South Bay Dominates RB Triathlon

The action was fast and furious at the 2011 Redondo Beach Triathlon, but the pace was just right for the locals as two South Bay natives—one from Palos Verdes—took top honors overall in the male and female divisions Sunday morning.

Jason May, a Redondo Beach native, took first place overall in the men's division for the second year in a row. On the women's side, Debbie Richardson of Palos Verdes returned to the top spot on the podium after a three-year hiatus from the event.

May took top honors for the second year in a row after finishing second in the 2009 race. Although he normally races longer distances and plans to compete in the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii this coming October, May credited his fast overall time (41:46) to his strong swim. 

"The reason why I do well in this race is because the swim is so long for a sprint," said May. "My strongest leg is usually the swim so having each leg shorter in relation to the swim helps me. I've done a lot of ocean races so this is like a catered event to my strengths."

In a triathlon, competitors are typically divided into wave starts, so it can be difficult for athletes to gauge what place they're in as the race unfolds. May said he thought that starting in the second wave of the day added to his performance. 

"It gives me a lot of people to chase, which is easier than leading the pack," he said.

"The main focus for me on this race was just getting going as fast and as hard as I can, as quickly as possible," he said. "I'm used to those longer distances where you have some time to ease into each part of the race but today it was all about speed."

While May enjoyed a great swim en route to his win, Richardson attributed her win to overcoming the difficulties she faced during race's first leg. 

"The swim was a little rough," she said. "There was some surf trying to get out, and then when you were out there it was a little sloppy."

Richardson prevailed over the tough conditions on the swim to put in a strong bike leg and fast closing run to finish in 47:07.  Richardson, 49, schooled the younger competition in the race as she bested the second-place time by a full three minutes. 

"I have a new bike, and this was my best bike split for this race, so I was really happy with that," she said.

"I think my race for the most part overall was completely even. You forget how difficult it is being anaerobic like that the whole time ... But it feels great to get the win."

The event began with a half-mile swim just north of the Topaz Jetty. Competitors then took off on their bicycles for a two-lap loop from to the Esplanade and back through the before donning their running shoes and racing out to and back via Portofino Way, finishing at the historic library steps.

Los Angeles County based Coast Guard Rescue swimmer and Redondo Beach resident Steve Nicoll, who competed in his second Redondo Beach Triathlon, praised the race and the city for putting on a top-notch event. 

"It was a fun race," said Nicoll. "I like going to the Redondo Pier and hanging out down there, so it’s fun to run through the area during a race and see all the places you go to regularly, getting to wave to people. It's just a really great race to have everyone around you while you compete. It's nice and compact and highlights the city well."

May also took time to praise the event and its organizers.

"I live and work in the city," said May. 

“The race is awesome, incredibly well organized. It's really great to live, work, and race all in the same town ... Instead of having to travel to Texas, Arizona, Idaho, it's nice to just roll out of bed at 7 a.m., walk to the site, set up your stuff and start the race."