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Ironman towel careful tucked under the overhang of his stomach and cold beverage in hand, the smirk on Tony Mozingo’s face told the story of the 2006 Heatwave Classic. Having just defeated rivals Steve Phillips and Jim Coll, Mozingo shrugged off race organizers’ requests for his appearance in the post-race media tent following the event. Instead, Mozingo chose to give first-hand accounts of his performance to many of the 350 participants in the 800-meter, 24.5-mile bike, 6.2-mile run triathlon. The victory gave Mozingo a lead of approximately 10:30 over Coll after the first race their three-race series for the coveted slot on the Pine Belt’s varsity triathlon squad. The original purse had also included beer from Miller Lite, but race director Keith Barrett has reported the prize missing as of the seventh inning of Southern Miss’ season-ending loss to Troy on Sunday. "Yeah, my swim time was slow, but it’s because I was stopped by a guy in a kayak as I approached the dock toward the end of the course," Mozingo told legendary Gulf Coast runner and triathlete Leonard Verngunst at the post-race party. "He screamed at me to read the sign that said ‘Leave no wake!’" While Mozingo’s training for the Gulf Coast Half-Ironman carried him on this day, notably he has also hired the speedy Columbian Nestor Raul Anzola to coach him. "Of course he can’t swim," Mozingo said of Anzola. "But I just like hanging around the guy. He’s more of a psychological coach than anything." Anzola, however, was noticeably absent from the event on Saturday morning as reports have questioned the legal details of the coach-athlete arrangement. Anzola has commented that his discussion with the famed Lamar County attorney centered on the Crescent City Classic poster the Columbian received for his top-500 performance in the New Orleans road race this past April. "I thought he was trying to buy the poster from me," Anzola said. "Everyone knows that Tony wants a CCC poster badly, but has not earned one on the course. He handed me money, had me sign a paper. When I handed it back to me Tony responded, ‘Gracias,’ and smiled coyly. The note was written in really poor Spanish, said something about ‘El Jefe,’ but I thought that was just one of his delusions that the Pine Belt Pacers had asked him to be president again. I didn’t realize until later it stated I was going to coach him." A memo from the Road Runners Club of America to USA Triathlon on Monday also warned Mozingo about the dangers of hiring Anzola as coach. Columbian candy, the memo said, could lead to a scandal the likes not seen since Barry Bonds and BALCO. While more details will certainly be revealed in the coming weeks, the day belonged to Mozingo. The haggard look of defeat was evident at the post-race dinner table as Coll and Phillips were sitting across from their coach, Robin Ryder. "It’s O.K. guys, there’s still hope," Ryder whispered to Coll and Phillips. "I mean there are still two events left… LOOK ALIVE, here he comes." "Any of you boys know the way to the Neshoba County Fair?" Mozingo greeted the trio. Mozingo’s new friend Vergunst happened by the table and patted Coll on the back. While trying to lighten the mood of Phillips and Coll, he asked if anyone had the time. "It’s two-twenty!," Mozingo answered, accidentally quoting his personal best time for the Olympic distance event. "It can’t be that late," Ryder chimed in. "Something must be wrong with your watch…" "Oops," Mozingo said as Coll’s eyes teared up. "I forgot to change my Ironman watch back from "Chrono" mode to "Time" mode. With that the party was over, and Phillips, Coll, and Ryder headed for the showers.
Rumor has it that Mozingo has set his sights on Ryder and Vergunst. Notably, however, Ryder posted one of his top finishes in a triathlon, placing 19th overall and third in his age group, while besting Mozingo in all three disciplines. When asked whether his dismal of Phillips and Coll was a sign of overconfidence, Mozingo just shrugged.
"Look, with the situation like it is, it’s easy to get overconfident." At last report Coll was somewhere between Magee and Mt. Olive on Highway 49, having decided to ride his bike the 90 miles back to Hattiesburg after the event. "Hey man," Coll panted as the news van passed by. "It ain’t over ‘till it’s over…" Full results can be found at the following link – Heatwave Results |
