Courtesy: USAT

Hunter Kemper and Julie Ertel raced to victories at the San Francisco Triathlon at Treasure Island on Saturday, and in the process each captured the overall titles of USA Triathlon's Haul to the Great Wall series.

The race was actually modified to a 6.5K run, 40K bike, 10K run duathlon after an oil spill in San Francisco Bay earlier in the week forced the cancellation of the swim leg.

Struggling with his run for most of the year due to a hip and back injury, Kemper looked to have little trouble with the extra mileage in this race, but he and the rest of the field had to chase down experienced duathlete Derek Kite, who went out to an early lead after the first run. Kemper, Matt Chrabot, and Arturo Garza (Mexico) were the first chase group to catch Kite on the bike, followed by Shoemaker, Mark Fretta, Victor Plata, Dave Messenheimer, and Doug Friman nearly a minute back.

After a flat tire briefly sidelined Chrabot, Kemper and Garza entered the second run together before the 31-year-old Kemper pulled away and cruised to the win. Kemper, who finished in 1:54:18, was followed by Jarrod Shoemaker in second in 1:55:28 and Kite in third in 1:56:07.

Kemper was pleased to cap his season with a win as he looks ahead to qualifying for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team.

"Personally my life has been going really well. This year has been an amazing blessing. With triathlon, it's been tough for me," said Kemper. "I feel like I'm getting better. I'm getting stronger. My injury is still lingering, but it's nice to end the season on a positive note. And to win the Haul to the Great Wall series is always a good thing. USA Triathlon and Speedo have put a lot of money on the line, so it's good to come out here and win a little bit of money and finish the year out on a high note."

For the women, it was a four-person race almost from the start as Ertel, Sarah Haskins, Sarah Groff, and Jillian Petersen formed a group that was together all day. Out on the second run, the foursome began to spread a bit, but it was Ertel who had the most left at the end, finishing in 2:08:47, nearly a minute ahead of second-place Haskins (2:09:44). Petersen took third in 2:09:52.

Racing a few hours north of her home in San Diego, Ertel didn't let the lack of a swim and the four extra miles of running affect her race preparations.

"One thing I've learned from triathlons is that you have to take them as they come. I saw on the website yesterday that it [the swim] might be cancelled and I just started mentally preparing. I've done duathlons before and I decided in my mind that it was going to be a good day," said Ertel. "It [the run] was a little bit more than I was prepared for, but I always try to make sure my training is more than I will ever encounter in a race. It may have pushed me a little bit further, but I think it will make me stronger for my last race of the year.

"It's always nice to do well when I race in the U.S. This one was very special because it was in California; it makes it feel like a hometown race," she added.

With their race wins, Kemper and Ertel each took home $5,000, plus a $1,500 bonus from Speedo as the top American finishers. As Haul to the Great Wall series winners, they each pocketed another $6,000, plus a $5,000 Speedo bonus.

Andy Potts and Haskins finished second in the series and each claimed a $2,500 Speedo bonus.

2007 Treasure Island at San Francisco Triathlon Results ($40,000 prize purse, plus $5,000 Speedo bonus)

Men
1 - Hunter Kemper (Colorado Springs, Colo.) 1:54:18 ($5,000, plus $1,500 Speedo bonus)
2 - Jarrod Shoemaker (Maynard, Mass.) 1:55:28 ($4,000, plus $750 Speedo bonus)
3 - Derek Kite (Colorado Springs, Colo.) 1:56:07 ($3,000, plus $250 Speedo bonus)
4 - Victor Plata (Sacramento, Calif.) 1:56:12 ($2,000)
5 - Mark Fretta (Colorado Springs, Colo.) 1:56:20 ($1,500)
6 - Arturo Garza (Mexico) 1:57:04 ($1,200)
7 - Doug Friman (Tucson, Ariz.) 1:57:48 ($1,000)
8 - Brian Hague (Boulder, Colo.) 1:59:05 ($900)
9 - Matt Chrabot (Virginia Beach, Va.) 1:59:14 ($800)
10 - Dave Messenheimer (Colorado Springs, Colo.) 1:59:16 ($600)

Women
1 - Julie Ertel (La Jolla, Calif.) 2:08:47 ($5,000, plus $1,500 Speedo bonus)
2 - Sarah Haskins (Colorado Springs, Colo.) 2:09:44 ($4,000, plus $750 Speedo bonus)
3 - Jillian Petersen (St. Louis, Mo.) 2:09:52 ($3,000, plus $250 Speedo bonus)
4 - Sarah Groff (Boulder, Colo.) 2:10:40 ($2,000)
5 - Justine Whipple (Colorado Springs, Colo.) 2:11:25 ($1,500)
6 - Alexis Waddell (Monterey, Calif.) 2:12:51 ($1,200)
7 - Mary Beth Ellis (Thornton, Colo.) 2:16:13 ($1,000)
8 - Annie Warner (Nine Mile Falls, Wash.) 2:17:15 ($900)
9 - Alicia Kaye (Maynard, Mass.) 2:17:23 ($800)
10 - Kathrin Meade (Ft. Collins, Colo.) 2:17:33 ($600)