Posted: August 17, 2004

Triathlon: Kelowna Canadian Triathlon Championships to take place August 21 – 22, 2004

2004-08-17 -- Kelowna, British Columbia

The 2004 Triathlon Canada National Championships will be held this weekend in Kelowna, B.C. The long standing Kelowna Apple Triathlon will feature the Elite and Age Group National Championships on Sunday, July 22 in addition to the Junior Elite National Championships and Kids of Steel Apple Seed and Apple Core races on Saturday, July 21.

The elite event will see the crowning of new national champions – as both 2003 winners, Simon Whitfield and Jill Savege will be in Athens competing at the Olympic Games.

It will be a tight race in the women’s event in Kelowna. St. Albert’s Carolyn Murray has been performing well on the ITU World Cup circuit this year, consistently posting top 15 finishes. She also finished a phenomenal second place in the New York ITU International Triathlon to top ranked Australian, Loretta Harrop. Another favourite in the event is Gillian Moody who will have a hometown advantage as she hails from Kelowna. Gillian was 9th in the 2004 Corner Brook World Cup and 14th in the Tongyeong World Cup earlier this season. Vancouver’s Tara Ross, a strong swimmer, is also in contention for the podium. She was 11th in the Corner Brook World Cup and 12th in Tongyeong.

In the men’s event – swim specialist Sean Bechtel from Ontario and Paul Tichelaar of Calgary, recognized for the work they did assisting Brent McMahon achieve his final COC standard in the Tongyeong ITU World Cup, are both podium contenders. These young athletes have several top 20 ITU World Cup finishes to their credit in 2004.

In the U23 elite event Victoria’s Kerry Spearing and Airdirie’s Jordan Bryden are athletes to watch. Spearing was second in the recent Caledon Junior Championships and Brydon was third.

For the complete start list, visit www.appletriathlon.com.