Pigg, Hansen Get Well Soon in USTS Victories
For Mike Pigg and Joy Hansen, the festering clouds of borderline depression and anemic health broke up about the same time the less-threatening rain clouds did Sunday morning at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas.
A capacity crowd of 2,200 gathered to churn out a .9-mile ocean swim, crank on a 24.8-mile bike ride, then face the final test--a 6.2-mile run--in the San Diego Bud Light Triathlon, the 10th of 11 stops on the United States Triathlon Series.
Arcata’s Pigg, a two-time USTS national champion and winner here in 1988, was coming off disappointing finishes of sixth and 11th in New Orleans and at the World Championships in Orlando, Fla.
Hansen, of Newtown Square, Pa., fatigued from her eighth race in as many weeks and bothered by an ear infection, curtailed her training regimen to running 10 miles and 40 on the bike the week before the competition, and she didn’t venture near water.
But both won their pro divisions in the USTS’ 99th event--the first race was here in 1982--proving why they are two of the best in their business.
Pigg, winning in a time of 1 hour 45 minutes 32 seconds, out-kicked Harold Robinson (1:45:38) and Jim Riccitello (1:45:53) in the final 400 yards of the men’s race, and Hansen pumped up the volume halfway into the run to finish in 1:56:49, ahead of Colleen Cannon (1:57:30).
Hansen was fourth out of the water and fifth after the bike leg, where Jan Ripple was the leader. But something clicked for her as she began the run.
“A mile into the run, I had a good rhythm,” she said. “It felt natural for me. I haven’t felt like that in a while. It wasn’t forced.”
Hansen, a Del Mar resident before moving east in 1985, caught Cannon and third-place finisher Karen Smyers at the one-mile mark, then caught up with Ripple with three miles to go.
She is a 222-point leader in the Coke Grand Prix series and would have to finish worse than sixth in Las Vegas next month not to win her first overall Coke Grand Prix point title, which carries a bonus of $27,000 for both men and women.
“I want to win there,” she said. “Las Vegas is important to me.”
Pigg, three-time winner of the Coke title and currently in third, said he was looking for a good race.
“I had lost a lot of confidence,” said Pigg, who could catch points-leader Robinson with a top finish in Las Vegas. “I didn’t care how I did, I just wanted to work hard here.”
After leaving the water well behind the lead pack, Pigg worked hard on the bike--his best event--and pulled to second going into the run, where he and Robinson suspected Riccitello might fade.
Robinson never doubted he and Pigg would overtake Riccitello. In fact, they talked about it as they played cat and mouse on the run.
“I thought we could catch him,” said Robinson, who eventually passed Pigg at the six-mile mark. “It was just a question of when.”
Riccitello was 12th out of the water and led Pigg and Robinson by 65 seconds after the bike segment. His lead slipped slowly away throughout the run.
“You stud-muffin,” Robinson shot at Riccitello shortly after the race.
Pigg and Robinson cooked Riccitello going into the final turn.
“I was trying not to choke,” Riccitello said. “I ran as fast as I could. They just ran faster. They’re both running real well.”
Heading into the straightaway, Pigg stared at the heels of both and knew he must act. “I caught Jim,” Pigg said. “Harold, I didn’t know (if I could catch). I didn’t know if he had one more gear left of not.”
Apparently not.
“It hurts real bad to sprint like that, or it doesn’t hurt at all,” Pigg said. “But it hurts worse if you’re in second. As soon as you stop, it hits you like a rock.”
Triathlon Notes
It was Mike Pigg’s fourth USTS victory this season. . . . It’s tough putting on a race with 2,200 bodies. Some comments overhead by races officials Sunday: “I really don’t know what to do,” “No one is really helping me,” and our favorite, “This could be a disaster.” . . . It was a big day for pro Renee Goldhirsh. After her fifth-place finish, she had a little something else planned. She was married.