Charley pushes back triathlon series finale to this Sunday

RUNNING

BY DAVID QUICK
Of The Post and Courier Staff \

Few would have wanted to be in Paul King's sandals last weekend.

At about 4 p.m. Friday -- as Hurricane Charley intensified into Category 4 hurricane and changed course -- Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission officials made the right and unarguable decision not to allow the Charleston Sprint Triathlon Series event to go on as scheduled last Sunday at James Island County Park.

King, the series director, scrambled to get the word out and to reschedule the event. (Though originally it was reset for Aug. 29, it's now on for this Sunday. More on that later.)

Of course, not everyone got the word of the postponement.

King braced himself for some upset customers, especially as the skies cleared temporarily Saturday afternoon. Perhaps the worst case King faced was at the packet pick-up late Saturday afternoon when two men from Virginia Beach, Va., arrived and got the news.

The day before they had checked the Charleston Triathlon Club website for an update -- before the decision to postpone was made -- drove down to Charleston, got a hotel room for Friday, heard the news Saturday and then, because the storm had headed north, had to stay another night here. They had come down specifically to do the triathlon.

"They were justifiably upset," said King, noting that some of their comments could not be published in a family newspaper. "I felt bad. The time, the gasoline, the hotel rooms, the crappy weather ... What could I say to them?"

But for an event that had more than 325 registered, King said he only had about 25 total show up at Saturday's packet pickup and at the park on Sunday when lightning in the Charleston area likely would have delayed the event anyway.

Considering the volatile weather in the Lowcountry's late summer and fall, King has been lucky in his 16 years of putting on duathlons and triathlons. He's had to cancel only one event, an international distance triathlon, a few days after Hurricane Hugo in September 1989.

Sunday's sprint triathlon was the first of 49 sprints in 14 years that had to be postponed.

"I guess I'm 48-and-1. That's not too bad," said King.

Initially, King picked Aug. 29 as the rescheduled date for the fourth and final sprint triathlon, but that conflicted with the schedule of RMS Sports, which times the event. The event is set for 7:15 a.m. Sunday at James Island County Park.

Now, what if another tropical system causes problems this weekend? "Then I'm moving to Chattanooga," King joked.

ANOTHER BUMP

The triathlon wasn't the only endurance sports event affected by Charley. The local Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's organizational meeting for fall and winter training programs on Saturday was cancelled. However, its second meeting -- set for 6 p.m. today at the MUSC Harper/Wellness Center -- is still on. See information in "Coming Up" below.

CHICAGO, THE OLYMPICS

Anyone waiting to sign-up for the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon on Oct. 10 can forget about it now. The marathon, now the nation's biggest, reached its cap of 40,000 and closed for registration last Thursday.

Meanwhile, the race directors of both the Chicago Marathon and the ING New York City Marathon announced the $1 million Athens Marathon Challenge. This history-making initiative will award $500,000 to an American man or woman who wins the 2004 Olympic marathon gold medal in Athens later this month, for a total possible, but highly unlikely, payout of $1 million.

This year's U.S. Olympic marathon team is considered one of the strongest and deepest ever, but barring a miracle, won't net any gold in a sport dominated by east Africans. The USA's women's squad consists of Colleen De Reuck, 40, of Boulder, Colo.; Deena Kastor, 31, of Mammoth Lakes, Calif.; and Jen Rhines, 30, of Ardmore, Pa. The men's team is represented by Dan Browne, 29, of Portland, Ore.; Alan Culpepper, 31, of Boulder, Colo.; and Meb Keflegzhi, 29, of San Diego.

The women's Olympic marathon will be contested on Sunday. The men's race will close the games on Aug. 29. Both events are set for 6 p.m. Athens time and will be brutally hot.

Attention shifts to track running events starting Friday. Don't miss the first rounds of the men's 1,500 meters, featuring Alan Webb; and women's 5,000 meters, featuring Shayne Culpepper, Marla Runyan and Shalane Flanagan.

COMING UP

TODAY -- Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team in Training information meeting. 6 pm. MUSC Wellness Center. 45 Courtenay Street. Training sessions available for Kiawah Marathon and Half Marathon, PF Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon, Walt Disney World Marathon and Half Marathon and Myrtle Beach Marathon and Relay.

THURSDAY -- Daniel Island Twilight Fun Run 5K Series, No. 3. 6:30 p.m. $10-15 per race. Late registration will be 5:45-6:15 pm. See actioncarolina.com or call The Extra Mile at 853-9987.

SATURDAY -- Fifth annual Race for the Ark. 7:45 a.m. $10-20. See actioncarolina.com or call Lori Herman at (843) 851-2591.

SATURDAY -- Hampton Park Fun Run Series 5K and 1-mile walk. 8 a.m. $3. 834-1311.

SUNDAY -- Charleston Sprint Triathlon Series, event No. 4. 7:15 p.m. James Island County Park. $45. Registration is 5-7 pm Saturday and 6-6:45 a.m. Sunday at the park. See charlestontriathlonclub.com or call 881-8872.

Contact David Quick at dquick@postandcourier.com or 937-5516.