Dye loves L.A.
Cameron Dye broke Greg Bennett's hegemony over this race by taking the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Triathlon in convincing style. Bennett was second on a day when few if any who race America's no-draft, Oly-distance classics were going to beat Dye. Some days you just have it, and Dye had it in spades, winning in a very fast time of 1:46:34.
Unlike Bennett, Lisa Norden did not give up her stranglehold on this race. In fact, she just gets better, setting a course record in winning her 3rd consecutive L.A. Tri in 1:57:16.
Dye has been listless in each race since his Life Time Fitness bike crash in Minneapolis in July. It was a painful stretch during which to be off-form, as he missed out on the big payday at HyVee. But whatever form and health he lost at the Twin Cities he's recovered, and today may have been his best-ever day as a professional triathlete. His 1:46:34 was the second best time ever on this course, only seconds behind Bennett's 2008 effort here.
Dye rediscovered his swim form, emerging with Bennett, Filip Ospaly and American Allen Gardner. This is chronicled in our live coverage of the race, for those who prefer to read coverage as the race unfolds.
Dye then commenced stomping on the pedals, as he does when he's fit, rested and healthy. Bennett found himself in the same spot he did at HyVee, tongue wagging as he forlornly tried to keep pace with the bike leader. But, as in HyVee Bennett, crazy like a fox, used the overcoming bike skills of the bike course leader to pull him further in front of his competitors.
Once on the run, and after 5k, Dye's 2-minute lead over Bennett at T2 shrunk to 1:20. It looked like Bennett's kind of race. But unlike HyVee, the early bike leader did not fade sufficiently for Bennett to stride into the win off his run speed. Dye had enough left in the tank, and he finished up with :45 on Bennett in second place.
Filip Ospaly finished 3rd off probably his best run in a long time, as the Czech veteran racer clocked a 31:04 for 10k—a very good split after a hard no-draft bike leg. Stuart Hayes came fourth, with Fraser Cartmell rounding out the top-5.
Sara McLarty won the first half of this race, emerging from the water with a minute over a chase pack, and then she lost only a half-minute to Lisa Norden by the halfway mark of the bike ride.
But then Norden's power became evident in this net uphill point-to-point bike, and the Swede rode into T2 with 1:40 over McLarty. Norden took it with ease, with McLarty holding on for 5th. Jodie Stimpson ran into 2nd with the day's fastest run split of 34:56, steady Jillian Peterson came 3rd, and Annabel Luxford was 4th.
The Toyota Cup Series finishes up a week from today, at the Dallas U.S. Open Triathlon. Slowtwitch will cover it live, with cash and cars on the line.
Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Triathlon
Los Angeles, CA / September 25, 2011
S 1.5k / B 40k / R 10k
Men
1. Cameron Dye 1:46:34
2. Greg Bennett 1:47:19
3. Filip Ospaly 1:49:45
4. Stuart Hayes 1:51:07
5. Fraser Cartmell 1:52:13
6. Tim Reed 1:53:35
7. Mauro Cavalho 1:54:29
8. Allen Gardner 1:58:17
9. Bryan Rhodes 1:58:24
10. James Burns 1:59:22
Women
1. Lisa Norden 1:57:16
2. Jodie Stimpson 2:01:10
3. Jillian Peterson 2:01:27
4. Annabel Luxford 2:02:12
5. Sara McLarty 2:03:00
6. Hollie Avil 2:03:13
7. Magali Tisseyre 2:04:02
8. Becky Lavelle 2:04:33
9. Radka Vodickiova 2:06:17
10. Nicole Kelleher 2:07:45
