Published May 20, 2009 01:46PM
Triathlete Steve Larsen Dies In Bend, Oregon
Former professional triathlete Steve Larsen passed away on May 19, in Bend, Oregon.
Steve Larsen died of an apparent cardiac event while running near his home in Bend, Oregon. He was 39 years old. While officially retired from professional racing, Larsen continued to compete in road and off-road triathlons, most recently at XTERRA Las Vegas on May 2.
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Larsen enjoyed a long and varied career as an endurance athlete. A native of Davis, Calif., Larsen became a professional cyclist in 1992, racing with Lance Armstrong as a member of the Motorola Team. In the late ’90s he shifted over to mountain biking and won two national championship titles before becoming disillusioned with the politics of the sport after he was left of the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team.
The following year, Larsen decided to try his hand at triathlon and was immediately successful, setting a course record in his first Ironman (Lake Placid) and being named Triathlete Magazine’s Rookie of the Year for that season. He announced his official retirement from the sport in 2003 and turned his focus to his real estate business in Bend.
Larsen will be remembered by the triathlon community as an inspiration and a friend. He’s survived by his wife, Carrie, and five children.