Babbittville salutes the USA Triathlon Hall of Fame Inductees

 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Olympic bronze medalist Susan Williams, IRONMAN World Champion Tim DeBoom, multisport contributor Dan Empfield, age-group multisport stars Bill Bell and Karen McKeachie and paratriathlete pioneer Carlos Moleda were today announced as the seventh induction class of the USA Triathlon Hall of Fame.

“We are thrilled to welcome this stellar class into the USA Triathlon Hall of Fame,” said Jon Gray Noll, chair of the USA Triathlon Hall of Fame Executive Committee. “The inductees represent every aspect of multisport, from elite athlete to contributor, and we could not be more proud of both their accomplishments and their respective roles in the promotion of our sport.”

Founded in 2008, the USA Triathlon Hall of Fame has recognized the best performances and contributions in the sport’s 40-year history. This year’s class brings the total number of inductees to 33.

The six inductees will be honored at a banquet on Saturday, April 18 at 5:30 p.m. ET at the Harvard Club in Boston, as part of a celebration of endurance sports for the Boston Marathon. Get more information about the banquet here.

About this year’s USA Triathlon Hall of Fame inductees:

Bill Bell — Age-Group Athlete (Palm Desert, Calif.)
Bill Bell has been competing in multisport events for more than 30 years, having entered his first race in 1982. He completed his last full IRONMAN triathlon at age 78, but still competes in multisport events at age 92. A member of the USA Triathlon Century Club, his list of 300-plus completed triathlons includes 32 IRONMAN triathlons, with 19 of those at the IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, and 41 IRONMAN 70.3 events. Bell won his age group at the IRONMAN World Championship in 1994-1997 and 1999. He also won his age group in the 1983 and 1985 Ultraman races and the World’s Toughest Triathlon in 1987, 1991 and 1992.

 

Listen to the Babbittville Radio interview with Bill Bell here.

 

 

Tim DeBoom — Elite Athlete (Boulder, Colo.)
An elite athlete for nearly two decades from 1995-2012, Tim DeBoom is best known for his performances at the IRONMAN World Championship, winning the overall title in 2001-02 and finishing as the top overall U.S. finisher for six years. Before his elite career, DeBoom was the top age-group finisher at the ITU World Championships in 1993-94. DeBoom owned a production company from 2009-12, producing events such as the SOMA and Marquee Triathlons. He has written a monthly column for Triathlete Magazine since 2008 and works with his former sponsors PowerBar Nutrition, Shimano and Pearl Izumi as a consultant with a focus on product development and athlete recruitment.

 

Listen to the Babbittville Radio interview with Tim DeBoom here. 

 

 

 

Dan Empfield — Contributor (Valyermo, Calif.)
Paving the way for thousands of athletes, Dan Empfield is the founder of Quintana Roo and inventor of the triathlon-specific wetsuit, which first sold in early 1987. He also created an innovative system of bike fitting now known as FitInstitute Slow Twitch (FIST) — recognized globally by most major bike manufacturers. As a race director, Empfield resurrected the U.S. Triathlon Series, hosting 21 events between 1997-99. He co-authored a membership initiative in 2005 in relation to USA Triathlon’s election processes, which amended the bylaws to improve the process moving forward. Empfield is the founder and owner of Slowtwitch.com, and completed his first triathlon in 1980.

 

Listen to the Babbittville Radio interview with Dan Empfield here.