Alan Webb Makes Triathlon Debut
The former track star won this Sunday's Life Time Marquee sprint triathlon in Tempe, Ariz.
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Only five months after announcing his retirement from track and field, Alan Webb seems to be settling well into his new sport—triathlon. The former track star, who holds the American record for the mile (3:46), won this morning’s Life Time Marquee sprint triathlon in Tempe, Ariz.
“That hurt,” Webb gasped at the finish line, “but I feel awesome.”
Webb completed the 750-meter swim in 10:56, exiting the water with training partner and USA Triathlon Recruit Chad Hall. The two would play a game of cat and mouse on the bike, with Hall besting Webb’s 14-mile bike split of 35:23 by only a few seconds. Webb, however, caught Hall in the early meters of the run and exploded through the 3.1-mile run course in 15:54. Webb won with a total time of 1:03:01.
“I’ve been training with Chad and the USAT guys here in Phoenix, so I kind of knew what to expect from them,” said Webb, “When I saw Chad right behind me on the first turn of the bike, I was like, ‘oh, man.’ I knew I was going to have to work hard.”
Though Webb is delighted to have made such a victorious debut in the sport, he acknowledges he still has a lot to learn: “I haven’t done a lot in aero position, and I know I need to get better at that. But it’s been great to learn this sport.”
At the moment, Webb does not know what his next race will be; however, he is enthusiastic about his future in the sport. “Now that I got through this first race, I’m excited to see what’s next.”