Written by: Bob Babbitt
Posted: Thursday, 15 May 2008
Photos by Robert Murphy/Blue Creek Photography
Looking around the transition area, you can see that there are stories everywhere. Adjusting her prosthetic leg in one corner is above-knee amputee Sarah Reinertsen, whose smile is enough to light up South Beach all on her own. She went to the Ironman in Kona in 2004 and missed the cut-off time on the bike by less than 15 minutes. For the last half of the ride she was so sick she could barely pedal. What did she have to show for all her effort? A DNF and some unfinished business. Racing can be so cruel.
In 2005 she came back to Kona and not only slaughtered the bike cut-off time, but she finished in 15:05 and became the first above-knee amputee woman to finish the race.
Shaking hands and posing for photos early this morning in Miami is Australian Chris McCormack. The guy won ITU World Championships, Ironman Australia titles, the Escape from Alcatraz and pretty much every other major event on the planet. But the one he wanted most – the Ironman in Kona – continued to elude him. In 2007, on his sixth attempt, he finally won that world title and crossed it off his list.
Chris Lieto is stretching out and getting his equipment together. He was known as a great cyclist who fell apart in the heat during the Ironman run. Not any longer. He took sixth overall last October and was the first American to get to the line, proving that he is definitely a man on the move heading into October this year.
Three big names from the sport of triathlon; three athletes who know a little bit about being in the right place at the right time. South Beach was the right place, and April 2008 was definitely the right time to be there.
Michael Epstein, the man behind Michael Epstein Sports Productions (MESP), is the ultimate party guy. On the left coast, his Nautica Malibu Triathlon has been around for over 20 years and it has regularly become the happening place to be. Great singers mix it up with talented actors and remarkable triathletes, all in the name of a good cause and a little triple-fitness fun. The distances, ½-mile swim, 18-mile bike and 4-mile run, are short enough for anyone to take on. Even better? A lot of folks put cool relay teams together, and the event always sells out as soon as registration opens.
On Sunday April 13, a new era dawned as the Nautica South Beach Triathlon celebrated its Florida premier. The curtain came up on an absolutely perfect day and joining Reinertsen, McCormack and Lieto were Andy Baldwin from The Bachelor and a celebrity relay team featuring Olympic swimmer Dara Torres, model and pro triathlete Katya Meyers and A-lister Anna Kournikova.
The event sold out early with 1,200 participants. Over $80,000 was raised to benefit the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and a new triathlon tradition was firmly established.
Next April you’ll want to be back in South Beach when the stars align and the curtain goes up once again!
For results and information go to www.mesp.com.
It’s a really cool concept. We pick one day – Sunday, August 31 – and find out how many people around the world can lace up their running shoes and put in a whole bunch of miles. 
