The 25th anniversary of the Accenture Chicago Triathlon on August 25 drew an estimated 8,500 athletes this weekend. On Sunday's International Distance Pro race, the men and women from "down under" ended up on top. Australia's Greg Bennett and Emma Snowsill finished in first place, winning the $10,000 prize purse in the world's largest triathlon.

Greg Bennett, 35, from Queensland, Australia, took first in the Men's Pro in 1:48:48. Bennett was in third place after the swim and bike, pushing through with a strong run (31:38) to give him the victory.

"I come into races saying, 'I'm a strong swimmer, I'm a strong biker-and I have a "weapon" as a run,'" Bennett said of his winning repertoire.

Bennett has placed top four at the Accenture Chicago Triathlon three times, pulling out a second-place finish in 2001 and third in 2006, but today was his first victory in Chicago. "When you're racing the best in the world we each have our days," he said. This is Bennett's third first-place win at a major event in the past six weeks.

Three-time Accenture Chicago Triathlon winner Craig Walton, 30, of Tasmania, Australia, placed second in 1:49:35. Walton had a promising start with a 19:33 swim, putting him second into the transition, and a commanding 54:42 bike. His 34:31 10K time wasn't enough to keep the lead against Bennett, though.

"On the run, I only had a 1:15 lead on him and that's not enough to beat him," said Walton. "Hats off to Greg today-he was unbelievable." David Thompson of St. Paul, Minnesota, placed third in 1:51:07.

Australians continued to dominate in the women's field as 2004 Accenture Chicago Triathlon winner Emma Snowsill, 26, finished first in 1:59:45. The competition was hot in the women's race, where the field included past Accenture Chicago Triathlon winners Snowsill (2004), Becky Lavelle (2005) and Samantha McGlone (2006), plus Olympic silver medalist and seven-time Accenture Chicago Triathlon champion Michellie Jones.

"A lot of time can be lost on bike, so I had to make a concerted effort to put my head down on the run and really go after those girls," said Snowsill of her strong finish.

Lavelle placed second in 2:01:24. The Minnesotan sparkled at the beginning, finishing first out of the water (21:31).

"The run took me a while-the first three miles were so-so, then I picked it up at the end," Lavelle said.

Julie Dibens of Bath, England, finished third in 2:01:47, just edging out McGlone (2:01:48).

The course was a 1.5K swim heading north on Lake Michigan, a 40K bike along Lake Shore Drive and a 10K run finishing on Columbus Ave. Pro athletes competed for a total prize purse of $50,000.

Sunday also offered a sprint distance, a .75K swim, 22K bike and 5K run. Teresa Nelson of Seattle, Washington, took top female in 1:11:41. Stacey Kiefer of Antioch, Illinois, finished second in 1:13:17. Chicago's Stacey Marie Hague came in third with 1:13:33.

Chicago's own Brian Hague captured first in the sprint distance in 1:03:42. Dean Hewson from Palatine, Illinois, placed second (1:09:59). Steven Kubicki, West Bend, Wisconsin, took third (1:11:28).

The Acccenture Chicago Triathlon is certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest triathlon by participation. Race weekend also included the Fleet Feet Supersprint and McDonald's Kids triathlons on Saturday, August 25.

International Pro

Male Results
1. Greg Bennett, Queensland, Australia, 1:48:48
2. Craig Walton, Tasmania, Australia, 1:49:35
3. David Thompson, St. Paul, MN, 1:51:07
4. Paul Matthews, Murwillambah, Australia 1:51:33
5. Paulo Miyasiro, Santoc, Spain, 1:52:06
6. Brian Fleischmann, Colorado Springs, CO, 1:52:26
7. Fabio Carvalho, Santos, Spain, 1:53:13
8. Stephen Hackett, Boulder, CO, 1:53:25
9. Leon Griffin, Boulder, CO, 1:53:30
10. Marcel Vifian, Park City, UT, 1:53:48

Female Results
1. Emma Snowsill, Queensland, Australia, 1:59:45
2. Becky Lavelle, Minnetonka, MN, U.S.A., 2:01:24
3. Julie Dibens, Bath, England, 2:01:47
4. Samantha McGlone, Colorado Springs, CO, 2:01:48
5. Miranda Carfrae, Boulder, CO, 2:04:07
6. Leanda Cave, Mill Valley, CA, 2:05:21
7. Julie Swail Ertel, Irvine, CA, 2:05:23
8. Rebeccah Wassner, New York, NY, 2:25:24
9. Michelle Jones, Carlsbad, CA, 2:06:05
10. Kelly Handell, Austin, TX, 2:08:36

Sprint Distance

Male Results
1. Brian Hague, Chicago, IL, 1:03:42
2. Dean Hewson, Palatine, IL, 1:09:59
3. Steve Kubicki, West Bend, WI, 1:11:28
4. Derek Lee McClure, Omaha, NE, 1:11:35
5. Patrick Hitchins, Chicago, IL, 1:12:18
6. Chris Wiatr, Long Grove, IL, 1:12:23
7. Steve Hartstock, Chicago, IL, 1:12:42
8. James O'Neil, Des Plaines, IL, 1:13:39
9. Geoff Scott, Chicago, IL, 1:13:51

Female Results
1. Teresa Nelson, Seattle, WA, 1:11:41
2. Stacey Kiefer, Antioch, IL, 1:13:17
3. Stacey Marie Hague, Chicago, IL, 1:13:33
4. Padra Meyer, Des Plaines, IL, 1:15:06
5. Heidi Sarna, Chicago, IL, 1:15:15
6. Cheryl Roberts, Kenosha, WI, 1:18:41
7. Brook Leann Mutzenberger, Hoffman Estates, IL, 1:18:56
8. Mary Anne Butzke, Batavia, IL, 1:19:49
9. Jeanna Marie Fascione, Chicago, IL, 1:19:51
10. Alexandra Forte, Easton, CT, 1:20:07

Click here for complete race results.