Chris Foster wins fourth Redondo Beach Triathlon with late comeback [PHOTOS]
Redondo Beach’s Chris Foster gained valuable ground during the bike before winning his fourth Redondo Beach Triathlon with a strong run. Photo
Redondo Beach triathlete Chris Foster captured his fourth Redondo Beach Triathlon title Sunday but it didn’t come as easy as his previous victories.
Foster, 30, completed the 1/2-mile swim, 6-mile bike and 2-mile run in 39 minutes, 25 seconds, surpassing runner-up Brian Lamar on the final hill to win by a mere 10 seconds. Lamar, 30, of Whittier was the first competitor out of the water and led the majority of the race.
[scrollGallery id = 616]Foster’s average margin of victory in his three previous wins at Redondo Beach (2006, 2008, 2009) was just over three minutes. The new course finishes with a steep grade going east from the pier along Torrance Boulevard before entering Veteran’s Park and the finish line.
“Chris really had to earn this one,” race director Rick Crump said. “He swam without a wetsuit which I think set him back a little. This was his first time on the new course and I think he benefited from it in the end, using the hill to his advantage.”
Foster, who lives three blocks from Veteran’s Park, was thrilled with notching another win in front of a hometown crowd.
“The course was great,” Foster said. “I didn’t have a great swim but made up for it with a solid bike and saved myself for the run.”
Foster used the event as a tune-up for upcoming triathlons.
“I have the St. Louis Triathlon at the end of June and San Diego right after that,” said Foster, who won four consecutive San Diego International Triathlons from 2007-10.
Mark Tripp, of Redondo Beach, finished third with a time of 41:02.
For the second consecutive year, a former Mira Costa High School athlete has won a Redondo Beach Triathlon title. After Ryan Reede captured the 2012 championship, Taylor Spivey kept the Mustangs on the podium winning the women’s division in her first attempt in the local triathlon.
Spivey, 22, was the first female to cross the finish line at 43:51, nearly four minutes ahead of her nearest competitor.
Mira Costa alum Taylor Spivey won the women’s division and finished eighth overall with a time of 43:51. Photo
San Francisco’s Brooke Bishop placed second with a time of 47:40 and Laura McDonald, of Los Angeles, finished third at 49:16.
Crump said he wasn’t surprised that Spivey won the women’s division.
“She has great genes,” Crump added.
Spivey’s father, Marc, was a competitive age group triathlete from 1988-97 and her mother, Bonnie, is a world-class swimmer who owns and operates Swimkids in Manhattan Beach.
Most triathletes say the swim is the toughest leg of a triathlon but for Spivey, it was her forte. Now attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Spivey was a standout swimmer and water polo player during her prep career at Mira Costa and is an L.A. County lifeguard.
“The toughest leg for me was probably the bike,” said Spivey, who finished eighth overall. “I have a strong background in swimming so that was my easiest leg and I’m working really hard on my run to get it where I want it to be.
“Once we got outside where the buoys were the current was going against us, so we were all pushed away from the buoys which made us swim farther.”
Spivey recently returned from a nine-month study abroad program in Florence, Italy.
“With my passion for sports, I tried to find other athletes, which I think helped me meet real Italians instead of other students,” Spivey said.
The 600 spots available for the Redondo Beach Triathlon filled early and included a wide variety of skill levels and ages – from 12-year-old Chloe Waldner to 91-year-old Bill Bell.
A former resident of Redondo Beach, Bell returned to his old stomping grounds to participate in the event. Now living in Palm Desert, Bell is an icon among triathletes.
When he announced his retirement in 2003, Bell had completed 32 Ironman Triathlons (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, marathon run) in his career which he didn’t begin until the age of 59
Males finishing first in their age group included: Duncan Reid (13-15, Palos Verdes Estates, 45:03), Dillon Nobbs (16-19, La Verne, 41:17), Kyle Manis (20-24, Los Angeles, 49:02), Evan Kraus (25-29, Irvine, 41:17), Foster (30-34), Brian Tasker (35-39, Redondo Beach, 45:20), Jeffrey Oram (40-44, Redondo Beach, 48:58), Michael Collins (45-49, Irvine, 42:29), Salvatore Dimatteo (50-54, Rolling Hills Estates, 47:35), Terry Loftus (55-59, Laguna Niguel, 50:59), Rich Pfeiffer (60-64, Santa Ana, 54:09), Steve Notaro (65-69, Torrance, 54:47) and Bell (90-99, Palm Desert, 1:48:31).
Top females in their age divisions were: Waldner (12, Fresno, 52:41), Mara Muslea (13-15, El Segundo, 49:52), Paige Sullivan (16-19, Redondo Beach, 53:09), Spivey (20-24), Bishop (25-29), McDonald (30-34), Astrid Cybulskis (35-39, Irvine, 50:29), Jean O’Shaughnessy (40-44, Redondo Beach, 56:22), Jackie Cohen (45-49, Thousand Oaks, 50:17), Janette Dawson (50-54, Redondo Beach, 58:41), Janice Akins (55-59, Cypress, 1:07:38), Priscilla Lee (60-64, Newbury Park, 1:29:20) and Susan Roberts (65-69, Crescent City, 1:15:24).
Brian Lamar, right, was first out of the water and led most of the race before being passed by Chris Foster. Photo
In the Sprint Relay competition, Winn-Winn-Winn captured the Co-ed title. The team of Chuck Winn, Haley Winn and Mitchell Winn combined for a time of 48:22.
Winning the Male division was WLJ (Sadiki Jordan, Jonathan Jordan, Adam Jordan) with a time of 59:44.
Winning the Female category was Team Mulhall (Janelle Campo, Monica Lizardo, Marie Champion) which posted a time of 1:05:18.
Placing first in the Mini Sprint (half the distance of the sprint) was Bradley Schlom, 11, of Long Beach who finished with a time of 32:46. Frankie Reid, 11, of Palos Verdes Estates was runner-up at 32:57 edging Kai Desjardins, 16, of Temecula who finished at 32:58.
Top female finishers in the Mini Sprint were Dannah Golich, 11, of San Diego (34:58), Amanda McJunkin, 12, of Long Beach (38:39) and Allison Parlee, 34, of Lawndale (39:18).
Team Blake (Melissa Aulbert, Steve Voland, Hiroki Uchida) won the Mini Sprint Relay with a time of 41:18.
The Clydesdale division was won by Jack Nunn (Manhattan Beach, 48:32) and the Athena group winner was Jennifer Emmons (Studio City, 57:48).
The men’s and women’s Mountain Bike competition was won by Patrick Dorr (Hawthorne, 59:26) and Masako Harada (Los Angeles, 1:12:37).
Proceeds from the Redondo Beach Triathlon go to Cheer for Children, a non-profit organization that gives seasonal parties and raises money for acutely ill children at Harbor UCLA Medical Center.
Complete results are available at geminitiming.com.