San Diego Triathlon : After Slow Swim, Tinley Makes Up Ground and Wins

Scott Tinley, running on his home course, covered 10 kilometers in 32 minutes 39 seconds to come rom behind and win the United States Triathlon Series’ sixth annual San Diego event.

Tinley went into the 10K trailing by 1:35 but ended up winning with a total time of 1 hour 50 minutes 15 seconds.

After finishing the 1.5K ocean swim in 16th place, Tinley, 30, from Encinitas, steadily moved up the leader board through the 40K bike race and 10K run to earn $1,400. It was the second time in two years that the two-time Hawaii Ironman champion has won the San Diego event.

In the women’s division, Linda Buchanan, 30, again showed that the San Diego course might as well be considered her home territory. Buchanan, from Davis, Calif., won for the third consecutive year, this time in 2:02:57, to earn $1,400.

Tinley raced the course as if it was tailored for him.

“Obviously it’s an advantage to race over the same road that I train on everyday,” Tinley said. “In fact, the bike course goes right by my house.”

However, it didn’t start out that way as Tinley, completing the swim in 18:57, was 2:25 behind leader Brett Marshall of New Zealand, whose specialty is the swim.

For Marshall, who trains in Encinitas, it looked as if this event would be a rerun of the San Diego International Triathlon held June 21. In that race, Marshall came out of the water with a 200-yard lead, but a quarter of the way through the bike leg, Tinley and eventual winner Brad Kearns passed him. Marshall finished 10th, saying he needed more work on his bike and run.

This time, Marshall’s lead in the swim was 29 seconds over 20-year old Brooks Clark of West Chester, Pa., and 1:10 ahead of William Powers II of Tempe, Ariz. Within a mile of the bike leg, it appeared as if Clark would do to Marshall what Tinley and Kearns had done in June. But this time, Marshall held him off.

He slowly boosted his lead from 15 seconds to 23 seconds to 38 seconds halfway through the bike leg.

Closing in on Clark was Jim Riccitello of Tucson, who was the ninth man out of the water, 2:07 behind Marshall. Before the bike leg was done, Riccitello caught and passed Clark and was aiming for Marshall, as well as his first win in 1987. He was 17 seconds behind Marshall at the transition from bike to run, and four seconds ahead of Clark. However, looming behind in fourth place, 1:35 behind Marshall and 1:16 behind Clark was Tinley, whose best event is the run.

As it turned out, Riccitello spent himself on the final portion of the bike leg, and a quarter-mile into the run had to stop because of nausea. He finished sixth.

Clark caught Marshall within the first mile, and Tinley caught him in the third mile. Tinley eventually ran down Clark and pulled away, winning by 20 seconds in 32:39..

It was to be easier for Buchanan. She was the fourth woman out of the water at 19:50, just 1:17 behind leader Shannon Delaney of Del Mar. Buchanan moved into first during the bike leg and established a 1:57 lead over Elizabeth Bulman, of Columbia, Mo., going into the 10K.