2003 CajunMan Triathlon Summary

Neill Rowland was being chased by the memory of two consecutive runner-up finishes and the extra motivation helped pace him to his first-ever CajunMan Triathlon men's overall title but the ominous shadow threatening to overtake the entire field belongs to ... GASP! ... a girl!

 Ashley Lasalle, 28, who qualified for Ironman Hawaii with an age-group win at the Buffalo Springs Lake Half Ironman in Lubbock earlier this year, established herself as a legitimate threat at any distance by scorching the 23.6-mile CajunMan course in 1:22:21.

She shattered the old course record of 1:28:38 set in ’02 by defending female champion Lynnie Terry of Houston, easily outdistanced the closest female competitor by more than four minutes and trailed only five male triathletes when the final results were posted.

The victories also earned Rowland, 34, of Lake Charles who finished in 1:19:51, his first state championship and Lasalle, her second in as many years, for being the first Louisianians in their respective divisions to finish the eighth annual event held September 7 in Lafayette, LA. The CajunMan Triathlon was designated a state championship race for the third consecutive year.

A former student of LSU Aquatics coach and female pro Jan Ripple, Lasalle recorded the field’s second-fastest swim (10:50) while negotiating through four waves of age-groupers and finished just 2:36 off Rowland’s pace. A current disciple of Lafayette-based coach Terry Butts, Lasalle combined her ’03 CajunMan title with overall division wins at Caney Lake in Minden, LA – where she made her triathlon debut in ’02 - and Indian Creek in Woodworth, LA.

“I’ve been training very hard and it’s beginning to pay off,” said Lasalle. “I’m finally reaching a point where this is beginning to feel like a sprint for me. My plan was simple, to go hard from start to finish.”

In just her second full season of competitive triathlon Lasalle is quickly forging a reputation as one of the region’s top female triathletes and her performance at CajunMan made a definite statement.

“She was a little disappointed there was no elite division and no chance to go head-to-head with the guys,” said Butts. “Had there been, I believe she would have finished second. Coming off a week-long training camp I didn’t think she had another two minutes in her but she definitely had one more.”

Lasalle slipped through the water and out of T1 with a 1:56 cushion over runner-up Caroline Smith, 32, of Mandeville, LA. She added 1:10 to her lead with a 49:04 bike split and averaged 6:29 per mile over the final 3.1 kilometer run. Smith was second in 1:26:55 followed by Terry in 1:28:56.

Despite her eye-popping performance Lasalle is just tapping into her potential and should be considered a contender for overall titles in any division. She narrowly missed a top five finish at CajunMan, trailing Ken St. Pe, 34, (4^th, 1:21:43) by :12 and pro Bobo Anderson, 41, (5^th, 1:21:52) by :31.

“My legs were a little tired on the bike,” Lasalle said. “I’ve never considered myself a runner but my run today was OK. I just know that I’m capable of much more.”

She’ll get her chance Oct. 18 against the heat, wind and mystique that is Kona. According to coach Butts, Hawaii will be her final race as an age-grouper. The former teacher and now full-time triathlete plans to turn pro after the ultimate Ironman and will debut as a professional Nov. 3 at Ironman Florida.

“I’ve trained with Natasha Badmann, Chris McCormack and Tim DeBoom,” said Butts. “I know the kind of training and talent it takes to compete successfully at that level. Very few people have what it takes to earn a living at triathlon. I believe Ashley can be one of those few.”

A sellout field of 448 individual triathletes and seven relay teams conquered the 800-meter swim, 20-mile bike and 3.1k run. While Lasalle turned heads nobody turned the course faster than Rowland.

An ex-McNeese State University runner, Rowland has made a successful transition to triathlon. He won the 2003 T-Gator Tri, three-race series, was third at the Louisiana Triathlon at New Roads and in two of this season’s Abita Man series events. But it was CajunMan that sparked Rowland.

"I set my sights on this year’s race the day after last year’s race,” said Rowland. “I wanted to win this one more than any other and planned my entire training program around CajunMan.”

“After finishing second the past two years it’s really a thrill to win. I hoped to peak for this race and was fortunate that everything came together for me today."

Brett Reagan, 32, of New Orleans, pushed Rowland and finished second in 1:21:02 followed by defending men's champ John Deshotel, 40, of Lafayette in 1:21:18. Staying abreast of Reagan, who won Destin’s Elephant Walk Tri and was sixth to Rowland’s 10^th at the River Cities Tri in Shreveport last month, was the champ’s plan. 

"You've always got to worry about John (Deshotel) but my plan was to stay with Brett the whole way," said Rowland. "I knew if I could stay close to him (Reagan) through the swim and bike I'd have a good chance to win."

Rowland’s strategy worked perfectly. The pair exited the opening swim segment separated by two seconds with Deshotel just :35 off the pace. Reagan completed the bike course in 47:21 to Rowland’s 47:25 and exited T2 with a :12 cushion.

"We left the water at the same time and rode neck-and-neck on the bike,” said Rowland. “He did a better job in transition and was able to get out ahead of me.”

Rowland quickly reeled in Reagan one-half mile into the run and averaged 5:55 for the final segment for his first CajunMan win in four tries. After grabbing the elusive men’s overall crown, Rowland, who is married and the father of three, is undecided about making a bid to defend in 2004.

“I’m so burnt right now I think I’m done for the year,” said Rowland. “Training for this is very hard and I promised my wife I wouldn’t race anymore. But, now that I’ve won, I just might have to come back next year.”

A favorite among area and regional triathletes, CajunMan sold out for the fourth consecutive year and reached its 448 individual limit two months in advance.  “This was the deepest and most talented field we have had at the CajunMan,” stated race director, Russell Bex.  “Any one of ten triathletes could have won the race today – and that includes Ashley.”

But it was Rowland’s day – as his determination and drive propelled him to his first Louisiana State Triathlon Championship.