining, they will be given at that time.

For information on the St. Petersburg Triathlon, call Sommer, (352) 394-1320, or check the CFT/Sommer Sports web site, www.triflorida.com.

BATTLE OF BRILLIANCE: The Tampa racing club, Team American Classic, and Kiefer Village Jewels will present The $7,000 Dade Battle Of Brilliance Criteriums in downtown Dade City on Oct. 14. The event will begin at 8 a.m.

For information on registration and volunteering, contact Ellen Kast at www.amclassic.com.

LOCALS IN CANADA: Marcia McClymont, 40, of Largo and Daphne Howard, 40, of Oldsmar will join 2,500 others in the 400-mile Pallotta TeamWorks Canada U.S. AIDS Vaccine Ride.

The event starts Wednesday in Montreal and ends Sunday in Portland.

McClymont, a runner-turned cyclist, has a tentmate in her daughter, Sarah, 22, a college student in Jacksonville. McClymont's sister, Melinda, will travel from Kansas to join them, cycling on the secondhand bike given to her by her family.

Howard, an accounting consultant who played football and basketball growing up in Dallas, never has participated in a ride of 100 miles and is hopeful she can get across the 102-mile Day 3 in the Green Mountains.

Each rider will raise at least $4,000 for innovative AIDS vaccine research.

Several locals have registered for the 2002 European AIDS Vaccine Ride, which will travel from Amsterdam to Paris in June. For information, check out www.bethepeople.com.

BIKE FLORIDA: Bike Florida Rally and Summitt is scheduled for Sept. 13-16 at Grenelefe Resort in Haines City. For information on the non-profit event, call (407) 343-1992 or go online to www.bikeflorida.org.

Back to North Pinellas news

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright

Special Links

Mary Jo Melone

Howard Troxler

From the Times
North Pinellas desks