Courtesy: Gulf Coast Tri

Post a "congrats" note to Texans Jamie Cleveland and Andrea Fisher on their outstanding Gulf Coast Tri finishes

Ole, ole. Ole, ole. Feelin' hot, hot, hot! Approximately 2,200 athletes beat the heat at last weekend's 20th annual Gulf Coast Triathlon, where temperatures at the half-ironman reportedly hit 102 degrees in St. Anthony's State Park, halfway on the run course. Men's professional winner, Jamie Cleveland (Austin, TX), 4:09:27, poured cups of water inside his unzipped race suit, and second place finisher, Alec Rukosuev (USA), 4:21:38, said it was so hot that the event was as hard as a full-distance Ironman.

Most of the 16 pros said they walked at some point on the run course. Ruko asked for splits, but course supporters said he was far enough ahead of third place finisher Travis Keane (USA), 4:23:13, that he didn't to worry about them.

"I said, 'yes, I do,' because if I could walk and still get second, I would," he explained, saying that he melted down slowly throughout the run, running the first two miles at 6- minute pace and eventually slowing down to 7's. And with a strong headwind for the first seven miles, he said, "it was like running into a wall."

Similarly, Cleveland ran his first two miles at 6:15 pace and then walked aid stations, slowing his pace to 6:52.

For her victory on the women's side, Karen Holloway (USA), 4:45:41, in her first race as a professional, challenged veteran Andrea Fisher (Austin, TX), second, 4:51:21, for the entire 56- mile cycle, a flat, yet challenging course which presented competitors with not just extreme heat, but also a cloudless sky, shade-free roads, and winds which at times exceeded 15 miles per hour. The two passed each other repeatedly, but Holloway made the lead permanent when she began the run. "I was surprised at how quickly she caught up to me on the bike," said Fisher, who started the cycle with a 55-second lead over the rookie. "I said to myself, 'I have to kick it up a gear,'" she added, noting that she upped her bike speed from about 23.2 to more than 24 mph in her attempt to drop the relentless Holloway. "You can't go into any race this long and not think something is going to happen. She really had a great race."

"I didn't know (if I dropped her), and I wasn't worried if she was ahead, beside or behind me," Holloway said of the cat-and- mouse riding. "I was just focused on my own day."

I've worked hard and trained hard, and wasn't worried about where I was going to place," said Holloway, 29, of Richmond, Va., and former swimmer for Old Dominion University. She was familiar with Gulf Coast, too, finishing fourth overall in 2001 and 10th in her age group in 1998. Despite 20-mph winds and hot spots on the course, Holloway said she felt really good on the bike, and on the run, until mile 10 where she walked a little bit. Still, she averaged 7:59 per mile, to Fisher's 8:15, on the half marathon.

Not taking anything away from Holloway's gutsy, successful initiation to pro racing, Fisher has had a rough last month, losing her father to cancer on April 19. This was her first race since then.

"It's really affected me in my performance. My training's been good, but I haven't been eating or sleeping well, and about one hour into the race I had a reality check - I had no gas in the tank."

Of her father, Fisher said, "he was with me all day, and there was irony in my race, too," Fisher explained. "Gulf Coast was the first triathlon I ever trained for, and he came out here with me. With the great beaches and course, everyone being so friendly, and this great party afterwards, he got a chance to see what the sport is really about." He traveled with Fisher to many races.

"Jamie and I talked about this last night - this race does so much for your fitness. People really need to keep that in perspective," she continued. "It's really about the race down the road."

Ringing true to life and sport, she and her husband, Cleveland, coach about 70 triathletes, ranging from beginner to experienced, and showed their own expertise at Gulf Coast, which was a benchmark for their upcoming races Ironman Utah.

"The race gave me great feedback about where I am at and what I need to do for Utah," added Cleveland.

Cleveland, who had a difficult 2001 season, showed that he can still take control of a race, and that he's back on course. He led the Rukosuev, a respected swimmer, out of the water by two seconds, but was passed by him in transition - Rukosuev's 1:15 swim-to-bike transition was the day's overall fastest. The newly- naturalized American citizen, Rukosuev, set no precedent on the lead, though, and was almost immediately passed by Cleveland, who cycled a blazing 2:11:56 split, averaging 25.5 mph on the 93 km course.

"I had a good rhythm early on," said Cleveland. "I just put my head down, turned the pedals and controlled my own race."

He did so definitively, putting, at one point, four minutes on Rukoseuv and six on the strong, relentless rookie Peter Penzell (USA), who cruised at 24.1 mph on his blue, U.S. Navy machine.

"I felt really good even after I hit the turnaround at 31 (miles), and when I hit the headwind, too."

Cleveland was human, too.

"I felt absolutely horrible heading out (onto the run). I just focused on three-mile sections," the coach said, just as he would advise age-groupers. "You've got to break it down into quarters, plus the last 1.1 mile finish."

Rukosuev has had less-than-satisfying races lately, finishing out of his element here - he won the race in 2000 and 2001 - and in slower-than-planned fashion at St. Anthony's a few weeks ago. Still, he knows what he'll focus on in training now, and said he will come back much stronger in his upcoming races.

Two other pros, Eric Roy (CAN) and Lucia Kuehner (GER), had nearly the same race - both are have been enduring injuries (Roy for nearly four months and Kuehner for six weeks), competed in their first major race since Ironman Florida 2001, had tough swims but rode fairly well, and surprised themselves with stronger-than-expected runs.

"I'm not even near my peak this early in the season, and this race really helped me focus," said Roy.

"It was really good because now I know I have so much more in me for the run. As soon as rid myself of this injury, I will get back to where I should be - my run is usually quite strong and competitive," said Kuehner. "I was not too happy with my finish time, but I was happy to be able to run 21 kilometers. It was really painful, but I had to ignore this, and stay strong and focused. And with all the spectators yelling, 'you go girl,' I knew I was going to finish."

Male professionals: 1) Jamie Cleveland (USA), 4:09:27; 2) Alec Rukosuev (USA), 4:21:38; 3) Travis Keane (USA), 4:23:13; 4) Peter Kotland (USA), 4:23:42; 5) Eric Roy (CAN), 4:28:44; 6) Peter Penzell (USA), 4:33:53; 7) Benjamin Debray (CAN), 4:31:50; 8) Scott Duprex (USA), 4:44:35; 9) Brian Hasenbauer (USA), 4:55:14; Kevin Wessinger (USA), DNF.

Female professionals: 1) Karen Holloway (USA), 4:45:41; 2) Andrea Fisher (USA), 4:51:21; 3) Kim Liljeblad (USA), 4:53:36; 4) Deanna Frank (USA), 4:54:14; 5) Lucia Kuehner (GER), 5:00:14; Rhonda Guzda (CAN), 5:03:49.

Male overall amateurs: 1) Timothy O'Donnell, 4:27:04; 2) Mario Souza, 4:27:56; 3) Bruce Gennari, 4:29:09; 4) Joe Bonness, 4:29:16; 5) Glenn Peroni, 4:29:22.

Female overall amateurs: 1) Allie Lawler, 4:59:37; 2) Katrina Mitchell, 5:00:13; 3) Kathleen Malone, 5:01:23; 4) Margaret Finley, 5:04:57; 5) Gabriele Hauck, 5:06:45.