Triathlete Looks For Sweep

By Debbie Fetterman The Dallas Morning News

Greg Bennett of Australia achieved what triathlon aficionados thought was unachievable.

He won the first four Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series races this year. He has a chance to sweep the series with a victory at Sunday’s finale in Dallas.

The Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon features a deep field of the world’s top Olympic-distance triathletes. The series, with its nearly $1.5 million prize purse, has attracted the world’s elite performers and has helped them make a living as pro athletes.

“We’re in the early stages of establishing the series,” said Life Time Fitness Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bahram Akradi. “As time goes on, people will tune in nationally to see what will happen in Dallas.”

Greg Bennett, running Sunday in Dallas, competed in the Olympics in 2000 and 2004.

There are several financial incentives riding on Sunday’s race for Bennett. If he wins the final event, he earns $60,000 for the victory and a super bonus of $300,000. Regardless of his performance, he will receive another $60,000 for securing the series points title. In all, he could have a $420,000 payday.

“I’d rather talk about the $300,000 once it’s in my pocket rather than before,” the 35-year-old Bennett said. “This year is the best in my 20-year career. I won’t be disappointed if I don’t win this weekend.”

Bennett said he geared his training toward peaking in the series opener, the Life Time Fitness Triathlon on July 14 in Minneapolis. Since then, he’s won the Nautica New York City Triathlon on July 22, the Accenture Chicago Triathlon on Aug. 26 and the Kaiser Permanente LA Triathlon on Sept. 9.

Now, he said he’s asking his tired, aching body for one more peak performance.

“My body is not a 25-year-old body,” he said. “The last three weeks, I’ve spent more time on massage tables than training. As you get older, you spend less time doing hard training and more time keeping your body straight.”

He also knows he faces stiff competition. He has narrowly won each race during this year’s Series.

“I never win a race easy,” Bennett said. “I hang on for dear life. Any guy that wins here won’t do it easily, not with the competition we have in Dallas.”