We had so much fun watching Jennifer Lopez, SELF editor-in-chief Lucy Danziger and 3,200 other racers (including quite a few other celebrities!) compete in last weekend’s Nautica Malibu Triathlon that we don’t want the excitement to end. Keep checking back this week as we post more of our favorite moments from the event.

We love how ecstatic and proud Jennifer looked when she finished. The crowd was cheering and yelling “Good job, JLo!” Will she do another triathlon in the future? “She deserves a break for now!” said Gunnar Peterson, her trainer. “But I asked and she said, ‘That remains to be seen.’ She’s such a passionate person. She goes after everything with so much, and there’s so much that she does and explores. I wouldn’t be surprised if she did, or if she moved on to another goal.”

Jennifer and her team arrived at the back entrance, on the north end of Malibu’s Zuma Beach. We seemed to be the only photographer in sight!

Husband Marc Anthony was incredibly supportive (even though he was a little nervous for Jennifer). They kissed and hugged between every leg of the race.

Jennifer shared the celebrity transition area with Matthew McConaughey, Eliza Dushku, Scott Foley and Heather Tom from The Bold and the Beautiful, among others.

She was in great spirits from the get-go and introduced herself to other racers.

Celebs competing in a relay transitioned in the area on the other side of the press box. That’s Felicity Huffman in coral, the back of Mad Men’s Jon Hamm (in the blue and white sweatshirt and hat), who swam, and Anna Kournikova (in pink, with her hair in a braid). We also saw William H. Macy, Mark Paul Gosselaar, Tiffani Thiessen (a Saved By the Bell reunion, perhaps!?) and High School Musical’s Monique Coleman.

Lucy helped calm Jennifer’s nerves about swimming in the chilly, choppy Pacific. “You’re going to do great! Just breathe!” she told her.

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Hours after completing her first-ever triathlon (she finished in 2 hours, 23 minutes), Jennifer Lopez got glam again. She flew to New York City with husband Marc Anthony to celebrate his 40th birthday at the Bowery Hotel. Party guests included Dita Von Teese and Kimora Lee Simmons. Anthony turns the big 4-0 on Tuesday. Lopez – who turned 39 in July — was all smiles, donning a white, empire-waist Marchesa gown on her way into the celebration. (By the time she left, she had changed into a taupe, silk frock.) Of course, Lopez had another reason to celebrate Sunday: She helped raise $127,000 for the Children’s Hospital of L.A. (Overall, the race earned $950,000 for charity.) “I feel really great and so glad I finished and that I made it out of the water but more amazing than that, I feel really great that we raised $127,000 for the Children’s Hospital [of Los Angeles] and hopefully it’ll go to good use,” Lopez told the crowd after finishing. Throughout the race, Anthony stood at the sidelines cheering on his wife. Lopez even stopped to kiss him between the biking and running portions of the race.

Jennifer Lopez completed the Nautica Malibu Triathlon in 2 hours, 23 minutes and 38.8 seconds on Sunday. The singer, 39, pumped her arms in the air and smiled broadly as she crossed the finish line of the swimming-running-biking event. “Thank you guys so much,” she told the crowd. “This is an amazing day. “I feel really great and so glad I finished and that I made it out of the water but more amazing than that, I feel really great that we raised $127,000 for the Children’s Hospital [of Los Angeles] and hopefully it’ll go to good use,” Lopez added. Husband Marc Anthony was on the sidelines being supportive. The couple kissed between the biking and running portions of the race. After finishing, Lopez joined her family and Matthew McConaughey, who came in before her, in the VIP area. McConaughey was accompanied by his girlfriend Camila Alves and their newborn son Levi. McConaughey’s race time was 1 hour, 30 minutes and 44.7 seconds. Lopez’ participation raised $127,000 for the Children’s Hospital of L.A. and the entire event raised $950,000. Lopez and Anthony are expected to return to NYC after the event to host his 40th birthday bash Sunday night. Fans and fellow participants were seen cheering on Lopez and giving her high-fives. Lopez was inspired to run a triathlon while eight months pregnant with twins Max and Emme, who were born in February. “I was beached like a whale,” Lopez — Self magazine’s Most Inspiring Woman of 2008 — said on ABC’s Good Morning America last month. “I was watching TV, and I saw a triathlon and I said, ‘You know what? I think I could do that, that would be great for me to do. Maybe I’ll do it this year,’” she explained. See what Jennifer Lopez looked like pregnant. “Swimming is a killer,” Lopez admitted. “I’m not going to lie.” She also joked that she is determined to finish the race even if she “has to crawl across that finish line.”
Us

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Mother of twins, actress, recording artist, entrepreneur and now (drum roll, please) triathlete! Yesterday SELF’s Most Inspiring Woman for 2008, Jennifer Lopez, finished the Nautica Malibu Triathlon in 2 hours, 23 minutes, 38 seconds and—perhaps even more impressive—with a huge smile on her face.

For weeks, SELF has been following Jennifer as she trained for the tri, which she was doing to raise money for Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. When the day finally arrived, we were a bit groggy when we hit Malibu’s Zuma Beach at a chilly, hazy 4:45 A.M., but excitement took over as the race’s 3,200 participants, including SELF editor-in-chief Lucy Danziger, who had raced the Olympic distance the day before as well (and medaled!), descended on the beach. Adding to the buzz: tons of paparazzi. At the media check-in booth, we overheard a few wondering if Jennifer would show. We just smiled, knowing that there was no “if” involved. She’d be there.

Jennifer with her trainer Gunnar Peterson before heading to the transition area to set up her bike and gear.

At about 6:30 A.M., Jennifer snuck into the beach from the back entrance with her trainer, Gunnar Peterson, and husband, Marc Anthony. “Pray for me!” she joked with us as she got out of the car, looking excited and maybe a wee bit nervous. She posed for a quick prerace picture, (see above) and then headed to her spot in the transition area. After changing into her wetsuit (with strategically placed towels providing a little privacy from the press box less than 10 feet away!), Jennifer made her way to the start. There she met up with Lucy for a hug and final pep talk, chatted with fellow racer Matthew McConaughey (remember how cute they were together in The Wedding Planner?) and waited for the starting gun with other celeb racers like Eliza Dushku, Jon Cryer and Mad Men’s Jon Hamm.

Jennifer and Matthew McConaughey chat before the race. Both are new parents!

And with an ear-popping bang, she was off, sprinting toward the 64-degree surf with a sea of other silver-swim-capped racers, popping back up only 20 minutes later 1/4 mile up the beach. (She had told us the week before that the swim would probably take her about 28 minutes; go Jen!) After a quick kiss from Marc, she made her way to the transition area. One problem: Her T-shirt and shoes were MIA!

“She somehow didn’t have the bag they were in. So I gave her an XXL T-shirt I had and a woman nearby let her borrow an extra pair of sneakers,” Gunnar told us after the race. But you’d never know she was without her regular gear. Jennifer looked confident and focused for the next two legs of the race—an 18-mile bike and 4-mile run—and crossed the finished line to cheers. “She did great. She was comfortable, just like a training day. It’s pace not race, it’s all for the charity and she knocked it out,” Gunnar said.

The beaming triathlete gets a postrace hug from a proud Marc Anthony.

Afterward, at the VIP the tent, Jennifer—who, by the way, looked almost too glowy and gorgeous for having just spent the last two-plus hours sweating—nibbled on a muffin, hugged Marc and shared a table with Matthew and Camila Alves, who had their new baby wrapped in a sling. A few racers at a nearby table stood up, clapped and yelled, “Thanks for supporting the kids, Jennifer!” Between congratulations from other VIPs, we caught up with her for a minute (literally!) before she was whisked away for the awards presentation:

“I finished! I’m happy! My head’s pounding a little bit, but I’m really good! I know you guys were happy to see me get in the water!” she told us, laughing, referring to the week before when she and Lucy swam at Jones Beach in New York, along with a slew of stinging jellyfish. “The swim was the hardest, like I thought it would be, but it went by quick. The bike was great and fun. And the run was just like any other run! I felt good.”

With her goal of finishing the race complete, Jennifer could focus on her other goal: helping one of her favorite charities, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

“It’s an amazing day. I’m glad I finished and made it out of the water. But I feel really great because with the help of SELF magazine, we were able to raise $127,000 for Childrens Hospital,” she announced from the main stage. That brought the grand total for the day’s event to $950,000 for CHLA!

Thank you to all who supported Jennifer and donated to this worthy cause. And we thank Jennifer for being such an inspiration, showing us that by making a commitment to yourself, you can achieve your goals. Let SELF help you reach yours! Go to our Reach your Goal program or try any of our online workouts.

The city is buzzing about how Jennifer Lopez is bringing in palm trees and gambling tables to the second floor of the Bowery Hotel, where she’s holding hubby Marc Anthony’s 40th birthday bash Sunday night. “She wants to make it a Cuban casino-themed party,” our spy snitched. “It will be like a casino from the ’60s, with everyone gambling.” But Lopez is slated to compete in the Malibu Triathlon Sunday. Is Jenny from the Bronx block going to pull off the party hop of a lifetime? “She’s wonder woman,” says a source. Stay tuned.
NY Daily News

Just call her superwoman. For the last two days or so, Jennifer Lopez has had to take a timeout from her training for this weekend’s Nautica Malibu Triathlon because of an ankle injury, but that’s not stopping her from doing the race. “She had a slight injury,” Lopez’s rep tells me, adding, “She will definitely be doing the triathlon. She does not want to let down her charity and all the people who have supported her.” However, she did skip out as celebrity judge at today’s taping of the Project Runway finale. Project Runway’s very own Tim Gunn filled Lopez’s shoes, making it the first time he’s ever judged the designers. (Access Hollywood first reported Lopez’s cancellation.) What’s been the reaction? Well… “Tim Gunn stepped in to the rescue and RUNWAY fans who’ve always dreamed of seeing Sir Tim judge are going to get their wish,” Runway executive producer Andy Cohen blogged earlier today at BravoTV.com. “It was a great morning.” Now, back to the triathlon, which benefits Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Lopez has been blogging about her efforts on Self magazine’s website. “Working out and getting back into shape isn’t exciting to me but training for a triathlon is,” she has said. “There’s a goal at the end of it, something to reach for.”

Jennifer Lopez has said “auf Wiedersehen” to Project Runway. After agreeing to judge the Bravo hit’s upcoming finale, she has dropped out due to a foot injury, Heidi Klum announced at Friday’s Project Runway fashion show in New York City. Mentor Tim Gunn will fill in and vowed to be unbiased. Runway stars were hesitant to confirm Lopez’s guest judging stint, even after Usmagazine.com broke the news Monday. (She was to tape her spot today, a source told Us.) “Is she coming on? I don’t know about that,” Klum told Us at a fete for Nina Garcia this week. “Every season we have more and more celebrities coming on the show as judges. But I can’t really tell you who - it ruins the surprise!” If they ever got desperate Klum says her husband Seal would be open to judging. “Maybe,” she told Us at Michael Kors’ fashion show earlier this week. “I think he has more style than me, that’s for sure. I changed my style after I met him to keep up with him. He’s very fashionable.”
UsMagazine

Due to a foot injury, Jennifer Lopez stepped down from guest-judging the season five finale of Project Runway. The show — filmed Friday morning in New York’s Bryant Park — had to go on with the contestants’ fashion mentor, Tim Gunn, who took her spot. “I am really thrilled about judging,” Tim tells In Touch. But as for what happened to J. Lo, Tim says, “All I know is that I was called at the last minute this morning. No one was more surprised than I! I thought, ‘Okay, let’s make it work.’ ”

Host Heidi Klum tells In Touch, “We didn’t have any time. We were really excited to have Jennifer Lopez because I think she is such a beautiful woman with amazing style. We were really sad.” On a positive note, Heidi adds, “Tim is perfect. He has such a huge fan base and is so knowledgeable.” J. Lo will no doubt need a healthy foot by the weekend. She’s been training to partake in the 2008 Nautica Malibu Triathlon this weekend.

Jennifer Lopez is making sure her husband Marc Anthony’s 40th birthday is an unforgettable experience after renting out New York’s Bowery Hotel on Sunday, September 14th. A long list of celebrity pals are expected to attend the lavish party, which Lopez has been carefully planning for months. An insider says, “She has planned every detail, from the food to the decor, sparing no expense. She wants to give him a night he’ll always remember.”

Mariah Carey is moving on from her manager, Benny Medina. Sources told Page Six that Carey had been unhappy with Medina - especially since she heard rumors that he was courting his former client, and her nemesis, Jennifer Lopez, again - and booted him on Friday. But Medina said, “I just had lunch with Mariah today. We’re restructuring her company and streamlining it. That’s all.” If he ends up streamlining himself out of a job, Carey would be his third major loss this year - Tyra Banks and Usher both recently left him.
Page Six

September 7, 2008: Diane Von Furstenburg Fashion Show during New York Fashion Week.

September 8, 2008:  Jennifer Lopez and Victoria Beckham at the Marc Jacobs Spring 2009 Collection at Bryant Park during New York Fashion Week.

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Jennifer Lopez is set to bring her fashion sense and style sense to the finale of Bravo’s “Project Runway.” J.Lo, who has rocked Versace on the red carpet and sported Cavalli while touring, will tape the series finale on Friday, a source reveals to Access Hollywood. The singer/actress will follow in the footsteps of her recent New York Fashion Week pal, Victoria Beckham, who was last season’s finale celebrity judge. The 39-year-old new mother will help the judges deem which season 5 finalist is permanently “in” or “auf’d” right out of Bryant Park. When contacted by Access, a rep for Bravo declined to comment on J.Lo’s involvement in the show.
MSNBC

Before his August 21 concert in NYC, Marc Anthony and his wife Jennifer Lopez, both 39, had their tresses tended to by Juan Carlos Maciques of NYC’s Rita Hazan Salon. “He doesn’t like to be overstyled,” Juan says, who added that J.Lo who lightened to a honey brown shade with golden highlights a day earlier, opted for soft waves. As for the couple’s 6-month-old twins, Max and Emme, Juan tells OK!, “They are gorgeous…Jennifer said they’re so well behaved!” Meanwhile, Jennifer no doubt left the twins at home during her visit to the Democratic National Convention last week where she exercised some political muscle at a private reception recognizing Marian Wright Edelman. Held at the Denver Art Museum, the reception paid tribute to Edelman’s efforts in providing disadvantaged American children with a strong, effective voice.
OK Magazine

When SELF caught up with Jennifer Lopez and her trainer Gunnar Peterson for a workout, we weren’t surprised to see Jennifer “kick ass,” as her T-shirt predicted. Have we mentioned that we love what a real, unabashed athlete this superstar is? We were shocked, though, that she could bike through a public park without a single paparazzo trailing and without any other bikers and runners noticing the superstar.

“I go all out. I wear the baseball cap, sunglasses, helmet. You’ve got to wear a helmet. And I’ll wrap an old shirt around my waist. Nobody recognizes me, but just in case, I don’t want someone taking a picture of my ass!”

Jennifer’s got nothing to worry about—her body is in amazing shape. (Plus, what’s more attractive than reaching goals like a triathlon and raising money for charity?) She even makes a helmet look sexy. Check her out, hamming it up in the picture above, taken at the bike shop.

Aside from an incognito style, what else is important in a helmet? “You’ve got to go for comfort, but it should fit snuggly on top of your head,” Peterson says. “Those people who perch it on the back of their skull are more worried about getting a good tan than protecting their heads. If you don’t know how to adjust yours, go to a bike shop and let them help you. The interesting thing the pros told us: Even the best helmets are designed for only one impact. If you take a fall, and yours hits the ground, get a new one.”

If you happen to see Jennifer, shhh—don’t tell the paparazzi. Show your support and wish her luck by clicking the Donate button above. And if you’re inspired to transform your body (and feel amazing), check out SELF’s Reach Your Goal program.

Jennifer Lopez says she was “selfish” for the first time in her life while she was pregnant with twins Max and Emme, who are now 6 months old. Midway through her pregnancy, Lopez had just finished her concert tour with husband Marc Anthony last fall when she told him he needed him to take the reins, she tells Elle magazine in its October issue cover story. “I said, ‘I did the superwoman thing, I finished the tour – now I need you to take care of me,’” said Lopez, 39. “‘I love doing things for you; if I’m not cooking, then I’m picking out a shirt. But this is the first time in my life where I’m just going to be a little bit selfish,’” she told Anthony, who turns 40 on Sept. 16. “‘I don’t know if I’m going to have kids again, so I want it to be a beautiful experience. I don’t want to have any drama. I want to just be smiling every day.’”

The actress, who is currently training for her first triathalon, says she and her husband of four years didn’t worry when she didn’t get pregnant right away. “We knew nothing was wrong with either one of us – I had been checked, and he had kids already,” she told Elle. “I knew [that] something’s not ready here, in my head or in my life, and when it is, I know it’s going to happen.” As for the moment she realized she was pregnant, she reveals, “I was sitting down doing hair and makeup and I felt a flutter. The weirdest little … flourish. My makeup artist said ‘What’s the matter?’ I didn’t say anything, but in my head, I was like, I have life inside me!” Two weeks before giving birth, Lopez commissioned a special gift for her husband – a book of photos of herself. Says Lopez: “I was like, ‘How am I going to rock this moment of my life? … I felt very womanly. Marc was in a dream. He loved it.”
People

Jennifer Lopez was so determined to make sure she was pregnant when she first thought she was with child, she took 20 tests - and even asked her husband Marc Anthony to pee on a stick. The actress/singer admits to feeling “a flutter” during a hair and make-up session - and it sent her to the nearest pharmacy. She tells the upcoming issue of Elle magazine she dashed home with her pregnancy tests in an effort to be sure - and she even insisted Anthony took one. She explains, “I needed to see what a negative looked like.” Lopez gave birth to twins Emme and Max on 22 February.
WENN