Canada's Simon Whitfield and Australia's Emma Snowsill Win in Professional Division at 2008 Life Time Fitness Triathlon; Each Claims $60,000 of Overall $250,000 Purse
Winners Emerge as Point Leaders in $1.45 Million 2008 Triathlon Series; Field Includes 10 Olympians Slated to Compete Next Month in Beijing; More Than 3,000 Participants from 10 Countries and More Than 40 States Compete; Charity Challenge Event Yields $50,000
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Life Time Fitness, Inc. (NYSE:LTM) today announced that Canadian triathlete Simon Whitfield and Australian triathlete Emma Snowsill won in their respective Professional Divisions at the 2008 Life Time Fitness Triathlon today in Minneapolis.
Competing against a stellar field of world elite professionals on the event's Olympic-distance course, Snowsill won the women's division and Whitfield the men's division, each taking home a first-place prize of $60,000.
Snowsill and Whitfield also emerged as point leaders in the $1.45 million 2008 Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series Race to the Toyota Cup. Today's event was the first of the five races that comprise the Series, which continues Sun., July 20 at the Nautica New York City Triathlon.
The event also served as a final tune-up for 10 triathletes who will represent their countries at the 2008 Olympics next month in Beijing. In addition to 40 professionals, more than 3,000 amateur athletes participated, representing 10 countries and more than 40 states.
2008 Life Time Fitness Triathlon Professional Division Results (Unofficial)
A total of $250,000 was awarded to the top 10 professional women and men competing in the event. Complete results are available at www.ltftriathlon.com. Unofficial Professional Division results from today's race are as follows:
MEN
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pro Triathlete Unofficial Cash 2008 Triathlon
Time Prize Series Points
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Simon Whitfield (CAN) 1:48:01.2 $60,000 15,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Andy Potts (USA) 1:48:04.5 $25,000 9,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Greg Bennett (AUS) 1:48:07.0 $15,000 5,700
----------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Stuart Hayes (GBR) 1:48:48.0 $7,000 3,900
----------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Matt Reed (USA) 1:48:54.4 $6,000 3,450
----------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Brent McMahon (CAN) 1:48:56.2 $4,000 2,850
----------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Paul Tichelaar (CAN) 1:49:23.7 $3,000 2,550
----------------------------------------------------------------------
8. Craig Alexander (AUS) 1:49:34.6 $2,500 2,250
----------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Paul Matthews (AUS) 1:50:41.3 $1,500 2,100
----------------------------------------------------------------------
10. Hunter Kemper (USA) 1:50:47.8 $1,000 1,950
----------------------------------------------------------------------
11. Stephen Hackett (AUS) 1:52:39.9 -- --
----------------------------------------------------------------------
12. Claude Eksteen (GER) 1:53:38.5 -- --
----------------------------------------------------------------------
13. TJ Tollakson (USA) 1:54:34.7 -- --
----------------------------------------------------------------------
14. Jordan Rapp (USA) 1:56:40.5 -- --
----------------------------------------------------------------------
15. Simon Thompson (AUS) 1:58:10.3 -- --
----------------------------------------------------------------------
16. Chris Bagg (USA) 1:59:52.6 -- --
----------------------------------------------------------------------
WOMEN
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pro Triathlete Unofficial Cash 2008 Triathlon
Time Prize Series Points
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Emma Snowsill (AUS) 1:58:04.2 $60,000 15,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Sarah Haskins (USA) 2:00:36.3 $25,000 9,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Becky Lavelle (USA) 2:01:19.9 $15,000 5,700
----------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Joanna Zeiger (USA) 2:01:52.4 $7,000 3,900
----------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Julie Dibens (GBR) 2:02:15.0 $6,000 3,450
----------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Mary Beth Ellis (USA) 2:03:01.4 $4,000 2,850
----------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Liz Blatchford (GBR) 2:03:17.7 $3,000 2,550
----------------------------------------------------------------------
8. Rebeccah Wassner (USA) 2:03:38.2 $2,500 2,250
----------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Jodie Swallow (GBR) 2:03:58.3 $1,500 2,100
----------------------------------------------------------------------
10. Amanda Stevens (USA) 2:07:16.2 $1,000 1,950
----------------------------------------------------------------------
11. Mirinda Carfrae (AUS) 2:08:52.6 -- --
----------------------------------------------------------------------
12. Joanna Lawn (NZL) 2:09:33.8 -- --
----------------------------------------------------------------------
13. Laurel Wassner (USA) 2:10:08.4 -- --
----------------------------------------------------------------------
About the 2008 Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series Race to the Toyota Cup
Following today's opening event, the 2008 Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series Race to the Toyota Cup moves on to the Nautica New York City Triathlon on Sun., July 20.
The Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series was launched in 2006 and created the first-ever connection among four of the most prominent Olympic-distance 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 $1.45 million in cash prizes for the Professional Division. The events include:
-- 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
Gear West Bike & Triathlon Wins $50,000 for Charity in Repeat Win of Life Time Fitness Corporate Charity Challenge Division
In the Second Annual Corporate Charity Challenge, a Life Time Fitness Triathlon division established to encourage corporate team participation and charitable support, a team from Gear West Bike & Triathlon won for the second consecutive year, achieving the best overall relay time of 1:59:25.5.
100 percent of each team's $3,000 event entry fee will be donated to their designated charity via the Life Time Fitness Foundation. Additionally, Bahram Akradi, Life Time Fitness Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, committed an additional donation of $50,000 to the charity designated by the team with the overall best Corporate Charity Challenge race finish time.
Gear West once again designated the American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders to receive their $3,000 entry fee and the $50,000 Corporate Charity Challenge prize.
Corporate Charity Challenge participants competed as a relay team on the Life Time Fitness Triathlon Olympic-distance course. Other participants included teams from Accenture; Challenged Athletes Foundation - Operation Rebound; Cybex; Deloitte; Dominator Clothing; Faegre & Benson; Foley & Mansfield; Golf Galaxy; Griffin International Companies; Life Fitness; Life Time Fitness; M&I Bank; Minnesota Timberwolves / Taylor Corporation / Print Craft, Inc.; Minnesota Vikings; New Leaf; Octane Fitness; Periscope; Precor USA; Quebecor World; RBA Consulting; RPM Connect; and Workday.
2008 Racecourse Distances
Individual professional, elite and amateur athletes, and relay teams competed on a stunning, urban Olympic-distance course through Minneapolis and St. Paul (1.5K swim, 40K bike and 10K run). A short course also was available to amateur individuals and relay teams (.4-mile swim, 15-mile bike, and 3-mile run).
2008 Life Time Fitness Triathlon Sponsors
Life Time Fitness is proud to recognize the 2008 Life Time Fitness Triathlon sponsors:
Toyota Polar Orbea/Shimano PowerAde TYR Twin Cities Orthopedic Jennie-O Turkey Store Bluegreen Vacations MGD 64 Hormel Natural Choice Edge(R) - Available at Target(R) Chi Chi's Janus Cub Foods Ameriprise Financial Triathlete Magazine
2008 Life Time Fitness Triathlon VNR Details
A satellite hook-up will be available, offering event highlights, interviews with event winners, and several unique human interest stories, as follows:
TRANSMISSIONS: 3:30-3:45pm CT and 5:30-5:45pm CT Sat., July 12, 2008 COORDINATES: Horizon 2, Transponder 15 analog KU band Downlink frequency: 11900 Vertical 6.2 / 6.8 audio TROUBLE LINE: 612-330-2771
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 8, 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, Inc.
Released July 12, 2008