Kemper, Lindquist and top triathletes look for Race of a Life Time
Posted Thursday, 14 July, 2005
Story from USAT
While they are friendly away from the course, Hunter Kemper and Barb Lindquist will be fighting tooth and nail for the same prize on Saturday in Minneapolis, Minn., at the Life Time Fitness Triathlon.
Moreover, they will both be fighting a stellar field of triathletes for that prize as well.
The Life Time Fitness Triathlon's "Equalizer" format means that the women's field gets a head start on the men, in hopes that the two genders will be battling for the finish. In 2004, the head start was 11 minutes, 9 seconds. The race is the intermediate distance of a 1.5K swim, 40K bike and 10K run.
The Life Time Fitness Triathlon also has the largest purse of any in triathlon. This year, the total purse is $500,000, with the overall winner (whether it's a man or a woman) getting $160,000 in cash, plus a 2005 Toyota 4 Runner valued at $40,000.
However, the women have won all of the first three races. Lindquist (Alta, Wyo.) won the first two races, taking home $50,000 in 2002 and $250,000 in 2003.
In 2004, Lindquist finished third to Australia's Loretta Harrop and Rina Hill. Kemper (Longwood, Fla.) had his best Life Time finish in 2004, placing second among the men and fifth overall.
Kemper is on a hot streak heading into the race, having ascended to the No. 1 world ranking and finishing on the podium in five out of six races so far. But the national and international competition will be tough.
The six medalists from the 2004 Athens Olympics are on the start list, including women's bronze medalist Susan Williams (Littleton, Colo.) from the United States.
The other U.S. athletes on the start list are Laura (Reback) Bennett (North Palm Beach, Fla.), Becky Gibbs Lavelle (Cupertino, Calif.), Joanna Zeiger (Boulder, Colo.), Andy Potts (Princeton, N.J.), Matt Reed (Boulder, Colo.), Greg Remaly (Bloomsburg, Pa.) and David Thompson (Appleton, Minn.).
NBC will be presenting same-day coverage of the race at 2 p.m. Central Daylight Time.
For more information, go to www.ltftriathlon.com.
Kemper in USA Today
U.S. elite triathlete and two-time Olympian Hunter Kemper, ranked No. 1 in the world, is featured in the July 13 issue of USA Today.
You can also view the story online at www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/front.htm.
Facebook 
Twitter
i