Locals Brave Nautica Triathlon

Several Palisadians from the Los Angeles Triathlon club stood out amid a field of more than 3,000 competitors at last Sunday’s Nautica Malibu Triathlon. The 21st annual event at Zuma Beach, which raised $718,000 for the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, consisted of a half-mile swim, 18-mile bike ride and four-mile run. “This year was extra special because of the weather conditions–very little surf, no wind on the bike, and the perfect race temperature,” said LA Tri Club Coach Ian Murray, who lives in the Palisades Highlands. He finished third in the elite men’s division (ages 35-39) with a time of one hour, 23 minutes and 14 seconds. Murray was proud of LA Tri Club’s overall performance. “The LA Tri Club always does well here,” Murray said. “It’s in our backyard and we train on the course regularly. We had over 200 club members competing today with many on the podium–most with personal best performances.” Since 2000, Murray has run clinics with the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF). One of his athletes, 23-year-old Evan Morgan of Bakersfield, is a double amputee who was a U.S. soldier in Iraq and was introduced to triathlons while in the hospital for his injuries. “I realize that I work with “able bodied” athletes all the time who are crippled by fear,” Murray said. “Most of the Challenged Athletes I’ve met are seriously brave individuals who are ready to take on any challenge. Lack of fear is the most liberating thing a human can have.” Murray was pleased with his performance Sunday. “I’ve raced this race as a newbie, an elite, I’ve raced it injured, and my wife [Alexandra Paul] and I raced it the morning after we were married seven years ago,” he said. “This day was my best result ever with a third-place finish and just seconds out of the win–and that’s with far less training than in the past.” CAF athlete Jeremy Newman a self-described lover of challenge from the Palisades, also competed Sunday, filling in for Jericho’s missing teammate during the running portion of the Celebrity Relay. Newman brings his celebrity clients to the Nautica Triathlon in order to bring exposure to the event. A personal trainer and motivational speaker, Newman trains in the Palisades three to five days a week. The wheelchair athlete uses a special seven-foot long bike when competing. “There are a lot of hairpin turns during the run,” Newman said. “So for runners its not a big deal but I physically stop and re-position. The fact that I didn’t crash into anyone and no one crashed into me was wonderful.” Newman was one of two wheelchair athletes selected to represent the United States in the 2002 World Triathlon Championships in Cancun, Mexico. Another Palisadian, 46-year-old Alan Morelli, placed third in the Clydesdale Division in 1:36:31. “It’s an incredible opportunity to race,” Morelli admitted. “Sometimes I think ‘Do I really deserve this?'” Morelli, a Georgetown graduate and CEO of a growing health company, leads a one to two mile LA Tri Club swim on Friday mornings at Gladstones. Originally from New Jersey, Morelli spent nine years as a young adult lifeguarding, rowing and competing in Ironman races. Fond of warmer weather, he and his wife Terry moved to the Palisades in 1997. “I sort of retired,” Morelli recalled. “I had some time on my hands and my wife wanted me to get out of the house. So I bought a beach cruiser and I guess I have a bit of a competitive spirit. Soon I was racing people on the bike path, which isn’t good.” A member of the USA team, Morelli has competed in over 50 triathlons in places such as the East Coast, France and Australia. Palisades Highlands resident and LA Tri Club member Renee Brown, 50, was a yacht interior designer before catching the triathlon bug. “I saw a triathlon on TV and I thought I could do that,” Brown said. In preparation for Sunday’s event Brown biked four to five times a week and routinely attended a Wednesday morning ocean swim in Santa Monica. She finished ninth out of 19 competitors in her division, completing the course in 2:18:21. Her son Jared finished first in the 14-17 age group with a time of 1:38:08. The Browns, who live in the Palisades Highlands, began competing in triathlons together two years ago at UCLA. “He’s a hotshot now,” Renee joked. “I’m a forever beginner.” What Renee will remember most about Sunday’s triathlon is helping a panicking woman during the swim phase of the competition. “I told her to do what I say and do it when I say it,” Brown said. “We got past the waves and she thanked me. It was like everything I learned clicked in when I needed to help someone, it was the most incredible feeling.” Fifteen-year-old Kimberly Tartavull, who lives in Castellammarre and swims for the Palisades-Malibu YMCA, placed first out of 500 women in the half-mile swim, finishing in 12 minutes. Tartavull crossed the finish line in 1:53 to finish fourth in her age division. Other Palisades competitors included Claudia Campos who finished first in her age divison, Greg Roberts and Richard Sherman.