Posted: September 5, 2004

Triathlon: Olympian Plata Takes on the Monster

BOSTON, Mass. (Sept. 4, 2004) – U.S. Olympic triathlete Victor Plata will face challengers from the United States and around the world Sunday at the Monster Challenge Triathlon.

For U.S. athletes, the race will serve as the USA Triathlon Elite National Championships. It is also an International Triathlon Union Continental Cup race, meaning U.S. and international athletes can earn points toward their world rankings.

"I’m still a little tired from Athens (Greece), but I couldn’t miss our national championship," said Plata (San Luis Obispo, Calif.), who finished 27th in the Olympic men’s triathlon.

Among the top U.S. elites Plata will face is Doug Friman (Tucson, Ariz.), the man Plata beat out to win his Olympic spot. Friman went to Athens as an alternate, but did not compete. Also racing Sunday are Joe Umphenour (Bellevue, Wash.) and Mark Fretta (Portland, Ore.), two 2004 Olympic hopefuls who are now starting the second half of their seasons.

Also watch for Matt Reed, the New Zealand expatriate who is now racing for the United States. Two of Reed’s former teammates, Hamish Carter and Bevan Docherty, won gold and silver in the men’s Olympic triathlon in Athens.

Australia’s Craig Alexander, who won the Accenture Chicago Triathlon on Aug. 29, is also racing in Boston. Reed was second in that race.

The women’s race is wide open, with many newcomers taking the line. Probably the biggest name in the women’s field is seven-time U.S. national champion Karen Smyers (Lincoln, Mass.). Smyers finished third at the Chicago Triathlon.

The race will be draft-legal and athletes will do a four-loop bike course and a five-loop run.

For more information, go to www.monsterchallenge.org.

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 director B.J. Hoeptner Evans at 719-597-9090, ext. 105 or at BJ@USATriathlon.org. USA Triathlon’s web site is www.usatriathlon.org..