Pueblo triathlete Michael Orendorff is taking the “not older, better” adage to heart.

Because family commitments prevented him from competing in qualifiers closer to home this summer, the 56-year-old trekked to the regional qualifier in Park City, Utah, last month to shoot for a spot in the International Triathlon World Championships that will be held in Vancouver in June 2008. The catch was that Orendorff had to win his age division in the Jordanelle Triathlon there on Aug. 25.

He did just that, completing the Olympic-distance course in 2 hours and 16 minutes forged on splits of 26:17 for the 1.5-kilometer swim, 1:06 for the 40K bike (22.4 mph) and 35:57 for the 10K run (6:54 per-mile pace) plus transitions.

Despite success in his races this year, Orendorff has been disappointed in his bike times caused mostly, he believes, by an extended time out of the saddle last winter along with other factors. In preparation for “Worlds,” he intends to focus more on strength-building, an aspect he feels slowed him on the bike this year. Orendorff is no stranger to world competition, having competed in the ITU championships in Perth, Australia in 2000. - The Pueblo-Canon City corridor was represented by 16 participants in the Salida Tenderfoot triathlon and duathlon on Sept. 1, and Mark Riem of Canon City led all locals with a 2:25 triathlon time over a course that included a 1,000-meter swim, 40K bike and 10K run. Riem topped the 40-49 age division by seven minutes.

Send comments and fitness information to Gary Franchi via e-mail at gfranchi@bresnan.net.