Molina, Cannon Top Competitors in San Clemente Triathlon

Triathletes Scott Molina and Colleen Cannon, both of Boulder, Colo., headline the professional division of the Bud Light United States Triathlon Series event at San Clemente Sunday.

Molina leads the $160,000 grand prix triathlete rankings. Sunday’s race is the ninth of 12 USTS races this year. The series finale is scheduled Sept. 30 at Hilton Head, S.C.

Cannon, the defending USTS national champion, is the No. 2 woman in the triathlete rankings. Current women’s series leader Sylviane Puntous of Kelowna, British Columbia, is not expected to compete.

Other professional triathletes expected to compete include Harold Robinson of Santa Rosa and Paula Newby-Fraser of Encinitas.

All USTS courses feature a 1.5-kilometer (0.9-mile) rough water swim, a 40-kilometer (24.8-mile) bicycle leg and a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) run.

The San Clemente event will begin at 7 a.m. with the swim, starting and finishing at the San Clemente Pier.

From there, athletes enter the transition area for their bicycles, and ride north on Pacific Coast Highway and east on Avenida Pico, making a loop back toward the pier. The competitors then run north on Coast Highway to Del Obispo Avenue and back, finishing near the intersection of Del Mar Avenue and Coast Highway.

The USTS, in its eighth season, is open to men and women 15 and older. Along with the professional division, the series offers an Elite Masters division, as well as open age-group divisions.

The top 10 finishers in each division qualify to be invited to the USTS national championship at Hilton Head, S.C.