Lefebvre Leads the O.C. Triathlon Back Into Sunshine

The Orange County Performing Arts Center Triathlon appeared resplendent in its new threads Sunday, when it hosted the U.S. Amateur Championship at Lake Mission Viejo.

Stripped last spring of the ability to stage a professional division after its title sponsor pulled out, the 11-year-old event hobbled through last year’s race with several pros competing for no money.

This year, however, the event wore its amateur logo well, with the nation’s best amateur triathletes sashaying brightly around the course, competing for 12 spots in each age group that qualify for the World Championships on Aug. 25 in Cleveland.

James Lefebvre, 32, had the best time of the day, overall, finishing the 1.5-kilometer swim, 40K bike ride and 10K run in 1 hour 55 minutes 54.8 seconds.

Lefebvre, a chiropractic student at Life College in Marietta, Ga., won the men’s 30-34 age group with his time. Lefebvre, who also won the 1993 U.S. Amateur Championship in the men’s 25-29 age group, dedicated his victory to his father, Bernard, who died in March after a car accident.

“I thought about him a lot on the race course. I was just glad I could do well for him,” Lefebvre said.

Lefebvre emerged from the swim across Lake Mission Viejo trailing about four racers but pulled to the front about midway through the bike race on Jeronimo Road.

After dropping his bike and running a few paces on the last leg of the race, however, he realized he forgot his race number.

“I asked an official, ‘Do I need to go back and get my number?’ But I knew I did,” he said.

The extra 30 seconds or so it took Lefebvre to retrieve his jersey made for a close race. The second-best overall time was Keith Casserly, 22, of Canton, N.Y., who won the men’s 20-24 age group in 1:56:19.7, only 24.9 seconds slower than Lefebvre.

Betty Mills, 32, of Atlanta had the best time of the day among all women racers, finishing in 2:10:07.6 and winning the women’s 30-34 age group. Getting the overall victory was nice for Mills, but even nicer was beating Linda Neary, who had the best time overall at last year’s U.S. Amateur Championships, where Mills placed second overall.

Mills, who swam for three years for Texas Tech before graduating in 1985, worried most about Neary on the run.

“I was just waiting for her to come around me again because she’s a great runner,” Mills said.

The fastest times of the day in the 40-and-over age groups were from Todd Webber, 40, of Boxborough, Mass., (2:03:13.0) in the men’s 40-44 division, and Jo Garuccio, 44, of Salt Lake City (2:22:23.9) in the women’s 40-44 division.

The citizens’ sprint race, about half the championship distance, gave local athletes a chance to compete in one of the city’s most popular events. They won’t be heading to Cleveland this summer, but some might have hopes for the future.

Tami Etcheverry, 11, of San Juan Capistrano finished her first sprint distance triathlon in 1:44:10.2. That time gave her a victory in the girls’ 17-and-under group, in which she was the only competitor.

“The bike ride was [difficult] but the rest was good,” she said.

Kathy Powers, 49, of Lake Forest counted finishing the sprint race at all as a major victory. In the last 1 1/2 years, Powers lost 115 pounds, weighing in at race time at a trim 140. She finished in 2:06:39.0.

“I just said, ‘I want to do this to prove that I can do it after sitting on the couch like a couch potato,’ ” Powers said. “I wanted to prove that I am in shape now, and I can do anything.”

Of the 1,800 participants, four people were taken to Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center for care after two bike accidents. One person had a broken collarbone. All four were treated and released.

The crowd of about 3,000 lingered on the lawn next to the lake as the cool morning--perfect weather for a triathlon--broke into a warm afternoon.

“We’re really proud of what has taken place,” said Jack Caress, president of Pacific Sports, which organized the race.

Caress said he doesn’t know what the future of the Mission Viejo event holds in store--the U.S. Amateur Championships will be in Maryland next year.

“We’ll think about that tomorrow,” he said.