Pay Day

APOLIS (AP-CP) _ Hunter Kemper battled back from an illness and through steaming heat on Saturday to become just the second American and first American male to win the $500,000 US Life Time Fitness Triathlon.

Kemper held off Ukrainian Volodymyr Polikarpenko by 12.6 seconds to win the $200,000 US grand prize, which includes a $30,000 sport-utility vehicle.

Kemper's time was one hour 49 minutes 45.1 seconds in the 1.5-kilometre swim, 40-kilometre bike and 10-kilometre run.

The Life Time Triathlon offers the most prize money in the sport of triathlon.

Kemper, who was slowed by an illness earlier this month, and the rest of the men's professional field started 9:49 behind the women, as the Life Time Fitness Triathlon uses an equalizer so men and women can compete against each other.

Kemper had to chase down the frontrunning Emma Snowsill of Australia in order to win the overall grand prize. Nine women started the 10k run before Kemper.

Snowsill, who was the top female finisher in 2005, defended her title and finished ninth overall in 2:00:34.9 to win $80,000.