Club Members Excel in Tri Nation Online Competition

With over 160 active members, the Gulf Winds Tri Club is competing in the Large Club class of Tri Nation Online competition in hopes of gaining the $1,000 first prize for the 2009 season which ends in November. As of October 1, the GW Tri Club had 14,418 points which placed it 5,148 points ahead of second place Mid-West Extreme Tri Club, Des Moines, IA. The club’s totals are also the most of any other tri clubs in any size category participating in the competition nationally.

Since the start of the current campaign, GW athletes have carried the club’s banner from Miami to Australia and have done well in overall and age-group competition. Heading the list of the club’s top competitors are Seeley Gutierrez, Stephanie Liles, Robin Safely, Sandy Holt, Shannon Coates, Loranne Ausley, Annie Bowman, Tammy Thompson, Robin Gibson, Jacque Meyers, Karen McBroom and Kathy Lindsay on the female side. Chuck Kemeny, Charlie Johnson, Tony Guillen, Frank Geraci, Terry Presnell, Colby Allen, Grady Smith, Sean Hudson, Chris Coutts, Michael Weyant, Kiko Citron, Doug Bell, Ian Briggs and Jeff Bowman have led the males.

Gutierrez finished 5th in the ITU World Championships in the 30 – 34 age group in Gold Coast, Australia. She also was first in the Memphis in May Triathlon, 2nd overall in the Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon and Red Hills Triathlon and 9th in the Elite Division of St. Anthony’s which was run as a duathlon in April.

Lilies competing in the 35-39 age group took 3rd in the Elite Division at St. Anthony’s, 1st overall at Red Hills, 2nd overall at Dunedin, 1st at the Gulf Coast Half-Ironman and 5th in the Elite Division at Morton Plant Meese.

Holt and Coates are two of the top young comers in the club racing in the 20-24 age group. Both have been outstanding performers this year. Holt, who qualified for the Foster Grant Worlds, Clearwater Beach has competed in seven events on three levels and has finished first in three races and the top three in six. In her two longest half Ironman races she took first at Lake Buena Vista in her age group and 10th at Augusta. Coates, who likes the shorter triathlons is undefeated in three races and is the only female to break the one hour mark in a sprint triathlon this season winning the Jacksonville August sprint in a blistering: 57:07. [The fastest male finisher from Tallahassee in this race had a time of: 55:57.]

Safely, who races in the 45-49 age group specializes in long-distance triathlons. Thus far in 70.3 races, she finished 3rd at Gulf Coast and a 7th at the ESI Ironman in Augusta, GA which guaranteed a spot in Clearwater Beach this November. She also was first in the Olympic masters division at the April Beach Blast and 4th at the HY-VEE Olympic triathlon in Des Moines, IA. Ausley who also races in the same age group finished first and second in the North Florida and Beach Blast Olympic masters division and 4th at the Olympic Hammerhead race. She also finished second in her age group in the Red Hills triathlon. Thompson also competing in this age group has raced nine times this season in three classes and won four times and finished in the top three on seven occasions. Gibson who divides her time between the 45s and Athena’s has two firsts and a second in the Athena’s and four third place finishes in her age group.

Myers has dominated the 50s age group with three top two finishes in sprint races in over 40 Athena and her age group. Lindsay, also in the 50s has three top three finishes in sprint and Olympic competition.

On the male side Kemeny competing in Elite and 30 – 34 age group competition is leading the pack with a great 5th place finish in 9:41:35 at the Louisville Ironman to earn a spot in the Ironman World’s at Kona, Hawaii. He also finished 5th in his age group at the 70.3 Ironman race at Lake Buena Vista.

Another 30 year old triathlon newcomer Charlie Johnson is burning up the circuit finishing with four firsts in two sprints and two Olympic races and faring well in his initial Elite competition against pros and Olympians at Morton Plant Meese and in the ESI Ironman competition. Triathlon vet Grady Smith another 30s racer is easing into his long distance races with a 7th place age group finisher in the New Orleans Ochsner Ironman race and a second place at the Gulf Coast 70.3 event.

In the men’s 35 three outstanding performers are keeping the GW tri club in the money. Kiko Cintron is almost unbeatable. He has curtailed his racing schedule in favor of raising a family but has still managed top finishes in four of the five races he entered including two overall firsts at Beach Blast and North Florida Olympic. First year triathlete Sean Hudson has finished in the top two at three events. He also likes the duathlon where he finished first in a race in his home state of Alabama. Another 35 that has been very successful is Chris Coutts who has four top five finishes.

Not to be out done by the younger guys Mike Weyant and steady Tony Guillen are setting the pace as top guns in the 40s. Weyant won the Red Hills masters and finished 3rd overall at Dunedin and did well in the Elite class at Morton Plant Meese before sustaining a shoulder injury in a bike training accident. Guillen who competed mostly Olympic and half Ironman events grabbed three firsts. Coutts has finished in the top five in four of his five races. Bell has had four top three finishes and Briggs two top five finishes in Olympic and 70.3 events. In the 45s, Bowman has finished third or better in four races winning two.

While most of the GW competitors range in ages from 30 to 50 years old, two top male performers are also holding down opposite ends of the age group dimension. In the Under 20 group, Colby Allen has vaulted to the top of the rung locally excelling in all levels of triathlons. In seven events he has five first places and just recently finished 5th in the prestigious Ironman Augusta. On the other side of the age group spectrum is Terry Presnell who is the club’s best 60’s competitor. He has placed in the top five in all his races and won three this season.

Besides these standout athletes, other club members have had good seasons in age group competition. In women’s 20 and Athena age groups, Lindsay Thomas has started her triathlon career off with a bang taking top three places in all three of her races. In the 25s Joe Sroka and Jennifer Ludwig have all had top three finishes in several races. In the 35s, newcomer Tom Derzypolski has had four top seven finishes in five events. While in the 40s Lisa Cox holds the honor of having entered the most events (11) thus far and finishing in the top six in all but one race. Along with Cox, other 40 year old females on the rise are Jo Curry, Rebecca O’Hara, Michelle Cherashore, Christy Carson and Karen Allen.

Mike Boll in the 45s has entered the most men’s events. Of his eight races, he has finished in the top 10 in five. Another Mike, Peymann has also excelled in this age group with three top four finishes in five races. Not to be outdone by the two Mikes, Alex Steverson has had a steady racing season finishing in the top five in four of five races including a 5th place finish at the Florida Challenge 70.3 in hilly Clermont. In the 50s, the GW tri club banner is carried by Lee Scarboro, Dave Phillips and Brian Desloge. Scarboro has three top five finishes including two firsts; Phillips finished in the money in two of three events and Desloge has two runner-up trophies. Jerry Chestnut, Tim Warfel and Phil Munoz have done well in the 55s gaining eight of eight top ten finishes between the trio.

The women’s 50’s are highlighted by the performances of Karen Munoz, Barb McNeal, Marry Tappan and Bonnie Wright. Munoz has three top seven finishes, McNeal took the HY-VEE championship, Tappan finished second at Great Clermont Olympic triathlon and Wright won the Grand-Masters at Red Hills.

While Presnell is out in front of his 60s teammates, George Desloge, Bruce Lynn and Bob Macdonald have tried to keep pace. In 11 events these three have finished in the top five at six races. Two over 65 club stalwarts who have been hampered by nagging injuries all year, George Palmer, Jr. and Bob Keller have had some successes. Palmer won two of three races and had a 12th place at the grueling Escape from Alcatraz triathlon in San Francisco while Keller in the 70s has had three wins in four triathlons.

Besides the age groupers, various Gulf Winds tri members are also faring well in the special race categories of Clydesdale and Athena. In the men’s under 40 group, Jason Hand, Tim Waller, Steve Padilla, Jason Wells and Tolar Griffin have all had successes this race season. Hand has 5 top five finishes, Waller two, Padilla copped four 4th places and Wells and Griffin top two places. In the over 40 age group, the “big” four of Allen Secreast, Dave Koppenhaver, Matt Hafelfinger and Robert Palmer have led the way.

In the women’s Athena division, Alissa Haberfeld has pushed Gibson for top honors. She has three top three finishes in three races. Fran Gilbert won her first race in Ponte Vedra and Dawn Jimenez finished third at Marianna.

First timers Andrea Stephens, Kelli O’Dare, Angie Waller, Jennifer Hinson, Christopher Chase and Juan Ordonez also did well in their initial triathlons.

GWTRI Times Among Best in US

Headed by a 9:41:45 fifth place finish at the Louisville Ironman event which qualified him for the Ironman world championships, GW tri club member Chuck Kemeny had one of the best age group times in a long-distance triathlon event this year. In the half Ironman competition, Charlie Johnson’s 4:35:14 at ESI Ironman Augusta is tops just ahead of Grady Smith’s 4:35:32 at Gulf Coast. In Olympic competition Kiko Cintron’s 2:07:27 at North Florida leads among club members just ahead of Johnson’s 2:10:05 at Beach Blast. Jeff Bowman, Colby Allen, Kemeny, Cintron, and Frank Geraci have all gone under an hour at various sprint triathlon events. Bowman’s :49:50 at Central Florida in Clermont leads the pack.

On the women’s side in half Ironman competition, Stephanie Liles is the only person to break the five hour mark with a time of 4:48:19 at Gulf Coast. Robin Safely had a time of 5:15:40 in the ESI Augusta race which is second best time in this event. Seeley Gutierrez has the four fastest Olympic times with her best being 2:10:27. In the sprints Shannon Coates has the two best times led by a :57:07 showing at Jacksonville and was the only female to break the hour mark in this event category.

Gulf Winds Duathletes Shine

Led by Mandy Hudson and Jacque Meyers GWTRI has two top Duathletes among its members. Hudson has two victories in two events including first overall at Beach Blast. Meyers has taken three firsts in races this year. Sean Hudson also had a win in a duathlon in Alabama. In the men’s 70s Bob Keller took 5th place at the USAT national age-group duathlon championships in Richmond.