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News & Notes
TREMENDOUS TRIO INDUCTED INTO USA TRIATHLON HALL OF FAME
Three outstanding multisport athletes who helped define the landscape of triathlon as it is known today were formally inducted into the fifth class of the USA Triathlon Hall of Fame on April 18 at the Bahia Resort Hotel in San Diego, Calif.


Nearly 200 friends, family members and multisport dignitaries gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of age-grouper Missy LeStrange, paratriathlon pioneer Jim MacLaren and the iconic Julie Moss, all of whom have made their mark on the still growing triathlon community.


“Being the fifth year of our Hall of Fame, what makes it even more magical is the fact that we have so many of the previous inductees in the room, and so much energy and passion for the sport,” said Chuck Graziano, former chair of the USA Triathlon Hall of Fame Committee. “It was an amazing night and an amazing experience, and I congratulate those inductees who were here tonight receiving their awards.”


The night began with opening remarks from special guest and London Olympic gold medalist Alistair Brownlee, who recalled his introduction to the sport and Moss’ crawl in 1982.


“The girl who always just showed up and got by was being transformed,” said Moss of the final 400 meters of her memorable Ironman finish. “I was being transformed into someone who felt like I deserved to be thinking of myself as someone who was good at something.”


Moss was introduced by sports broadcaster Jim Lampley, who worked for ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” and exuded emotion as he recalled how the event made a lasting impression. “People in edit rooms were blown away,” Lampley said. “We knew we had to get it on the air in exactly the right way.


LeStrange, who was honored for her phenomenal success as an age-group athlete, joked that she went to Kona for the Ironman for a vacation. In her career, she competed in 24 Ironman events, winning 14. “Winning was never everything,” LeStrange told the audience.


Bob Babbitt, inducted into the Hall of Fame last year, remembered Jim MacLaren as a man who set out to change perceptions. For MacLaren, “it wasn’t about being accepted,” Babbitt said. “It was about showing that someone with a prosthetic could do anything.”


MacLaren’s left leg was amputated below the knee following a 1985 accident, and through his rehabilitation he discovered triathlon and a welcoming community. He finished the 1989 Ironman Hawaii in 10 hours, 42 minutes — a record that stood for 11 years, before a second accident left MacLaren a quadriplegic. He passed away in 2010.


60 USA TRIATHLON SUMMER 2013

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