LONG BEACH, Calif. — The inaugural Legacy Triathlon was held Saturday in Long Beach, California, as hundreds of age-group athletes and elite paratriathletes raced at the proposed site of the triathlon competitions for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. The Legacy Triathlon will be held annually in the lead-up to the 2028 Games.
As the first National Governing Body in the Olympic and Paralympic movements to bring a new annual event to the Los Angeles footprint ahead of the 2028 Games, USA Triathlon is building its legacy before, rather than after the Games. At the same time, the Legacy Triathlon offers a new local race for the thriving multisport community in Southern California, the birthplace of triathlon.
Saturday’s racing included an age-group sprint-distance triathlon with a relay division, as well as the Toyota USA Paratriathlon National Championships. Click here for a complete recap and results from the paratriathlon competition.
In addition, ancillary events were held on Friday, including a paratriathlon skills clinic with Dare2Tri, the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) and Angel City Sports; a Splash & Dash youth aquathlon with the USA Triathlon Foundation and the Boys & Girls Club on Long Beach; and an open-water swim competition in partnership with USA Swimming and U.S. Masters Swimming.
The age-group race kicked off the action Saturday, featuring a 750-meter swim off the coast of Alamitos Beach, an 18.9k bike on Shoreline Dr. and Queens Highway and a 5k out-and-back run on Shoreline Way.
2016 U.S. Olympian Joe Maloy (Wildwood Crest, N.J.) was the men’s overall champion, breaking the tape in 55 minutes, 40 seconds. For Maloy, who recently joined USA Triathlon’s staff as Collegiate Recruitment Program manager, the atmosphere of Saturday’s race was something special.
“I think of SoCal when I think of triathlon,” Maloy said. “I think of sunny days. Even though we had some clouds this morning, the sun’s come out. I think just the atmosphere — it’s a laid-back, good-time atmosphere, and I think triathlon would do well to hang onto that. Yes, it’s a competitive sport and it challenges people to get the most out of themselves in many different ways, but at the end of the day, it’s a bunch of people coming together and sharing an experience, and it should be fun. I think the SoCal vibe captures that really well.”
Cole Ridenour (Newport Beach, Calif.) was the first amateur man across the line (Maloy holds an elite license), finishing in 1:01:26. Just 17 years old, Ridenour hopes to be in the mix for the LA 2028 Olympics here nine years from now.
“I do junior elite races, so I think it’s pretty cool that they’re going to have the Olympics here. I find that pretty fascinating,” Ridenour said. “Hopefully I can make it here someday — that would be pretty cool. It feels great to race, and I’m glad this is going to be the course for 2028, because it’s awesome.”
Rounding out the men’s overall podium was Alex Mainvielle (Torrance, Calif.) in 1:01:26.
Anthony Ervin, a three-time U.S. Olympian and four-time Olympic medalist in swimming, raced the Legacy Triathlon as his first-ever triathlon. He finished in 1:21:01.
A sprint specialist in the pool, Ervin won gold in the 50-meter races at the Sydney 2000 and Rio 2016 Olympics.
“(The triathlon) was called a sprint, right? But it’s the longest thing I’ve ever done. My races are 21 seconds, so this was really long, but it was great. It’s going to be a gorgeous race for 2028, that much I’m sure of.”
Ervin said his friend, Brad Snyder, a five-time Paralympic gold medalist in swimming who recently transitioned to elite paratriathlon, inspired him to try out the sport.
“Since the Rio Olympics, I’ve been on the road either competing in swimming or just teaching or representing my sport in various ways,” Ervin said. “Being on the road, I don’t have the liberty to swim as much as I normally would training as an elite swimmer. I find myself in a lot of hotel gyms, just on the treadmill or a stationary bike. (Brad) is transitioning to triathlon and I kind of thought, ‘You know, maybe I’ll try to do it too.’ So here I am.”
The women’s overall champion was Kelly Dippold (Irvine, Calif.) with a time of 1:09:34. Dippold was the Sprint- and Olympic-distance Grand Masters champion at the 2018 USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships, and she won a standard-distance world title in her age group last September.
“I had a great time at the Legacy Triathlon this morning. It was so cool to be on the same course with the best paratriathletes in the country and to see their amazing accomplishments,” Dippold said. “USA Triathlon always puts on well-organized events, and this was another example. I’ll be back next year!”
Dippold was joined on the podium by overall runner-up Katherine Phillips (Tucson, Ariz., 1:12:27) and third-place finisher Astrid Collins (Santa Ana, Calif., 1:13:07).
The Physically Challenged (Open) division was held as part of the Legacy Triathlon for athletes not qualified for the Toyota USA Paratriathlon National Championships. Winning that division was Jesus Moreno (Taylor, Mich.) with a time of 1:13:07.
For more information and complete results from the Legacy Triathlon, visit thelegacytriathlon.com.
Legacy Triathlon
750m swim, 18.9k bike, 5k run — Complete Results
Overall Female: Kelly Dippold (Irvine, Calif.), 1:09:34
Overall Male: Joe Maloy (Wildwood Crest, N.J.), 55:40
F15-19: Callie Limpert (Mansfield, Texas), 1:18:25
M15-19: Cole Ridenour (Newport Beach, Calif.), 1:01:26
F20-24: Jamie Christy (Atlanta, Ga.), 1:14:03
M20-24: Kyle Koivuniemi (Los Angeles, Calif.), 1:14:44
F25-29: Lesley Payonk (Costa Mesa, Calif.), 1:18:54
M25-29: Jose Gabriel (Woodland Hills, Calif.), 1:05:05
F30-34: Jess Dupuy (Los Angeles, Calif.), 1:21:21
M30-34: Brenden Panis (Orange, Calif.), 1:06:54
F35-39: Katherine Phillips (Tucson, Ariz.), 1:12:27
M35-39: Jason Lomheim (Fullerton, Calif.), 1:05:30
F40-44: Kathryn Powell (Lake Forest, Calif.), 1:18:07
M40-44: George Beecher (Huntington Beach, Calif.), 1:05:14
F45-49: Astrid Collins (Santa Ana, Calif.), 1:13:07
M45-49: Roy Silver (Los Angeles, Calif.), 1:08:56
F50-54: Audra Mallow (Pacific Palisades, Calif.), 1:18:27
M50-54: Michael Collins (Irvine, Calif.), 1:04:13
F55-59: Kelly Dippold (Irvine, Calif.), 1:09:34
M55-59: Mike Long (Newport Beach, Calif.), 1:08:17
F60-64: Patricia Naruse (Newport Beach, Calif.), 1:26:17
M60-64: Terry Loftus (Laguna Niguel, Calif.), 1:10:01
F65-69: Mary Nowak (Long Beach, Calif.), 1:39:16
M65-69: Jon Brown (Albuquerque, N.M.), 1:09:46
F70-74: Pauline Higgins (Salt Lake City, Utah), 1:46:05
M70-74: Peter Hoyt (Costa Mesa, Calif.), 1:17:56
F75-79: Sarah Ingersoll (Pasadena, Calif.), 3:12:31
M75-79: Charles Booth (Pasadena, Calif.), 1:37:48
M80+: Wayne Fong (Chatsworth, Calif.), 2:30:25
PC Open: Jesus Moreno (Taylor, Mich.), 1:13:07
Relay Division — Complete Results
1. #winningteam (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 1:06:59
2. Conejo Valley Triathlon Team (Oak Park, Calif.), 1:08:49
3. No Name Relay Team (Hermosa Beach, Calif.), 1:26:55
Open Water Swim Competition
1,500-meter — Complete Results
Overall Female: Erin Babbitt (Long Beach, Calif.), 22:23
Overall Male: Jack Toland (Kirkland, Wash.), 20:55
F15-39: Erin Babbitt (Long Beach, Calif.), 22:23
M15-39: Jack Toland (Kirkland, Wash.), 20:55
F40-59: Linda Simons (Temple City, Calif.), 23:09
M40-59: Ryan Dolan (Boulder, Colo.), 23:40
F60+: Karen Watt (San Jose, Calif.), 30:33
M60+: Steve Sutherland (San Diego, Calif.), 26:57
750-meter — Complete Results
Overall Female: Erin Storie (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 10:24
Overall Male: Geoff Steffens, 10:19
F15-39: Erin Storie (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 10:24
M15-39: Andrew Maxwell (Austin, Texas), 11:25
F40-59: Sharon Barclay (Alameda, Calif.), 14:06
M40-59: Geoff Steffens, 10:19
F60+: Billie Pate (Upland, Calif.), 22:02
M60+: Tim Cohee (Minden, Nev.), 10:38
About USA Triathlon
USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon, as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and paratriathlon in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,300 events and connects with more than 400,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work at the grassroots level with athletes, coaches, and race directors — as well as the USA Triathlon Foundation — USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of the ITU and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOC).
