Teenagers continue to dominate at 14th annual Redondo Beach Triathlon
Men ages 35-49 begin the second wave of swimmers in the first of three legs at the Redondo Beach Triathlon. Photo
For the second consecutive year, a new generation of athletes swam, cycled and ran to first-place finishes at the Redondo Beach Triathlon.
The 1/2-mile ocean swim, 6-mile bike and 2-mile USAT sanctioned Sprint Triathlon has become a breeding ground for up-and-coming triathletes.
“It was another fantastic event,” Race Director Rick Crump said. “The water was good at 64 degrees and the competitors and supporters all seemed to have a good time.”
Crump acknowledged the Redondo Hotel for providing an upstairs meeting room and the Redondo Beach police officers who volunteered for the pickup of race packets..
After placing second in the 2017 competition, 18-year-old Zane Grenoble of Playa Del Rey took top honors Sunday at the 14th annual competition.
Alex Mainvielle, a 15-year-old from Torrance, placed third at the Redondo Beach Triathlon displaying there is a new generation of athletes on the rise in the sport. Photo
Grenoble completed his first triathlon at the of nine and, as a member of Team USA, is looking forward to competing in Odense, Denmark and Gold Coast, Australia this year.
His time of 42 minutes, 25 seconds easily beat 52-year-old runner-up Michael Collins of Irvine (43:57) and Torrance 15-year-old Alex Mainvielle (45:25).
Collins, who is also an accomplished coach, has reached the podium the last five years, capturing the title in 2016 with 3rd-place finishes in 2017, 2015 and 2014.
“My family loves coming to the Redondo Beach Tri every year.,” Collins said. “We make it a weekend trip and stay in Redondo Beach and sight see around Redondo and Palos Verdes. We love the race because it is short and fast, but also fairly equal in time for all three sports. I do the swim and run just under 13 minutes and the bike in about 15. In most triathlons the swim is extremely short in relation to the other two sports. This favors the athlete that is good at all three and also very fast in transitions.”
The race was another success for Collins, who brought four first-timers to the competition and, along with his 2nd place finish, coached 15-year-old Marta Meinardi, the female winner along with his wife, Astrid, who placed 3rd in the female division.
“I like to bring the athletes I coach to this race,” Collins said. “It’s good for beginners and also for experienced racers to practice their skills. Rick Crump puts on a great family friendly race and we look forward to returning for many more years to come.”
Also competing was Redondo Beach Mayor Bill Brand competed finishing 13th in the male 60-64 division with a time of 1:11:45.
Dan Empfield, 61, of Valyermo made the trip to compete, placing 2nd in the 60-64 age group with a time of 52:12.
Empfield, who Crump describes as the ”Einstein of the triathlon world,” invented the triathlon wetsuit in 1987 and the triathlon-specific bike in 1989.
Although three minutes separated the top three male competitors, the women were involved in a tight battle with only 29 seconds separating the top three finishers
Meinardi, a cross country runner at University High School in Irvine, took top honors among the females with a time of 50:24.
The Collins family travels from Irvine for the annual Redondo Beach Triathlon. Father Michael and mother Astrid finished second and third in the male and female divisions, respectively.
Maureen Macdonald, 56, of Sherman Oaks finished second at 50:43 followed by Astrid Collins who matched her 3rd-place finish in 2017 and 2016 with a time of 50:53.
Males winning their respective age divisions included: Mainvielle (13-15) Grenoble (16-19), Sean Suarez (Long Beach, 20-24, 49:25), Levin Burns (Redondo Beach, 25-29, 56:11), Tim Poydenis (Manhattan Beach, 30-34, 47:22), Ryan Ososky (Los Angeles, 35-39, 49:48), Quentin Heiden (Redondo Beach, 40-44, 46:16), Hideharu Kotima (Redondo Beach, 45-49, 48:37), Collins (50-54), Wesley Hein (Encino, 55-59, 57:51), Terry Loftus (Laguna Niguel, 60-64, 51:08), Peter Hoyt (Costa Mesa, 65-69, 53:13) Joseph Gulaskey (Bend, Ore., 70-74, 1:04:30). Michael Wood (Ventura, 75-79, 59:57) and Wayne Fong (Chatsworth, 85-89, 1:39:51).
Females winning their divisions were: Meinardi (13-15), Jessie Rapoza (Long Beach, 16-19, 56:04), Taylor Hebb (Los Angeles, 25-29, 58:55), Michelle Masak (Hermosa Beach, 30-34, 59:20), Kimberly Nakamura (Los Angeles, 35-39, 55:01), Collins (40-44), Erika Weiss (Redondo Beach, 45-49, 1:01:16), Lisa Corbin (Redondo Beach, 50-54, 1:05:40), Macdonald (55-59), Monica Van De Wouw (Redondo Beach, 60-64, 1:45:43) and Maggie Riley-hagen (San Marcos, 65-69, 1:03:37).
In specialty groups, John Mulcahy, 52, of Malibu won the Clydesdale division with a time of 59:24 while Carly Wright, 27, of Redondo Beach took top honors in the Athens division finishing at 1:11:22.
Madi Serpico, 26, of Redondo Beach won the Elite group at 52:56 and Bryan Thompson, 47, of Santa Barbara captured the Mini Sprint title with a mark of 29:58. The Crushers won the Relay with a time of 1:03:43.
For complete results, visit rbtri.com.