Liz Blatchford and Greg Bennett Lead 2008 Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series Race to the Toyota Cup after Second Event in Five Race Series
Following July 20 Nautica New York City Triathlon Athletes Set Sights on Accenture Chicago Triathlon on August 23
CHANHASSEN, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Australia's Greg Bennett and Great Britain's Liz Blatchford have taken the Pro Men's and Women's division leads in the 2008 Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series Race to the Toyota Cup with their respective wins at Sunday's Nautica New York City Triathlon. New York represented the second of five races that make up the 2008 Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series Race to the Toyota Cup.
Bennett, the 2007 Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series Champion, came off a third place finish at the Life Time Fitness Triathlon in Minneapolis, the first race of the 2008 Series, on July 12, to top the pro men's field in New York for the third year in a row. He trailed Canada's Paul Tichelaar by only one second coming out of the swim portion of the race, but delivered an aggressive ride on the bike capped by a dominating performance in the run portion of the event to outdistance the field. In the women's race, Blatchford and Becky Lavelle, (USA), the seventh and third place finishers in Minneapolis, battled through the swim and bike portions of the race. Blatchford separated herself from field in the run to take home first place honors in the women's pro division. Bennett and Blatchford each picked up 10,000 points in the 2008 Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series Race to the Toyota Cup and $8,000 in prize money.
The 2008 Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series will continue with the Accenture Chicago Triathlon on August 26 followed by the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Triathlon on September 9, and the 2008 Series Championship - the Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon in Dallas on October 14.
2008 LIFE TIME FITNESS TRIATHLON SERIES RACE TO THE TOYOTA CUP POINTS STANDINGS
MEN ------------------------------ Name (Country) Points as of July 20, 2008 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Greg Bennett (AUS) 15,700 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Simon Whitfield (CAN) 15,000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Andy Potts (USA) 12,800 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Stuart Hayes (GBR) 9,900 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
WOMEN ------------------------------ Name (Country) Points as of July 20, 2008 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Liz Blatchford (GBR) 12,550 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Becky Lavelle (USA) 11,700 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Jodie Swallow (GBR) 5,900 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Julie Dibens (GBR) 5,350 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
About the 2008 Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series Race to the Toyota Cup
The Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series was launched in 2006 and created the first-ever connection among four of the most prominent triathlon events in the United States. The Life Time Fitness Triathlon (ltftriathlon.com), held in Minneapolis, is produced by Life Time Fitness, Inc. The Accenture Chicago Triathlon (chicagotriathlon.com) is produced by Creative & Production Resources, Inc (CAPRI Events). The Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Triathlon (LATriathlon.com) is produced by Pacific Sports LLC. The Nautica New York City Triathlon (nyctri.com) is produced by Korff Enterprises.
In 2007, the Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series was expanded to include a Championship event, the Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Dallas.
In 2008, the Series announced the Race to the Toyota Cup to award the top female and male triathletes in each of three separate divisions: Professional, Elite Amateur and Age Group at the Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon in Dallas. Overall, the 2008 Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series offers a $1.44 million purse for the Professional Division.
Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series Timeline:
-- Life Time Fitness Triathlon (Minneapolis) - July 12
-- Nautica New York City Triathlon - July 20
-- Accenture Chicago Triathlon - August 24
-- Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Triathlon - September 7
-- Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon (Dallas) - October 5
About Life Time Fitness, Inc.
Life Time Fitness, Inc. (NYSE:LTM) operates distinctive and large, multi-use sports and athletic, professional fitness, family recreation and resort and spa centers. The company also provides consumers with personal training consultation, full-service spas and cafes, corporate wellness programs, health and nutrition education, the healthy lifestyle magazine, Experience Life, athletic events, and nutritional products. As of July 22, 2008, Life Time Fitness operated 74 centers in 17 states, including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Utah and Virginia. Life Time Fitness is headquartered in Chanhassen, Minnesota, and can be located on the Web at lifetimefitness.com. LIFE TIME FITNESS, EXPERIENCE LIFE, and the LIFE TIME FITNESS TRIATHLON SERIES are registered trademarks of Life Time Fitness, Inc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Source: Life Time Fitness
Released July 22, 2008