Orange County Triathlon : Tinley Shrugs Off the Victory but Not the Reception

Scott Tinley of Encinitas won Sunday’s first annual Orange County Performing Arts Center Triathlon with a shrug and a smile.

There was no reason to get exited. Just because he pocketed $3,000 for winning the overall competition and another $1,500 for the men’s professional division championship among more than 1,000 entrants.

See, Tinley leaves Southern California about 30 weekends a year to win triathlons around the world. He won 12 major triathlons last year, including Hawaii’s Ironman, and has been named Triathlon magazine’s 1985 Triathlete of the Year.

Still, he hasn’t seen many races like this.

“This is one of the classiest events I’ve been to,” Tinley said.

A brightly colored balloon fanfare opened the race at 7:00 a.m. where the first entrants dived into Lake Mission Viejo for the 1.5-kilometer swim. Then they enjoyed ice-cold water served to them by more than 400 volunteers as they endured the 35-kilometer bike ride and the 10-kilometer run.

Barrels of fresh fruit waited for them just beyond the finish line.

And let’s not forget the cushy VIP-press tent perched on a nearby hill where triathlon sponsors mingled with Center directors over breakfast delicacies from a posh Corona del Mar restaurant.

The Capistrano Valley High School Jazz Ensemble accented the awards ceremony.

Why all the formality?

This race, arranged by a Center support organization called Center 500, raised $65,000 for the Center which will open Sept. 29th in Costa Mesa.

Also, the 1984 Olympic Bicycle Road Race course staged the biking leg of the race.

And world-class triathletes, including women’s professional division champion Colleen Cannon, made their Orange County debut for more than 5,000 spectators.

“It was really nice to come into a community that supports a race,” Cannon said. “Just little bitty things like that make a race really fun.”

All pomp aside, this was just a quick jaunt up the coast for Tinley. So he packed up his prize money, climbed on his bike, and rode 60 miles home.