Hawai'i triathlon to get best in world

Advertiser Staff

The United States Olympic Triathlon Trials that will be held in Hawai'i has become a bigger deal.

The International Triathlon Union designated the April 18 event as a World Cup, meaning it serves as an international points race that will allow athletes from around the world to compile points to qualify for their country's Olympic team.

"It makes this probably, in an Olympic year, the biggest race leading up to the Olympics," said John Korff, the event organizer. "We'll have the best (Olympic) triathletes in the world here."

The trials will feature a 1-mile swim, 25-mile bike and 6.2-mile run in Waikiki. Conditions along the race are similar to conditions Olympians will encounter in Athens, Greece, Aug. 13 through 29.

Olympic triathlon distances differ from Ironman Triathlon distances. Those races feature a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run.

Korff said the current field of 80 male and female elite Americans is expected to swell with the infusion of elite international competitors.

The top-ranked male and gold-medal favorite, Greg Bennett of Australia, has committed to coming to Hawai'i, according to a press release.

The top U.S. male and female finisher automatically qualify for the 2004 Olympics.

The Olympic Trials will begin at noon for elite women and 2 p.m. for elite men. They will be preceded by the 24-Hour Fitness Honolulu Triathlon, which is an all-comers, age-group meet starting at 6 a.m.

"It makes it a big deal in the age-group races," Korff said. "It's like playing a baseball game at Yankee Stadium right before the Yankees play the Red Sox.

"If I were an age-group athlete, whether if I were fast, slow, never trained at all, this would be like a once-in-a-lifetime experience ... to run on the same course, same day. This is Hawai'i's Olympic Triathlon version of the House That Ruth Built."

For more information, call Korff at 630-1950.