[ TRIATHLON ]
Cotter and Tennant
win 23rd Tinman
James Cotter proved at yesterday's 23rd annual Tinman Triathlon that last year's victory was no accident. In only his third Tinman try, Cotter won for a second time with a blistering effort of 1 hour, 42 minutes, 9 seconds.
True, the Big Island resident was some 37 seconds off his 2002 winning pace, but he still completed the 800-meter swim, 40-kilometer bike ride and 10-kilometer run some 3 minutes and 42 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Chad Seymour.
The fellow 21-year-old Seymour, who is a transplant from Colorado, equaled his brother Matthew's second-place finish of a year ago. Chad Seymour had a solid time of 1:45:51 to improve over last year's seventh-place effort. He also finished well ahead of Scott Miller, who placed third with a time of 1:48:12.
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
James Cotter repeated as winner of the Tinman Triathlon yesterday.
As easily as Cotter won yesterday's event that had more than 900 entrants, he still finished well off the record pace of four-time winner Peter Hursty. He covered the grueling course in a record time of 1:40 in 2001. That same year, Cotter finished fourth overall in his first Tinman, but set the record for the 15-19 age group with a time of 1:47:26.
The women's winner successfully defended her crown as well. Deirdre Tennant won for a third consecutive year in a time of 1:51:57, bettering her 2002 effort by a scant 5 seconds. Unlike last year, no one was close to Tennant.
Katherine Nichols finished a distant second in a time of 1:59. Jenna Yancey was third at 2:01:15. The 1993 women's mark of 1:50:53 set by Debbie Hornsby still stands.
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Deirdre Tennant finished more than seven minutes ahead of the next woman to win her third straight Tinman Triathlon.
