Legendary athlete Lance Armstrong visited San Diego Sunday to compete in the annual SuperFrog Triathlon at Silver Strand State Beach.
Known as the “Original Half-Ironman,” the race alongside Navy SEALs consists of a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride and 13.1-mile run.
Clad in only a Speedo, Armstrong looked strong in San Diego Sunday, despite the recent controversy surrounding his career.
In August, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency banned him for life from competitive cycling after concluding that he allegedly used banned substances.
But organizers of the SuperFrog welcomed Armstrong to San Diego Sunday, knowing the money raised from the triathlon would go to the Navy SEAL Foundation.
“I'm never going to know the truth, and there's no sense in even debating that. The reason I say that is that we're after Lance the philanthropist, not Lance Tour de France champion, whatever you may think of that,” said SuperFrog organizer Mitch Hall.
Many locals who competed alongside Armstrong felt extra motivated and pushed harder at Sunday’s triathlon.
“My one goal was not to be lapped by Lance,” said one competitor.
“Whenever I peeked back, it looked like he was going to chase me down. All business,” added another.
“I tried to keep up with him. He was fast.”
Although the race was close, Armstrong came in first place, breaking the four-hour record for the race by about six minutes.
Following the race, Armstrong held an informal question and answer forum at the Hotel del Coronado to raise money for the Navy SEALs and his Livestrong Foundation.
