Marriott retains title

~ The defending champ fell short of the course record.

Delbert Marriott did not keep his promise of setting a course record on Sunday at the 22nd annual Steamboat Classic Triathlon.

But being about 30 seconds off the mark didn't bother the 37-year-old defending champion, who battled through wind, rain and two bicycle accidents to claim the overall title in 1 hour, 14 minutes, 39 seconds.

Marriott, who is two-for-two in winning the event, was pleased with his performance -- record-breaking or not.

"I'm happy with the outcome," said the Sikeston resident, who finished over 10 minutes ahead of the second-place individual and almost 7 minutes ahead of the top relay squad. "I'm disappointed with the record, but under different conditions it would've been different."

The unofficial record for the event is 1:13:51, but the course has lengthened over the years. Marriott said he believed the record for the particular course on Sunday was 1:14:06.

Marriott was in the first of six heats to take off at the Central Junior High in Cape Girardeau, and after completing the 500-yard swim in the Central Municipal Pool, he dealt with significantly wet conditions in the 15 1/2-mile bike ride and 5-mile run. He had two off-road accidents on his bike and had trouble making turns on the wet surface.

"I didn't give up, I didn't panic," he said. "The bike is my strong point, and I just could not be aggressive today. I actually rode the course harder than ever, but I had to slow down to zero (mph) on turns. You can only take turns so fast in the rain."

Marriott said the course had dried up considerably by the time the last few heats took off and added that he would've shattered the record had he started later on in the morning.

"If I was out there now, I'd have beaten the record," Marriott said about an hour after he finished. "I would've easily taken two minutes off my bike time."

Marriott's primary opponent had to forfeit after suffering an injury from an accident suffered during the cycling portion of the race. Marriott added that several cyclists slid off the road and into the mud during the race.

"A lot of it is luck," he said.

Marriott said he was happy to finish without any significant wrecks, as he is preparing for the Duathlon National Championship this weekend in Mason, Ohio.

Event director Chad Sierman of the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department said several registered participants did not show up due to the weather, which dropped the number of heats from seven to six.

The race took on a new timing system this year, using Splitmaster chip timing devices to record the split times of each person's swim, bike and run. The participants wore chip bands around their ankles that recorded when certain check points were crossed.

"Overall, it went smooth," Sierman said near the end of the race. "We're doing something different this year, and so far we've had no major problems with it."

Patrick Lhommeau was the second overall individual finisher with a time of 1:24:59, and Kristin Moore won the overall female title in 1:25:33.

Overall results

Male -- 1. Delbert Marriott, 1:14:39; 2. Patrice Lhommeau, 1:24:59; 3. Andrew Beckman, 1:25:04; 4. Brandon Dragone, 1:25:16; 5. Jan Paul DeWeer, 1:25:52; 6. Tim Jones, 1:26:35; 7. Alex Schneider, 1:26:39; 8. Brad Blackman, 1:27:02; 9. Eric Redinger, 1:28:08; 10. Jim Feher, 1:28:44

Female -- 1. Kristin Moore, 1:25:33; 2. Jennifer Meyer, 1:27:39; 3. Kirsten Winkler, 1:29:36; 4. Mary Sundy, 1:29:57; 5. Kimberly VanWinkle, 1:34:55; 6. Helen Alexander-Kratz, 1:34:56; 7. Stephanie Petersen, 1:38:07; 8. Laura Smock, 1:41:08; 9. Bev Ofsthun, 1:42:00; 10. Heidi Chambers, 1:42:26

Relays -- 1. Austin, Noon, Heins, 1:21:14; 2. Tummins, Burdick, Ramsey, 1:22:14; 3. Freeze, Chasteen, Stone, 1:23:36; 4. Meyer, Billmeyer, Brannock, 1:25:02; 5. Lowrance, Watson, Weolk, 1:29:52