THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 15, 1996 TAG: 9609150166
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C9 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 38 lines
Assuming Hurricane Hortense doesn't kick up any riptides, the Neptune Festival Triathlon will kick off at 8 a.m. today at the Oceanfront with a 1-kilometer swim in the Atlantic Ocean.
The largest triathlon in Hampton Roads will also include a 5-kilometer run and a 14-mile bike ride. But whether it will include the swimming portion depends on Hortense, which is moving quickly toward the Canadian Maritimes.
``I would think the waves will die down'' by this morning, said race coordinator Betty Belknap. ``The worst-case scenario, of course, is that they'll close down the beach. If so, we'll have the run and bike portion.
``If the beach is open and we think it's safe, we'll have the swim, even if it's choppy.''
Belknap expects the largest field in the triathlon's 14 years, largely because there is no limit on competitors. Belknap said there was no limit imposed because entries in recent years had leveled off around 400. She expects up to 550 today and says ``things will be a little crowded'' at the start of the race.
Last year's men's and women's champions - Don Martin of Arlington and Susan Arnold of McGaheysville, Va. - won't be back. Belknap said today's winners could come from a large number of entrants from Northern Virginia and Washington.
Locally, she says John Lomogda of Virginia Beach, who won a triathlon in Manteo last weekend, and John Dill of Norfolk, who was third in Manteo, should fare well in the men's competition.
Leslie Willis of Virginia Beach and Nancy Lewis of Norfolk are the region's best women's triathletes, she said.
The triathlon is open to spectators free of charge. It begins at 31st Street and Atlantic Avenue. The bike ride follows the swim and will carry riders through Fort Story and back to the Oceanfront. The run will be held along the Boardwalk. by CNB