The Lion Man Triathlon is an institution, and moreover, it has international credentials. This year, the Lion Man event matches Olympic criteria and 7NEWS was there on Sunday to see who could swim 0.93 miles, ride 24.8 miles, and run 6.2 miles. The event brought out 34 elite athletes who were all up to the challenge but they found out that there's one intangible magical ingredient for success, you can call it the fraternity factor. Here's more.
Jules Vasquez Reporting, [jules.Vasquez@gmail.com]
33 men and one woman got ready in the chilly waters of an overcast morning. Reigning Lion Man and two-time winner Kenroy "Lyrics" Gladden was at the front while the 2003 champ, Hubert Johnson was just a few feet across from him
And at eight they were off on a course that would take them on a course that is.93 of a mile. It follows a wide loop around Sand Lighter's Promenade and the first out of the water 23 minutes later is British soldier and international tri-athlete Wooly Woolgar. The fire hose showers him down to wash off the brackish salt water. After putting on his cycling apparel, he sped off on the bike to applause from the crowd.
Veteran Jim Scott would be the second out of the water finish a few minutes later and slips into his cycling equipment to begin the 24.8 mile ride. The earliest and youngest finisher from the swim was Giovanni Choto, a junior competitor who's only 17 years old. Though he came out of the water 5 minutes behind Wulger, if he appears calm in getting ready, it's because Choto knows his strength is on the bike. Other perennial competitors like Dr. Ramon Figueroa are among the top ten to come out of the water while Giovanni's brother Jose looks a little lost here and certainly in more of a rush to get ready than his little brother. Past champ Kenroy Gladden is among the first 20 out of the water and goes to pick up a bike that he's only been training on for a week.
As the overcast skies clear up, Shalini Zabenah, the only woman competing in the event, come out of the water just behind Gladden. And while she has the comfort of knowing that she doesn't have anyone to beat, her urgency shows that she's eager to prove herself among the men, and to do it she will have to ride the same course and the same distances. One man she got a lead on was Allison Trapp, he got knocked down by a car and is seen here at the corner of Mahogany Street and Central American Boulevard getting treatment. Trapp did not finish the race.
Out on the road, Wooly Wulger takes his three minute lead form the swim unto the Western Highway, where for a time he enjoys a comfortable lead on the road. The first chase group is led by Jim Scott with Hubert Johnson and Jose Choto behind him. Nearing mile 10, the halfway point, Choto is seen breaking away from that pack. On the return, his little brother Giovanni Choto, is seen chasing Wulger, just seconds behind the British man at mile three on the return. By the time they get into the city, here on Princess Margaret Drive, Choto has caught up to Wulger and you can see him here comfortably trailing, sitting back while a laboring Woolgar does the work.
Nearing the switch-off point for the run, Woolgar keeps the lead and as they go over the bump near the Princess, Choto continues to let Woolgar stay ahead. Both men come into the finish together and while Choto changes to running shoes, Woolgar is first out on the 6.2 mile run. When the pack comes in a few minutes later, Jose Choto will be the first out in his running shoes, while Jim Scott laced his up, taking off just behind past champ and fellow masters competitor Hubert Johnson. And by the time, Choto came back from half way through the circuit, he had dropped Wulger, who was nowhere in sight, and was only seen here bringing up the rear a over a minute later. By this time, Hubert Johnson was running behind Woolgar. By that time, Shalini Zabaneh had also finished her ride and started on the run, forgetting her running shorts, which she had to track back for.
And that run would prove to be the killing thing for Dr. Figueroa who had to take a walk break. And while Patrick Palacio and Woolgar were heading to the roundabout, the Choto brother, Giovanni and Jose had joined up and were on the last leg, running side by side. They would maintain that comfortable pace, well ahead of the next runner and clearly not laboring. And apart form sharing the lead, these brother on victory road even shared water, the relaxed looks on their faces showing show how well trained they were - after all, these Cayo boys who do their running in the hills - and these flats hardly posed a challenge. And as they got close to the finish the only question was, who would hold the lead at the end. And to answer that, down the stretch they held hands, to run to the finish together, older brother Javier letting Giovanni take the step ahead to the finish - they were today's iron lions.
Jules Vasquez,
So who won the race?
Jose Choto,
"My little brother, two of us just came in together, two of we win."
Jules Vasquez,
So he had you out on the swimming and the cycling and then you came back on the running?
Jose Choto,
"I came back but I didn't really worry because if he had won it would have been just like if I had won."
Reuben Morales, LOVE FM
"You seemed a little worried there but once your brother got there you seemed happy again."
Giovanni Choto, Lion Man
"Yes I could faster when he is besides me."
Reuben Morales,
"Jose is saying that you told him to take it and he is saying no, you take it, and he held up your hands and he allowed you to step one foot ahead."
Giovanni Choto,
"Yeah."
Jose Choto,
"We worked hard man and like they say, what you put in is what you take out so we glad to win today."
Hubert Johnson,
"I had a much better year than last year and going we had a head wind so the younger Choto was out there running with Wooly and he's an excellent pacer and Jose and the other BDF were sitting on me to carry the pace and it was against the wind. Coming back they attacked us and they were three guys running and we were two so we didn't close in on them but all in all it was a good race."
Wooly Wulger,
"The two lads, the brothers, are quality athletes, very good cyclists. If anything, when the sun came out I was just not ready for it and certainly the six mile run, the sprint was easy because that's a three mile run, but 10k always destroys me. I went out very well on the bike and there was quite a lot of wind going up the Western Highway and coming back in obviously it was a tailwind and when the heat came my legs just dies."
Kenroy Gladden,
"Well this year I was locked down a little while so I didn't have the perfect training time to train and when I came out I considered a long while before I started to train. I started to train nearly on the 18th of August so it was three weeks basically and during that three weeks I still slacked up on so many days."
Jules Vasquez,
Is this an important athletic event for you?
Kenroy Gladden,
"Yes this is a very important event for me, especially since my grandmother isn't here to watch how we performed this year."
And while Gladden just missed the top ten with his emotional 11th Place finish, one person sure to leave with a prize was Shalini Zabenah, the only competitor in the women's event. She finished 20TH. Overall, 30 minutes behind the Choto brothers.
James Adderley, Channel 5
"What was it like?"
Shalini Zabenah, Lioness
"I was trying to catch Roger, my boyfriend, so that was my mindset - catch him down."
James Adderley,
"I saw you come in, you beat about 13 males. Tell us a bit about your training?"
Shalini Zabenah,
"Well I guess I did some secret training, the Ambassador Tsai of Taiwan sent me to Taiwan to do some training so that's my secret."
James Adderley,
"Which was your weakest event today?"
Shalini Zabenah,
"Probably the swimming because I got a little bit lost, I went too far out so that was probably what got me too far behind."
James Adderley,
"You seem always involved in softball, running, Lionman, what can't you do?"
Shalini Zabenah,
"I don't know, I have yet to find out. I guess because the spotlight is on me, and being a woman, its very inspiring and I hope a lot of girls come on out."
And while Shalini was the women's favorite, the sentimental and crowd favorite was Beep Phillips, who managed to sprint in for 23rd. place, fuelled by the sound of hearty applause from fans who recognize him as the founder of the event.
Efrain "Beep" Phillips,
"It felt very good Jules, the fans turn out really helps all the athletes when you get here and hear your name being hollered, you feel good and so you try and put in more. My knee does hurt but its more mental than anything, I try to block out the pain. I've gotten two knee surgeries so its just to finish man, just to the finish line and forget all the pain and hope that Jah gives us the strength."
And Beep says that this was a defining year for the event, as it moves on to international status.
Efrain "Beep" Phillips,
"We knew that the number of participants would have decreased because the distances increased but we were telling all the participants, from previous triathlons, that we would increase it every year until we reach the Olympic distances. This year is the first Olympic distance so we knew we would have lost some participants but its starting all over again so from here we hope it increases every year."
Patrick Palacio,
"With the extension of the swimming, it takes more out of you because when I came out of the water, it took me about four or five miles to recover from the swim and normally I recover quicker but the swimming took a lot out of me this year."
Wooly Wulger,
"Belizean triathlon, considering he circuit I compete on, this event is getting bigger and now that they have it up to Olympic distances, it can only get better."
Efrain "Beep" Phillips,
"Personally I thought that Wooly Wulger, because of his experience abroad, he has done triathlons abroad and that shows us that Belize has the talent to continue training and working hard, we can represent in the Caribbean first and hopefully we can reach the Olympics, sooner rather than later."
An Olympic dream that doesn't seem so far fetched seeing the kind of talent and promise shown in this 17-year-old winner.
Winners in the male and female divisions received $800, a trophy, a Smart phone and other prizes.
