He was followed by Italian Daniel Fontana in 2nd place and American Matthew Reed in 3rd place.

On the women's side of the race it was British triathlete Julie Dibens who easily won the race leading both on the bike and on the run and smashing the course record in a time of 3:59:33.

Dibens now adds the 70.3 Championship to her already impressive resume as the current Xterra World Champion.

She was followed by another Boulder, Colorado based triathlete Mary Beth Ellis, who managed to come in third just ahead of Canadian triathlete Magali Tisseyre.

Click HERE for complete professional and age group results.

Top 10 Men

1 3:34:04 76 Raelert, Michael Drage DEU
2 3:36:44 2:40 15 Fontana, Daniel Monzoro, Milano ITA
3 3:37:50 3:46 10 Reed, Matthew Boulder CO USA
4 3:38:02 3:58 24 Sudrie, Sylvain Villenave D Orn FRA
5 3:38:19 4:15 8 Gambles, Joe Boulder CO GBR
6 3:40:16 6:12 79 Collington, Kevin Orlando FL USA
7 3:40:16 6:12 23 Bell, Luke Cardiff CA AUS
8 3:40:19 6:15 13 Casadei, Alberto Mestre ITA
9 3:40:31 6:27 45 Griffin, Leon Glenroy VI AUS
10 3:41:37 7:33 81 Fleischmann, Brian Colorado Spring CO USA

Top 6 women

6 4:08:17 8:44 136 Jones, Michellie Carlsbad CA AUS

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The word is that the video was taken by her boyfriend/coach who is reportedly behind the camera.

The Youtube posting states:

"Wet-T-shirt-contest for Triathletes! It´s nothing without humour...;-)"

According to Wikipedia:

"On 13 July 2008 Yvonne van Vlerken set a new world record of 8:45:48 for ironman-distance races at the Quelle Challenge Roth, more than five minutes faster than Paula Newby-Fraser's world record time of 8:50:53, which had stood for 14 years. After the race Van Vlerken held the iron-distance record while Newby-Fraser still held the Ironman Record, which was set on the same course in 1994, in Ironman Europe"

With almost 50K views of this video, the Wikipedia entry may also have to be amended soon to reflect Yvonne van Vlerken growing fame and new record of having the most viewed triathlete Ironman shower of all time.

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Along the way, runners will pass signature sites, including El Pueblo de Los Angeles (the city’s birthplace), Los Angeles City Hall, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Kodak Theater (home of the Oscars®), the Sunset Strip, historic Route 66, Rodeo Drive and the Santa Monica Pier.

The course, which trends downhill and loses roughly 400 feet start to finish, is expected to be among the fastest courses in LA Marathon history.

“We are thrilled to see such a great response to the Stadium to the Sea route,” said LA Marathon President Russ Pillar. “We designed this iconic course with runners in mind, and expect it will quickly make the Los Angeles Marathon a ‘must run’ among the world’s major marathons. We encourage runners to register early to get under the cap and ensure they’re part of this very special event.”

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Thanks to a choppy ocean and lingering weather conditions from Tropical
Storm Ida, the 70.3 World Championships swim in the ocean has been relocated
to the inner bay.

Not only were race officials having extreme difficulty with buoy placement,
but age grouper athletes were especially concerned about having to battle
the ferocious swells at Clearwater Beach.

On the other hand, during the pre-race press conference, both male and
female pros expressed annoyance at the swim venue change. Most were looking
forward to showcasing their beach start speed and superior open water skills
in the difficult conditions.

In the video, Everymantri reporter Ben Greenfield (who is also racing)
explains the conditions on Friday in Clearwater.

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You must have your favorite.

Will it be Matt Reed (this year's favorite male pro) or Julie Dibens (one of the only women to beat Chrissie Wellington this year at the 70.3 dustance) who will cross the line in first place?

We've picked four men and four women who are certainly among this year's favorites to win the big 70.3 race.

Please vote for the top man and top women that you think will take year's honers below.

Best of all, once you vote you'll see the results immediately:

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So here's the big question in a nutshell?

Can buying and wearing the new Reebok EastTone shoes give you the butt of a 19-year-old fitness model?

The commercial below claims that wearing the new shoes will tone your behind 28 percent more than a regular sneaker, "just by walking."

Which may or may not be true, but here are a few facts that are most certainly true:

1) You can't have the butt of this 19-year-old fitness model unless you are this 19-year-old fitness model.

2) You won't tone your butt by wearing this or any other shoe unless you actually go out and do a significant amount of walking.

3) Running, or any endurance sport, and vigorous strength exercise will always tone your behind much faster and better than just buying a leg/butt toning shoe and walking to your car.

4) Sex sells shoes.

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You'd think the answer to that question might be the athletes themselves.

You know, following the basic rule of supply and demand.

If there were no demand by athletes willing to cheat using performance enhancing drugs, the problem would immediate sort itself out. In other words, no demand no more doping supply.

But according to Tygart the biggest threat to anti-doping efforts is not on the demand side of the equation, but instead on the supply side.

"Unfortunately, what you now see are rogue laboratories, rogue doctors that athletes are able to find and then pay to obtain things that they think will be undetectable," Tygart recently said.

"We're a relatively young entity, we've not yet had our 10-year anniversary like WADA but we've come in and we've changed the culture within track and field," he added. "That's not to say there may not be cheats out there or that the temptation to cheat is not there but what it means is that we've given those clean athletes, who want to do it the right way, hope that they can get on the starting line and be successful without having to cheat."

According to USA Today:

"Tygart said USADA had already made substantial advances in eliminating doping in sports, or leveling the playing field for clean athletes. He likened track and field in the United States during the 1990s to bodybuilding, for the prevalence of doping, but said the sport had since been transformed."

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“Building on the success of last year’s Texas Showdown, we have over twice as many elite Texas runners coming to San Antonio this year,” said Matt Turnbull, Elite Athlete Coordinator for the event. “Last year proved what a flat course San Antonio offers and we should see some terrific competition at this year’s race.”

Leading the women’s field is returning ‘Texas Showdown’ Champion for the half-marathon Melisa Christian of Dallas. Christian owns a personal best of 2:42:07 from in her ninth place finish at the 2007 ING New York City Marathon, which qualified her for the 2008 U.S. Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials in Boston. She recently won the Dallas Running Club Half Marathon on November 1st with a time of 1:18:11.

“I really liked the (San Antonio) course,” said Christian, who will compete in the half-marathon. “It was well laid out, and with all the participants, it was impressive how well the event was organized. My training has been going great and you never know what can happen on race day. I’m hoping we have perfect weather like last year.”

The elite women's field features veteran runners who have performed well at past Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathons. Russia's Tatiana Pushkareva, 24, finished fourth in San Antonio last year with a PR of 2:34:55 and won the 2009 Country Music Marathon in Nashville. Countrywoman Svetlana Ponomorenko, 40, won the 2008 Country Music Marathon. She returns to Texas as a master’s runner after winning Dallas Marathon in 2006 with a PR (personal record) of 2:29:55.

Expected to join them in the lead pack is 2008 Olympian Dorota Gruca of Poland. Gruca, who trains in New Mexico, finished 30th in Beijing Olympic Marathon with a time of 2:33:32. She owns a marathon PR of 2:27:46 when she finished 13th at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. Kenya’s Evelyne Lagat has a personal marathon best of 2:42:14 from a 7th place at the 2009 Houston Marathon. The sister of U.S. distance great Bernard Lagat, she finished 6th at the ING Philadelphia Distance Run September 20th in 1:12:25.

Vancouver, Canada (November 11, 2009) - The International Triathlon Union, USA Triathlon, the city of Henderson and Lowery's Multi-sport Races are proud to announce the 2011 ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships will be held in Henderson, Nev., USA, on Nov. 5, 2011. 

You either have to really respect Michael Phelps for taking an early stand, or scratch your head as to why the world's fastest swimmer would so obviously sabotage his own chances at victory.

Here's the story in a nutshell at least as reported by the mainstream media.

Today's Washington Post headline and first paragraph of the story says it all:

"Phelps struggles in FINA/Arena World Cup"

"Michael Phelps had the strangest thought as he walked out to the starting blocks Tuesday for his third preliminary race at this FINA/Arena World Cup: He was performing so poorly, it was possible that he might not advance to the meet's finals, something he hadn't done in more than 10 years."

In other words, the star of the Beijing Olympics is having a tough time even making the cut in the early rounds of the World Cup.

Why?

Most insiders know the answer. Unlike many of the other swimmers at the meet Phelps has chosen to compete in the textile, waist-to-knee "jammer" rather than race in the full-bodied high-tech swimsuits that have recently rocked the world of both amatuer and professional swimming by heavily aiding swimmers in smashing both new and long established records.

These newest high-tech suits will be banned from competition as of January 1, 2010.

So Michael Phelps is taking it on the chin by going "old school" a little early.

According to The Washington Post:

"U.S. officials who declined to be identified because they did not wish to appear to be poor sports said it was the suit choice, period, that slowed Phelps.

"I know I'm not in the best shape," Phelps told Swedish television immediately after the race. "I should be in better shape. I'm happy I could get a second swim. The first two races this morning were a little quick."

Phelps said a month ago he wanted to make a statement by ditching his high-tech suit even before the ban went into effect -- though this was probably not exactly the statement he had in mind. He and two other top-ranked men lined up for the 100 free heats wearing jammers, and all posted abysmal times."

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We'll feature one each day. Please note that Ben has an affiliate relationship with many of these companies.

Alright folks, this is officially it. I've had multiple request for a quintessential holiday shopping list for the health nut, fitness enthusiast, multi-sport junkie or fat-loss devotee. Consider this the ultimate answer to your head-scratching hunt for the perfect gift. You've stumbled upon the final solution.

I've tracked down the best deals, the highest-quality products, and the most unique, health-conscious gifts your significant gift-recipient isn't going to get anywhere else - and provided you with a range of options from inexpensive, custom-designed energy bars to gold-standard laboratory performance testing packages.

You'll find everything for the person who just wants to shed a few pounds of fat, to the coveted tools of a top triathlete. So consider the following items the gold-standard for giving the gift of both creativity and health. You can click on any of the items in the list, and they will open in a new window, so you'll always be able to access this list later.

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1. Gymstick Originating in Finland as a popular exercise tool at health clubs and homes, the Gymstick is an incredibly versatile and portable exercise device that can be used for fat loss, lean body toning and beginner to advanced fitness. As you can see from the picture, it is comprised of a flexible fiberglass stick, soft foam hand grip and pair of latex rubber resistance tubes with durable fabric loops at both ends. I use my Gymstick three times per week for 30-45 minutes: once for a core workout, once for a toning workout, and once for a sports performance workout!

Here¹s why I recommend the Gymstick: -It¹s highly portable, making it great for home and travel based workoutsŠ -It is perfect for muscle toning, but also can build strength and enhance sports performanceŠ -By simply twisting the stick, you can instantly increase or decrease resistance -It can be included in a high-calorie burning, metabolism-boosting workout OR a slower, toning and strength-building routines

-Compared to other pieces of home exercise equipment, it is inexpensive and easy-to-use! Each Gymstick includes a stylish fabric cover and carry bag, a GymstickGymstick Workout DVD (incl. 3 workout programs). Just click on Gymstick for the best deal on the internet, which includes FREE shipping to anywhere in the USA.

Ironman Florida has long been known for athletes blatantly drafting (read cheating) on the bike. The course is pancake flat which makes for perfect drafting conditions for those unwilling to abide by the rules.

At this weekend's race an intrepid triathlete mounted a camera on his helmet during the bike portion, and documented some of the more blatant drafting.

Add a bit of appropriate music, and what you end up with is an interesting video that makes a strong case for changing the current rules to a stronger form of drafting enforcement as clearly the current system does not catch all the cheaters.

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Editor's Note:

 The 40th ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 1, 2009 was a memorable and historic event with the first U.S. race champion since 1982 - Meb Keflezighi and the largest marathon field in the sport's history - 43,741 runners and 43,475 finishers (a 99.4% completion rate). Below is a summary of fast facts for the flagship marathon in 2009:

THE FIELD
All time high number of participants: 43,741 starters, 43,475 finishers
* Number of starters: 43,741
* Number of finishers: 43,475
* Largest number of marathon finishers in running history (previously 38,607 - at 2007 ING NYC Marathon; 4,868 more finishers than in 2007)
* Italy had the highest number of non-U.S. finishers: 3,093
* France was second with total finishers: 2,924
* Total countries represented: 110
* Total states represented: 50 plus DC, Puerto Rico and Guam
* Total finishers from the tri-state area: 12,661
* 102,486 people applied for the ING New York City Marathon 2009.
* Oldest Female Finisher: Yolande Marois, 84, 7:41:04
* Oldest Male Finisher: Peter Harangozo, 88, 7:53:02

PROFESSIONAL RACE SUMMARY
Winners
* Male Open race winner: Meb Keflezighi, USA, 2:09:15, personal record
* Female Open race winner: Derartu Tulu, Ethiopia, 2:28:52
* Male wheelchair race winner: Kurt Fearnley, Australia, 1:35:58
* Female wheelchair race winner: Edith Hunkeler, Switzerland, 1:58:15
* Male hand cycle race winner: Helene Hines, USA, 1:53:51
* Female hand cycle race winner: Dane Pilon, USA, 1:19:48

Achievements
* Meb Keflezighi became the first U.S. man to win the race since Alberto Salazar three-peated in 1982. Keflezighi has now finished in every podium position in New York: champion (2009), runner-up (2004) and third (2005). The two-time Olympian earned $200,000 in prize money and time bonuses.
* Derartu Tulu became the first Ethiopian woman to win New York, and is the only Olympic 10,000m gold medalist (male or female) to win here.
* Ludmila Petrova, 41, competed in her 9th ING NYC Marathon, taking her third podium finish.
* Even with the strongest men's fields ever in New York, six American men finished in the top 10, the best U.S. finish at NYC since 1979.

* Professional women's field had 7 personal bests:
-Buzunesh Deba, Ethiopia, 2:35:54
-Serkalem Biset Abrha, Ethiopia, 2:37:20
-Desiree Ficker, Austin, TX, 2:39:30
-Catha Mullen, New York, NY, 2:43:13
-Christine Ramsey, Baltimore, MD, 2:44:37
-Hirut Mandefro, Ethiopia, 2:47:03
-Rebecca Yau, New York, NY, 2:51:22

* Professional men's field had 8 personal bests:
-Meb Keflezighi, Mammoth Lakes, CA, 2:09:15
-Jorge Torres, Boulder, CO, 2:13:00
-Nick Arciniaga, Rochester Hills, MI, 2:13:46
-Mike Sayenko, Bellevue, WA, 2:16:38
-Allen Wagner, Huntington Valley, PA, 2:17:49
-Max King, Bend, OR, 2:19:11
-Pat Tarpy, Providence, RI, 2:20:43
-Bryan Morseman, Addison, NY, 2:23:50

Athlete Payments
* Prize money totaled $800,000, the largest in race history.

Races within the Race Winners
* Alberto Salazar Award (top American finishers):
-Meb Keflezighi, 2:09:15
-Magdalena Lewy Boulet, 2:32:17
* Mayor's Cup Award: New York Fire Department (team scoring top 10 runners from each team)
* Foot Locker Five Borough Challenge: Allyson Hentel (Manhattan) 3:43:01

Other
* Abebe Bikila Award: Allan Steinfeld
* Lewis Rudin Award (top TFK Fund Raisers):
Male: Drew Swiss, bib 21803, 4:32:33, Armonk, NY
Female: Kathleen Olsen, bib 29612, 4:05:58, Port Washington, NY

CHARITY
* The race charities had over 6,700 runners raise more than $24 million dollars ($24 million - not a typo).

Not only does the race have its own qualifying set of races (just like the Kona Ironman race) but there is also a lottery that fills up every year with triathletes eager to Escape from the "The Rock" in the Bay. 

But that was so 2009.

In 2010 triathlete will have not 1, not 2, but 3 ways to escape from Alcatraz during the summer.

Because of a reshuffling of the the Original Escape from Alcatraz race organizer and the race director an entire new race has just been announced---the inaugural Alcatraz Triathlon is to be held on August 29. 2010 and put on by Tri-California.

The new Alcatraz Triathlon will take place on....and you guessed it...a very similar course.

The official Press Release is below.

But to make matters even more interesting, if you don't like the new race you can also escape from the Rock on Sunday, June 20, 2010 as part of Envirosports Alcatraz XXX Triathlon- The 30th annual ESCAPE FROM THE ROCK.

The race is open to 700 athletes.

The recent Tri-California Press Release:

The new ALCATRAZ Triathlon will become part of the Tri-California Race Series which includes: The AVIA Wildflower Triathlons on April 30-May 2, The San Francisco Triathlon at Treasure Island on July 9-11, The Triathlon at Pacific Grove Sept 10-12, and Scott Tinley's Triathlon in San Luis Obispo County on October 1-3rd.

Registration for the event is on a first come basis and is expected to sell out quickly. Registration opens November 27th at www.tricalifornia.com . Entry fees $320 for individuals and $160 for relay members until January 1.

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Witness at the scene of the accident report that Scott was conscious and talking after being struck, and that it looked to them like the car accident had potentially broken Scott's collar bone or separated his shoulder with other multiple cuts on his legs and arms.

According to a lawsuit filed in Boulder County District Court, Scott sustained "bodily injuries" and medical expenses because of the illegal U-turn by Ramona Sands.

"Scott, 55, alleges in the suit that he began following Sands' BMW on Boulder's Poplar Avenue, near Broadway, and they both turned onto Wonderland Hill Avenue. While he was behind her, according to the lawsuit, Scott saw Sands slow down or stop several times.

As they approached the intersection of Wonderland Hill and Linden avenues, Sands pulled over to the far right portion of the road behind two parked cars, the lawsuit alleges. At that point, according to Scott, Sands started making a U-turn without signaling.

Scott braked and tried to avoid the car, but crashed into the driver's side," according to the Boulder Daily Camera.

In September Sands plead guilty to careless driving and was ordered to pay Scott restitution.

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We sent our man Ben Greenfield to Jamaica see if he could (in a few short days) do all of the above, and still compete at the WATA Rose Hall Triathlon & Wellness Festival.

The fine folks at the Jamaica Tourist Board graciously paid to send our intrepid reporter to the race in Jamaica, and it seems to see how much fun he could have and still race an International distance triathlon.

You you'll be surprised by what Ben was able to accomplish. Just watch the video below.

And yes we know...somebody had to get this plush assignment, but don't forget...if you like what you see there is always next year's race.

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