Leanda Cave victorious at Florida 70.3
Cave continues her early season winning ways
May 19, 2008 – Orlando, Fl – On a day that saw nearly 2,000 athletes toe the line at the Disney Resort in Orlando Florida it was Leanda Cave once again crossing the finish line first among the professional women with an overall time of 4:22:52. In her two previous races of the 2008 season, Cave picked up a 3rd place podium finish at California 70.3 and 2nd at the prestigious Avia Wildflower Triathlon. On Sunday Cave, who is known for her signature powerhouse swim/bike combination, also posted the fastest run split of the day – 1:26:52 – to round out a nearly flawless victory.
In her own words:
“Well, I finally bagged my first victory of the 2008 season – after a 3rd at California 70.3 and 2nd at Wildflower, it feels fantastic to be on top of the podium! Yesterday’s victory was more than a win for me. I had to fight it out with a competitor that beat me to the post in Kona last year – Dede Griesbauer - and a number of star triathletes who usually come home strong with fast run splits. However the biggest fight was with my self. The after effects of Wildflower had left a huge dent in my training program and preparation for this race. It was not easy to recover from Wildflower. It was such a grueling race and it took its toll on my body well into the middle of last week.
The race on Sunday could have gone either way - but a strong swim lead-out by Dede set me up well for the bike leg. I was determined to stay with the leaders - Dede and Nina - I hung on to their pace during the bike, despite having to dig extremely deep from all the residual fatigue. I came into T2 2nd behind Dede, and I shot out first as I wanted to gain as much time on Nina, who I knew would be the biggest threat on the run. It was a three lap run course, with a few out and backs and I could see my gap beginning to open. It didn’t open by much, but enough to know the win was looking good. However, on the 3rd lap, the heat hit me as did the pace of the run, and I could just feel myself burning - especially my feet. It’s funny that the only thing I was thinking at one point was........"shit my feet are hot!" I think my run turned more into a jog and with 2 miles to go I could see that Nina was probably 90 seconds back. I knew as long as the jog didn’t regress to a walk, I could hold her off. I kept my feet moving forward as fast as possible but collapsed over the finish line and spent the next hour in the medical tent on an IV.
It was my first major win for the 2008 season and it makes me extremely happy to know that I prevailed on a personally tough day against some of the best in our sport. My next race is Escape from Alcatraz where I will go out to defend my 2007 title. I have been truly blessed this year with sponsors that believe in me and have provided me with the products and support to make me faster! A HUGE thank you to all of you - (K-Swiss, Pinarello, Power Bar, Reynolds Wheels, Blue Seventy, Nuun, Above Category, Oakley, Giro, Nathan Hydration, THANK YOU!
About Leanda Cave:
www.leandacave.com
• ITU Long Course Champion - 2007
• Champion – Escape From Alcatraz 2007
• Champion – Tri One-0-One Florida
• Champion – Tri One-0-One California
• Champion – Florida 70.3 2008
• 2nd place – Avia Wildflower Long Course Triathlon
• 3rd place – California 70.3 2008
• 3rd place – Ford Ironman 70.3 World Championship 2007
• 8th place – Ford Ironman World Championship 2007
About Katalyst Multisport Management:
www.katalystmultisport.com
Founded on the most basic principals of integrity, experience and creativity, Katalyst is committed to extending the reach and influence of the multisport lifestyle.
