Newport Beach, California
Sisters and HLB Triathlon Team members Jenniver Levy and Hope Levy-Biehl arrived at the transition area of the 2005 Kring & Chung Newport Beach Triathlon highly motivated. Each spent the last few weeks preparing for a difficult ocean swim, training in the cold and choppy Venice Beach waters. What awaited them in today's race was a pleasant surprise.
"It's a lagoon swim!" exclaimed Levy when she discovered that the swim leg would be held in the warm and calm waters of the Back Bay Recreation Area. The news was music to the ears of Levy-Biehl who had a difficult time dealing with the waves and currents at the Santa Barbara Triathlon--her first race as an HLB Tri Team member.
After they racked their bikes laid out their race gear, the Levy sisters calmly entered the lagoon. It would be their first triathlon together--Levy founded the HLB Tri Team when she recruited Stacie Neroni, Mark Hardiman and Arnold Pamplona to complete the 2004 Long Beach Triathlon with her, but sat out Levy-Biehl's first race 2 months ago in Santa Barbara. It was fitting that they were placed in the same wave. "It was great starting the race with my sister, and knowing that my husband and children were waiting for me at the finish line" said Levy-Beihl.
Indeed, the family support would inspire the Levy sisters to swim, bike and run to their best race yet. Levy obliterated her previous sprint distance personal record by 2 minutes and 37 seconds, while Levy-Biehl crossed the finish line 30 minutes and 5 seconds faster than her Santa Barbara time.
Meanwhile, a new rivalry was blooming between HLB Tri Team veterans Arnold Pamplona and Stacie Neroni. Pamplona was clearly disappointed that fellow teammate Mark Hardiman opted to skip the race and compete instead in the Palm Springs triathlon (consisting of eating, sleeping and swimming in a hotel pool). "Beating Hardiman is always a motiviation for me," said Pamplona, who is still looking to exact a dominating victory over his elder rival after managing only a narrow triumph at last month's Triathlon of the Champions.
But if Pamplona was looking for motivation at today's race, he would not have to wait long to find it. Confident that she was finally over the psychological problems that hindered her in triathlons past, Neroni threw down the gauntlet when she approached Pamplona before the start of the race and whispered "I'm going to beat you in the swim." Pamplona scoffed. "She's nuts" he reacted, "she didn't even know how to swim 9 months ago. I taught her how to swim."
But Pamplona could not ignore the challenge. Although starting late in life, Neroni has proven to be a natural swimmer, and has trained hard to close the gap between herself and her cocky teammate. When the gun sounded starting her wave, Neroni rocketed to the front of the pack, methodically passing competitors with her flawless stroke. Pamplona's wave started three minutes later, and she was determined to enter the swim-run transition area at least three minutes ahead of him.
Pamplona was flabbergasted when the official results were announced. Neroni's swim leg was 21 seconds faster than his. "That time gap is easy to explain! I had trouble getting out of my wetsuit before entering the transition area!" shouted an incredulous Pamplona. Neroni was livid when she learned that Pamplona was offering excuses: "He has to accept that he has more than just Hardiman to worry about now."
Their bickering aside, Pamplona and Neroni each had an excellent race, with Pamplona shattering his sprint distance personal record by 7 minutes, 18 seconds, and Neroni besting hers by 2 minutes, 39 seconds. "I'm really proud of the Team," said Team captain Neroni at the post-race press conference. She also announced that the Team's next race would be the Breath of Life Triathlon in Ventura California, an Olympic Distance race to be held on June 26.
2005 Kring & Chung Newport Beach Triathlon
.5-mile swim; 12-mile bike; 3.1-mile run
Stacie Neroni
Swim: 16:25
Bike: 45:43
Run: 28:45
Arnold Pamplona
Swim: 16:46
Bike: 38:08
Run: 24:48
Hope Levy-Biehl
Swim: 20:45
Bike: 45:50
Run: 29:34
Jennifer Levy
Swim: 22:00
Bike: 57:34
Run: 37:57
With over 600 participants in this year's race, the transition area was very crowded.
Nothing is more chaotic than the swim start of a triathlon.
Shown here tangled in neoprene, Pamplona blamed his swim loss to Neroni on this wet suit malfunction. Neroni called the excuse "Poppycock."
HLB Tri looked strong in the bike leg of the race
The Levy sisters hard at work
The HLB Triathlon Team. Left to Right: Levy-Biehl, Levy, Neroni and Pamplona
A relieved HLB Triathlon Team at the end of the race
HLB Triathlon Team fans
Ryan, Levy-Biehl's eldest son, waits for his mom at the finish line
Neroni and Eli, Ryan's brother
