Souza Wins Biathlon to Keep Streak Going

Ken Souza, never one to peer over his shoulder during a race, continued his unbeaten streak Sunday at the Coors Light Biathlon Series at the Brea Marketplace.

Souza, who splits his training between San Diego and Boulder, Colo., held off late charges by Brent Steiner of Tempe, Ariz., and Joel Thompson of Encinitas, to win his 16th consecutive race on the Coors series since it began last year. Liz Downing, of Portland, Ore., won the women’s competition.

Souza finished the three-segment race--a five-kilometer (3.1-mile) run, a 30-kilometer (18.6-mile) bike ride and another five-kilometer run--in a course-record 1 hour 10 minutes 18 seconds. The record for the Brea course was 1:16:54 set last year by Mike Smith.

Souza, 24, led the entire race and had a 70-second lead after the bike ride.

Steiner finished second in 1:11:15 and Thompson third at 1:12:09.

“It was the closest so far this year,” Souza said. “I knew I had a good lead. I just wanted to maintain it.

“This is a course where you’re able to ride fast on. There are more turns and areas where riders who aren’t as strong can do well.”

Souza said he wasn’t aware he was on a record pace. In fact, he rarely keeps track of times.

“Each course varies,” he said. “Some are longer and some are shorter in different areas. It’s not a sport where you can judge your times, like track and field, where you have set distances like the 400 (meters) and the mile.”

Souza entered the race with a 40-point lead over Thompson in the season standings.

“There’s a bonus pool at the end of the year for the series champion,” Souza said. “This is what I do for a living, just like a pro golfer or tennis player. This is my circuit and I travel around and do the best I can.”

Downing made sure there were no surprises in the women’s race.

She held off early challenges from Kristi Kidwell of Anaheim and defending champion Sue Griesbach of Fullerton to win in 1:19:27. Downing, who leads the women’s point standings, broke Griesbach’s course record by 6:25.

‘I’m pretty happy with my time,” said Downing, who has won six of the seven races she’s entered this year. “But you never know, the course could have been short. It’s definitely the most technical course I’ve been on.”

Kidwell, who finished second in 1:22:27, agreed.

She encountered some unexpected obstacles on the cycling course--runners. The races were started in several different flights, with runners and cyclists meeting at certain points on the course.

Thus, Kidwell found herself weaving on her bike like a Grand Prix racer.

“The runners are supposed to stick to the right side,” she said. “But when people got tired, they were spread all over the road. There were a couple near misses.”

Souza said he noticed some slick spots on the cycling course. Sprinklers had been left on during the race.

“There were a few spots,” he said. “But it wasn’t bad.”

Frank Shorter, winner of the 1972 Olympic marathon, finished seventh in 1:17:08.