San Diego Roundup : 2,100 Triathletes Expected in Race : Top Finishers Will Qualify for National Championships

About 2,100 triathletes will compete in the San Diego Bud Light triathlon at 7 a.m. Sunday, starting and finishing at Solana Beach.

The race--a 1.5-kilometer swim, a 40-kilometer bike ride and a 10-kilometer run--is the second largest race, after Chicago’s, in the 12-event U.S. Triathlon series.

Sunday’s race is the last chance for competitors to qualify for the national championships, which will be held Sept. 27 at Hilton Head Island, S.C.

The top 50 overall finishers and the top 10 from each age group will qualify for the championships. The first five finishers will share $6,000 in prize money.

Harold Robinson of Walnut Creek; Todd Jacobs of El Paso, Tex.; Scott Tinley of Encinitas, and Jim Riccitello of Tucson, Ariz., are the favorites among the men. The women’s field is expected to include Dian Girard-Rives of Tyler, Tex., and Karen Chequer-Pfeiffer of Mountain View, Calif.

The athletes also are competing for a separate purse of $30,000 called the Grand Prix. The competitors receive points for top 20 finishes, with 100 points for first and 2 points for 20th. The number of points received is multiplied by a quality factor based on how many top 10-ranked triathletes are entered in the race. The one with the most points after 12 events wins the Grand Prix.

Free parking is available at the Del Mar Race Track. Buses will run from 4:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. to the starting line at Plaza Street in Solana Beach. Parking is not available at the start area.

The buses will return between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. A post-race beach party is planned at Solana Beach.

For more information, call 944-3834 or 436-7500.