First 70.3 Championship set to be contested
Star-studded field will lead the charge at the inaugural Ford 70.3 Ironman World Championship
By T.J. Murphy
Nov. 10, 2006 -- Tomorrow morning, at 7 a.m. EST, a talent-rich pro field, followed by 1700 age-groupers, will launch themselves into the Gulf of Mexico and break open the bottle of the inaugural Ironman Triathlon 70.3 World Championship in Clearwater, Fla., The brand new championship -- course and all -- was built from the ground up in coastal city that is bordered by Tampa and St. Petersburg. And it is a talent laden pro field: USA's Chris Lieto, Britain's Simon Lessing, Australians Luke McKenzie, Chris Legh and Craig Alexander make up the front ranks of the men's field, while Canadians Lisa Bentley and Sam McGlone join American great Karen Smyers and Australian Kate Major in headlining the women's field (American Becky Lavelle, a favorite to vie for the championship, has withdrawn due to a broken finger).
Elites also on the starting list include: Paul Amey, Terenzo Bozzone, Mirinda Carfrae, Leanda Cave, Richie Cunningham, Michelle Dillon, Kieran Doe, Laura Drake, Nina Eggert, Amanda Felder, Christine Fletcher, Heather Gollnick, Yvette Grice, Dede Griesbauer, Hubert Hammerl, Kelly Handel, Mathias Hectht, Alice Hector, Herve Banti, Pete Jacobs, Matt Lieto, Nicolas Lebrun, Katja Schumaker, Michael Simpson, Trenton Tollakson, Alexis Waddel and Viktor Zyemtsev.
The 70.3 championship has the eyes of the triathlon world upon it not just because of the talent it's bringing together for the race distance more well known as a "half-Ironman," but because many expect that how it plays out as an event will determine the future growth (or death) of the 70.3 series -- the 17 half-Ironman distance events that served as qualifiers for tomorrow's race. Considering how the global Ironman series came to being -- pulled into existence by the desperate desire triathletes had to race the Hawaii Ironman -- the 70.3 series is, from a focused point of view, a reversal of cart and horse. The question is: Will the Clearwater race be able to stir up the same kind of magic Hawaii does?
Much of the attention focused on tomorrow's race is on Clearwater itself. A popular tourist destination, Clearwater was named the Best City Beach on the Gulf of Mexico by Conde Nast Traveler, and features some 28 miles of sand and resorts.
While the 70.3-distance eats up only half the township than its big brother the Ironman could, the Clearwater community is still bracing for impact. Road closures will seal off a good chunk of the west edge of town, and the bike course extends across Clearwater and into Tampa. Bus service will be off-line in certain areas. An article in today's St. Petersburg Times is titled, "Clearwater's resolve to be tested." The Clearwater Mayor summed it up by saying, "This is enormous. Are there going to be some unanticipated things? Probably. But at the end of the event, we are going to be really pleased and really proud." "This is our Super Bowl," Kevin Dunbar, the Clearwater Parks and recreation director, told the Times. This is the biggest thing we've ever done."
The weather in Clearwater looks spectacular for tomorrow's race. At 8 a.m. today, triathletes out polishing off their taper were able to do some under sunny skies and in 60-degree temperatures. November is within the dry season of the Tampa Bay region, and Clearwater is able to boast that it sees an average of 361 days of sunshine per year.