Three-time Ironman champion pulls off short course victory

March 19, 2007 – Bay Islands, Honduras – Three-time Ironman champion and long course specialist Chris Lieto stepped out of his comfort zone this past weekend just long enough to capture the win at the ITU Pan American Cup triathlon in Bay Islands, Honduras. Lieto, who had not raced an Olympic distance triathlon in nearly three years, used his signature bike power and an improved run to grab the top spot on the podium in an overall time of 2:02:15.

“I’ve been so focused on long-course racing the last five years, I decided to mix it up and see how I would do against the short course guys in a draft-legal race,” commented Lieto. “I really think that the ITU style racing will benefit me at races like Wildflower and some of the short course races that I plan to do this year; it was also a blast to race at such a high threshold,” said Lieto.

In water temperatures of 85 degrees, Lieto found himself just off the back of the main swim pack until the group he was in almost came to a complete stop, hung up on a shallow coral reef. “I couldn’t believe it, before I knew it we were in six inches of water and basically pulling ourselves across the coral reef until we reached the other side,” commented Lieto. After the unexpected delay, Lieto exited the water about one minute down on the main field and quickly headed out on to the steep and technical bike course. Within the first 5 kilometers, Lieto had caught the lead group and intuitively went for the kill. “I caught the group pretty quick and I put in a big effort to try and lose them but my first attempt wasn’t successful,” said Lieto. “I hung in for a few kilometers, did some work off the front, let some other guys pull a bit and then around 10 kilometers I surged again – this time it stuck,” commented Lieto. Lieto was able to build a ten second gap on the chase pack and once the course headed into the hilly sections, Lieto was out of sight and out of mind. Lieto continued to push the pace and entered the bike-to-run transition with a commanding three-minute lead.

“I knew I had a sizeable lead but this is ITU and all of those guys behind me are capable runners,” commented Lieto. “I’ve been working really hard on my run speed recently so I was feeling confident that I could hold them off,” said Lieto. In fact, Lieto did hold them off and even had enough time to take a quick dip in the ocean just before crossing the sandy beach finish line. “I was so happy that my hard work had paid off and the water looked too good to pass up – I looked back down the beach to see if anyone was closing in but didn’t see anyone – so I jumped in for a quick cool down and then broke the tape,” said Lieto.

Lieto’s coach Lance Watson was equally pleased. "Racing ITU format and draft legal triathlon was a new challenge for Chris. The swim and the run in Honduras were a good test for him. The fact he could ride away from a drafting pack is testament to his current bike strength. This is a nice fitness marker and indicates he is on track for some of his bigger goals for the season," commented Watson.

About Chris Lieto:
www.chrislieto.com

Chris began is triathlon career winning his first race as an age-grouper, and turned pro less than three years later. His record includes:

• Champion Ironman Japan 2006
• 2nd place Ironman Malaysia 2006
• Champion Ironman Canada 2005
• 2nd place Ralph’s Half Ironman 2005
• U.S. Champion (2nd place IM Lake Placid) 2003
• Champion Ironman Wisconsin 2002
• Champion Vineman Half Ironman 2002
• Champion Nautica Malibu Triathlon 2003

Chris, his wife Karis and son Kaiden reside in Danville, California.