Defending champion Sindballe, Ironman World Champion DeBoom led Ralphs California - Triathlon Week

Robert G. · 04-04-2003, 09:34 AM

OCEANSIDE, Calif.-Two-time Ironman World Champion Tim DeBoom (Boulder, Colo.) and defending champion Torbjorn Sindballe (Denmark) highlight a strong’s men’s field at the Ralphs California Half Ironman taking place on Saturday, April 5 in Oceanside and neighboring Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.

DeBoom has claimed top honors at the Ironman World Championship the past two years, and finished second in 2000 and third in 1999 at the marquee event of Ironman Triathlon.

The 31-year-old DeBoom has also posted Ironman wins at Ironman California (2001) and Ironman New Zealand (1999).
The 26-year-old Sindballe posted an overall time of three hours, 47 minutes and eight seconds to take the men’s title at the Oceanside event in 2002, over a star-studded field.
The duo leads a strong men’s field that features six men (including DeBoom) who have won Ironman races in their career.

2002 Ironman Brazil champion Spencer Smith (Great Britain), 2002 Ironman Wisconsin Champion Chris Lieto (Danville, Calif.), 2000 Ironman California champion Chris Legh (Australia), 2000 Ironman Florida champion Jamie Cleveland (Canada) and 1999 Subaru Ironman Canada champion Chuckie Veylupek (Buellton, Calif.) are all scheduled to compete in the 2003 event.

The 29-year-old Smith has posted a pair of top ten finishes at the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, including a fifth-place finish in 1998 and has posted a a pair of Ironman wins in his career (Ironman Florida in 2001 and Ironman Brazil in 2002).

Lieto posted the first Ironman win of his career at the inaugural Ironman Wisconsin triathlon held in Madison, Wisc., in September of 2002 and was seventh at the Ralphs California Half Ironman last year.

Legh and Cleveland both also raced in the inaugural Wisconsin event, placing second and fifth respectively.
The duo has each won one Ironman in their career, while Legh has registered seven top-five Ironman finishes.

Veylupek, who claimed a thrilling win at the 1999 Subaru Ironman Canada triathlon, winning by less than a minute, makes his return to triathlon after taking a year off due to injuries.

Other triathletes who could challenge for the 2003 Ralphs California Half Ironman title include Rutger Beke (Belgium) who was third at Ironman Florida in 2002, and Michael Lovato (Boulder, Colo.) who won the Buffalo Springs Half-Ironman in 2001.

The Ralphs California Half Ironman will feature more than 1,800 athletes competing for 20 qualifying spots to the Ironman World Championship, as well as 125 qualifying spots for the five 2003 full-distance Ironman North America events.
Also at stake will be a $25,000 pro prize purse. For the fourth straight year the city of Oceanside and nearby Camp Pendleton will play host to an Ironman North America event.
For more information on the Ralphs California Half Ironman, log onto www.ironmancalifornia.com.

Via Press Release