Heat Isn't Enough To Slow Schultz in Nation's Triathlon

Nearly 2,400 amateur athletes from across the country swam in the Potomac River under Memorial Bridge, hopped on their bikes for a ride along the river's parkways and capped their efforts with a steamy run around the Mall in the third Nation's Triathlon yesterday.

Bill Schultz of Bowie crossed the finish line on Pennsylvania Avenue in 1 hour 59 minutes 50 seconds, more than six minutes ahead of his closest competitor. Race officials assessed a two-minute course penalty during Schultz's bike leg, an adjustment that did not affect the final standings.

"You couldn't have a better venue, race course or support," Schultz, 30, said. "The run was the toughest part, with the sun beating down on you at the end. But it was the same conditions for everyone, so I really can't complain."

The Olympic distance course consisted of a 1.5K swim, a 40K bike and a 10K run. The water temperature of 77 was one degree shy of a requirement that race officials bar wet suits, which serve to insulate as well as provide flotation assistance for most triathletes. Air temperature of 72 at the start climbed rapidly, and high humidity made the run especially difficult.

Steuarat Martens, a former competitive distance swimmer at Purdue University, led everyone out of the water with a quick opening leg of 19:41, nearly a minute ahead of the next man, Kyle Hooker. Martens, like nearly all the competitors, lauded the Potomac River water quality. "My only complaint was that on the way back [downstream], the sun was right on the horizon and the same color as the buoy, so I had to tread water in order to get my bearings."

Schultz seized the lead quickly on the bike and extended his advantage to five minutes before the run, during which he was never challenged. Martens finished seventh in 2:09:33.

Vinnie Monseau, 39, from Morgantown, W.Va., took second in 2:06:02, and Charles Graf third in 2:07:15. Hooker, 20, a senior at the Naval Academy and from Lake Braddock High in Burke, was fourth in 2:08:06. Hooker led a contingent of 15 midshipmen.

Megan Knepper started with the first wave of 70 elite athletes at 7 a.m. and was second out of the water, only behind Martens. Knepper's 20:00 split gave her a big early lead in the women's race, an advantage that shrank but one she never lost in her 2:17:37 wire-to-wire triumph.

"If I don't get out there in my strongest event, I'm done," said Knepper, 25, from Fairfax, who will compete in the Hawaii Ironman next month. "I was pleased with my bike [leg], and at halfway I said nobody's passed me yet. But my [bike] computer died, so I didn't know how fast I was going, and I had to ride by feel. On the run, I was looking back the whole way the last two miles."

Heather Leiggi, 33, a professional triathlete from Bryn Mawr, Pa., and Knepper's teammate on Zoot Sports, a California sports apparel company, finished second in 2:18:01. "I was working on her the whole bike and the whole run, gaining on her, but I ran out of race course," said Leiggi, who led all women cyclists with a split of 1:06:15.

Rebecca Newton, 32, from Lexington Park, Md., completed a close top three in 2:18:14. Last year's runner-up, Hilary Cairns, 37, from Washington, finished fifth in 2:21:16.

D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, an avid triathlete who suffered a bike crash in July that disrupted his training, completed the course in 2:30:07 and finished 168th overall. "I've got no excuses," said Fenty, who was 10th last year. "The bike and run were very tough, and I'm glad it's over. [Race director Chuck Brodsky] is going to give me a list of everyone who beat me."

Brodsky, who founded the race, said he was pleased but not surprised at the event's growth from 480 finishers in 2006. "The sport of triathloning is exploding around the globe and we're a part of that. We're just very thankful to the Fenty administration for working with us, closing all the roads. This is a great day for the city."