Triathlon: USA Triathlon: Race to Athens - Honolulu

The Race to Athens is On in Honolulu

HONOLULU, Hawaii (April 15, 2004) – The excitement is building in Hawaii, for the 2004 USA Triathlon Race to Athens – Honolulu, the first of three chances for U.S. triathletes to qualify to race in Athens in August.

Fourteen elite U.S. women and 12 elite U.S. men are expected to race along with an international field on Sunday in Honolulu. They have each attained a top-125 ranking in the International Triathlon Union (ITU) world rankings, which is required for Olympic qualifying. International athletes are also on the start list for the race, which is an ITU points race and boasts a $50,000 prize purse.

The race is also the U.S. qualifier for the 2004 ITU Triathlon World Championships, on May 9 in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal. The United States can take six men and six women to Portugal. The top-three ranked men (Hunter Kemper, Doug Friman and Joe Umphenour) and the top-three ranked women (Barb Lindquist, Laura Reback and Sheila Taormina) qualify for the world championship team automatically. But three more male and three more female team members will be picked in Hawaii.

The world championships are the second Olympic team qualifying race, so it is important for Athens hopefuls to try to make it to Portugal. The third Olympic team qualifying race will be the Race to Athens – Bellingham, on June 13 in Washington.

The battle for slots on the U.S. women’s Olympic team will be fierce in Hawaii, as the United States has the top-three ranked women in the world in Barb Lindquist (Victor, Idaho) at No. 1, Laura Reback (North Palm Beach, Fla.) at No. 2 and 2000 Olympic triathlete Sheila Taormina (Livonia, Mich.) at No. 3.

Challenges in the women’s race could come from 2000 Olympian Joanna Zeiger (Baltimore, Md.), who is ranked fourth in the United States and 21st in the world, and Susan Williams (Littleton, Colo.), who is ranked fifth in the United States and 30th in the world.

Becky Gibbs Lavelle (Cupertino, Calif.), who is ranked sixth in the United States, will not be racing due to injury. Susie Gallucci (Hudson, Ohio), who is ranked 12th in the United States and 105th in the world, has also had to withdraw due to injury.

Among the international women expected to compete are Australian Maxine Seear, ranked 67th in the world, who has already qualified for the Australian Olympic team, and New Zealand’s Evelyn Williamson, who is ranked 115th in the world.

On the men’s side, 2000 Olympian Hunter Kemper (Longwood, Fla.), ranked 10th in the world and No. 1 in the United States, is the U.S. favorite and got his season off to a strong start by winning the ITU Pan American Triathlon Championships on March 20 in Acapulco, Mexico.

But there are plenty of U.S. men who will be happy to give Kemper a run for his money, and plenty of international competitors who would like to take home the winner’s money.

Among those looking to win in Hawaii is Australian Greg Bennett, who is ranked No. 1 in the world and has already made his country’s Olympic team. Aussies Miles Stewart and Craig Walton are also expected to race, as is 2000 Olympic gold medalist Simon Whitfield from Canada.

The challenging Honolulu course features a steep and technical bike course around the Diamond Head State Monument that rivals the one that triathletes will face in Athens. Competitors will swim in the ocean off the beach at Waikiki and will run down Kalakaua Ave., the main shopping and dining thoroughfare in Waikiki. Race organizers are expecting thousands of spectators, as the women’s race will start at 12:30 p.m. and the men’s race begins at 3 p.m. local time (6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. EDT)

The 24-Hour Fitness Honolulu Triathlon for age group triathletes will start at 6 a.m. on Sunday. More than 1,000 are expected to compete.

The race will be broadcast on Outdoor Life Network approximately 7-10 days after the event.

Race results will be posted as soon as possible after the race at www.usatriathlon.org and on the race web site at www.honolulutriathlon.com.

USA Triathlon is the national governing body for the multi-sport disciplines of triathlon and duathlon in the United States. For more information on this and other stories related to USA Triathlon, please contact communications and media relations manager B.J. Hoeptner Evans at 719-597-9090, ext. 105 or at BJ@USATriathlon.org. USA Triathlon’s web site is www.usatriathlon.org..

U.S. Start List with World Rank and Name/Hometown/Training Town

Men

10 Hunter Kemper/ Longwood, Fla./ Colorado Springs, Colo. 
30 Doug Friman/ Alameda, Calif./ Tucson, Ariz. 
34 Joe Umphenour/ Bellevue, Wash./ Colorado Springs, Colo. 
52 Brian Fleischmann/ Jacksonville, Fla./ Colorado Springs, Colo. 
53 Victor Plata/ Santa Cruz, Calif./ San Luis Obispo, Calif. 
58 Mark Fretta/ Portland, Ore./ Colorado Springs, Colo. 
64 Andy Kelsey/ Cupertino, Calif./ Colorado Springs, Colo. 
74 Andy Potts/ Princeton, N.J./ Colorado Springs, Colo. 
78 Seth Wealing/ Fowler, Ind./ Colorado Springs, Colo. 
104 Michael Smedley/ Buchanan, Mich./ Victoria, B.C. 
117 Marcel Vifian/ Santa Rosa, Calif./ Colorado Springs, Colo. 
121 Jeff Sneed/ La Canada, Calif./ La Canada, Calif. 
Women
1 Barb Lindquist/ Jackson Hole, Wyo./ Victor, Idaho 
2 Laura Reback/ North Palm Beach, Fla./ Victoria, B.C. 
3 Sheila Taormina/ Livonia, Mich./ Clermont, Fla. 
21 Joanna Zeiger/ Baltimore, Md./ Boulder, Colo. 
30 Susan Williams/ Springfield, Va./ Littleton, Colo. 
80 Amanda Pagon/ Cockeysville, Md./ Glenn Dale, Md. 
84 Julie Swail/ Placentia, Calif./ Irvine, Calif. 
94 Kelly Cook/ Marietta, Ga./ Marietta, Ga. 
96 Jessi Stensland/ Franklin Park, N.J./ San Diego, Calif. 
98 Patrice Wolfensberger/ Knoxville, Tenn./ Knoxville, Tenn. 
104 Alexis Waddel/ Seaside, Calif./ San Ramon, Calif. 
106 Laurie Hug/ Ambler, Pa./ Ambler, Pa. 
118 Amanda Stevens/ Enid, Okla./ Enid, Okla. 
120 Courtney Bennigson/ Boston, Mass./ Boulder, Colo.