OCEANSIDE, Calif.-2001 Ironman USA Lake Placid champion Steve Larsen and Australian Olympian Craig Walton both will compete in the 2002 Ralphs California Half-Ironman in Oceanside on May 19.

Larsen burst on the triathlon scene in 2001 winning the first Ironman event he ever participated in (Ironman USA Lake Placid in July) and finishing 9th at the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. Larsen, a two-time NORBA Cross Country Mountain Biking Champion, the Davis, Calif., resident smashed both the bike course record (4:33:23) and the course record (8:33:11) at Lake Placid to post a stunning victory. What made Larsenšs victory even more impressive is the fact that it was the first Ironman event of his career, and only the fourth triathlon of any length that he had competed in.

Walton, a member of the Aussie 2000 Olympic Triathlon team is a relative newcomer to Ironman racing. In his first Ironman event, Walton finished an impressive third at Ironman California in 2001, with an overall time of 8:39:44. Walton took fifth place at the 2002 Ironman Australia with a time of 8:38:55. Walton, who finished 27th in Sydney, was the 2000 Australia Long Course Champion and has had great success at the 1/2 Ironman and Olympic distance in triathlon.