Set against the backdrop of a beautiful, late summer day, the 1998 Town of Hempstead Triathlon proved to be a record breaker, with the men's winner and overall champion Richard Gregory of Floral Park completing the race with the fastest winning time in the event's 15 year history and women's winner Meredith La Rossa of West Hempstead nearly besting the women's mark. Supervisor Rich Guardino, the official race starter, saluted all 167 finishers for, "their inspiring combination of athletic skill and competitive spirit."

"A signature event on the Parks Department's activities calendar, the triathlon is a compelling race, providing thrill-a-minute, competitive heroics," continued Guardino. "Hats are off to our two champions, Richard Gregory and Meredith La Rossa, but actually each racer who crossed the finish line is a winner in his or her own right."

A first-time winner, Richard Gregory's time of 1:03:07.51, eclipsed the triathlon's best previous time, 1:03:44.25, set in 1996 by Fred Neinast. Meredith La Rossa, captured the women's crown for the second time, having won previously in 1996. La Rossa's time of 1:14:07.49 in this year's race bested her previous winning time by more than two full seconds.

The runner-up in the men's division was Robert Spina of North Massapequa, last year's overall winner. The third place finisher was Jon Babinski of Locust Valley. The "honorable mention" category featured the performance of District Court Judge Peter Skelos of Rockville Centre. A seasoned triathlete, the judge finished 10th overall, a mere six seconds behind Gregory's record time.

In the women's division, Barbara Stagnari of Mineola finished second and Jean Bohan of Mineola, took third. Bohan was the 1997 women's champ.

Town Councilman Anthony Santino, a triathlon observer, acknowledged the camaraderie which existed among the competitors, "despite the intensity of the race these athletes seemed to share a genuine respect for each other, and the encouragement extended to fellow racers was inspirational."

Additional information on the Town of Hempstead Triathlon may be obtained by calling the Department of Parks and Recreation at 292-9000, extension 219.