Press Room

Herbalife Triathlon L.A. -- Media Update

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Recreational, elite and professional triathletes will hit the Pacific Ocean off Venice Beach on Sunday, September 30 for the swim leg of the 13th annual Herbalife Triathlon Los Angeles. Designated by triathlon publications and websites as the Top Destination and Top Urban Triathlon in the United States, this year’s field is made up of competitors from 28 states, plus the District of Columbia, and 12 countries.

The Pros

The men’s pro field is led by returning 2011 L.A. champion Cameron Dye (USA). He will be chased by Americans Ben Collins and four-time Olympian Hunter Kemper. Dye, Collins and Kemper are 1, 2 and 3 in the Life Time Fitness Series Race to the Toyota Cup, separated by only 7.5 points. With four of the Life Time Series Top 5 women pros in town, the women’s competition, led by former Canadian, now American Alicia Kaye, will be wide open and, most likely, fiercely fought between Kaye, Australian Anabel Luxford, and Americans Jenna Parker and Jillian Peterson. The 43 pros, representing the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Bermuda, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands, will be competing for $40,000 in prize money.

For a complete pro list, click here.

Olympians in the Pro Field

Hunter Kemper (USA), 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 (has publically stated 2016 is possible)
Flora Jane Duffy (BER), 2008, 2012
Julie Swail Ertel (USA), 2008 triathlon, 2000 water polo (silver)
Maxine Seear (AUS), 2004

13-for-13 in L.A.

Fourteen local triathletes, all men and ranging in age from 38 to 63, can say “I’ve never missed a Los Angeles Triathlon!” They were on Venice Beach on Sunday, September 10, 2000 when the starting gun went off and they raced to the ocean to swim 0.9 miles, then stripped off their wetsuits, jumped on their bikes and cycled 24.8 miles across Los Angeles to downtown where they ran 6.2 miles finishing at Olvera Street (2000 – 2003) and later, L.A. LIVE! The 14 competitors who are 13-for-13 are:

13-for-13 in L.A.

Daniel Belson, Encino

Craig Cooper, Beverly Hills

Richard Crater, Agoura Hills

J. Emilio Flores, Van Nuys

Jason Gabelsberg, Redondo Beach

William Heise, Fullerton

Robert Husser, Topanga

Peter Reale

Wayne Joness, Culver City

Steven Ogata, San Gabriel

Steve Polley, Camarillo

Howard Roth, Porter Ranch

Frederic Uno, Los Angeles

Carl Warren, Woodland Hills

Bob Zeiger, Sylmar

Local Stories

There are a myriad of participant stories from across the Southland. Reasons for training, reasons for competing, raising money, overcoming health challenges, families, co-workers, teams. Everyone has a story. If members of the media are interested in talking with competitors from their circulation or broadcast area, please email jfambro@speedworksllc.com or call (310) 826-2962.

11 Months Ago …

The Herbalife Triathlon Los Angeles confirmed its date of Sunday, September 30 eleven months ago, getting approvals from the City, County, sponsors and fitting into the Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series Race to the Toyota Cup schedule. Many months later the closure of the 405 was confirmed for the race weekend. As every card player knows, “you gotta play the hand you’re dealt.” And, so must the triathlon. The greatest impact – although minimal – will be on participants coming from the San Fernando Valley. SFV competitors should make their way to Pacific Coast Highway and come down PCH. Since the starting gun goes off for the first wave at 7:15 AM, triathletes will be leaving their houses very early in the morning, and traffic will be light, but they should allow extra time to make the trip. Another option is to go into downtown and catch a shuttle from 12th and Figueroa to the Beach. Bikes are allowed on the shuttles. A third option is to enjoy a stay-cation and get a hotel in Santa Monica, Venice, Marina del Rey or nearby area. A fourth option is to phone-a-friend and ask to spend the night. And the fifth and final option is to ride your bike and get a pre-race warm-up in at the same time. The course itself has not changed in three years and is not impacted by the 405 closure.

The Course:

The course is point-to-point starting in the waters off Venice Beach where Venice Blvd. dead-ends into the Pacific Ocean, and ends in downtown Los Angeles at LA LIVE.

The event’s ranking as one of the top destination and top urban events in the country is because of the opportunity that competitors have of seeing historic venues from the vantage point of a bike saddle or on the ground running. Competitors ride pass the Helms Bakery building, bike through the Fairfax District and Koreatown, run among downtown’s soaring sky scrapers, past the renowned Disney Concert Hall and STAPLES Center, and finish at LA LIVE! Nokia Plaza.

Normally, L.A. surface streets are clogged with cars, but on this Sunday … it’s “sightseeing” in a way that very few get the opportunity to enjoy.

Olympic course distance: Swim 1500m (0.9 miles); Cycle 40k (24.8 miles); Run 10k (6.2 miles)
Sprint course distance: Swim 0.4 miles; Cycle 14.1 miles; Run 5k (3.1 miles)
Bike-only course: 24.8 miles
5K run

Street Closures on Sunday, September 30

The cycle and run portion of the triathlon is managed in three sectors, with streets closing and opening in waves as the competitors move from Venice to downtown. To ensure the safety of the competitors, spectators and vehicular traffic, L.A. Police Department and Department of Transportation officers will not allow vehicles to cross the course.

Sector 1 – Venice Beach, Venice Blvd. to Fairfax/Wilshire (approx.. 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM)
Sector 2 – Fairfax/Wilshire to Olympic/Cherry (7:10 AM to 12:15 PM)
Sector 3 – Olympic/Cherry to 1st/Grand Ave. (7:30 AM to 1:30 PM)

Street closure information can be found at

City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation: trafficinfo.lacity.org, Hotline Phone Number: (323) 224-6534
For a DOT map of the course by segments, click here.

Herbalife Triathlon Los Angeles Outdoor Sports & Fitness Expo

The 2012 two-day health and fitness Expo will be held in LA LIVE’s parking lot 7 at the corner of 11th and Figueroa streets in downtown L.A. It is free to the general public and all athletes competing in the Herbalife Triathlon Los Angeles must come to the Health & Fitness Expo to pick up their race packets. The Expo is a great place to find new and exciting merchandise, pick up last minute race needs or race gear, sample free food and other triathlon products and services, and attend workshops on the course and training.

Friday, September 28rd: 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Saturday, September 29th: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

The Finish Line Festival – LA LIVE! Nokia Plaza:

The Finish Line Festival at LA LIVE will be in full swing by 10 a.m. Sunday morning. Everyone is invited to come down and watch the competitors cross the finish line and enjoy the fun, sunshine, vendors, food and entertainment, and an awards ceremony at 12:30 PM. The event is free.

Athlete Registration:

Registration is open at www.Active.com until Thursday, September 27 at noon. Triathletes can still register for the event on Friday and Saturday, September 28 and 29 at the Health & Fitness Expo in downtown Los Angeles. The Expo is open to everyone. There is no day-of-event registration.

Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series Race to the Toyota Cup:

The Herbalife Triathlon Los Angeles is the sixth of seven events in the Race to the Toyota Cup in the 2012Life Time Triathlon Series. The total 2012 Race to the Toyota Cup professional division cash purse includes $574,000 in individual race awards including a 2012 Toyota vehicle and the coveted Toyota Cup. The final event of the 2012 Series is the Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon in Dallas, October 7. A premium of $1,000 is awarded for the fastest swim, bike and run in each Series event for both men and women.

Media Credentials and Media Information:

Media credential applications are available here.

or by emailing Jan Fambro at jfambro@speedworksllc.com

Twitter hashtag: #LATri

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Contact: Jan Fambro (310) 826-2962 office

(310) 308-6770 cell/weekend

jfambro@speedworksllc.com

www.LATriathlon.com

Twitter hashtag: #LATri

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