Posted: August 8, 2007

Triathlon: Haul Series, Three National Championships Come to Colorado

Olympians to race on same course as Youth, Junior, and U23 National Championships LONGMONT, Colo. (August 8, 2007) -- They've been training here for years, now a strong group of elite triathletes will get their first taste of draft- legal racing at altitude as the fourth race in USA Triathlon's Haul to the Great Wall series comes to Colorado. The Great Colorado Triathlon in Longmont will host this Pan American Cup event on Sunday, August 12. The event will also feature USAT's Elite National Championships for Youth, Junior, and U23 athletes. Visit the event website for complete schedule and race start lists. The elite start list for this 1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run event will be nothing short of stellar as athletes from New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Poland, Chile, and Puerto Rico are set to take on a noteworthy crew of Americans, many of whom are working toward a berth at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Highlighting the men's field will be 2000 and 2004 Olympian Hunter Kemper (Longwood, Fla. / Colorado Springs, Colo.) and 2004 Olympian Andy Potts (Princeton, N.J. / Colorado Springs, Colo.). Also on the men's list are World Cup circuit competitors Brian Fleischmann (Jacksonville, Fla. / Colorado Springs, Colo.), Tim O'Donnell (Shavertown, Pa. / Colorado Springs, Colo.), and Joe Umphenour (Spokane, Wash. / Colorado Springs, Colo.). O'Donnell, a lieutenant in the Navy, recently won his fifth-straight Armed Forces National title. 2007 Pan American Games gold medalist and the current USAT Elite National champion Julie Swail Ertel (Irvine, Calif.) leads a strong group of elite women. Last year's Elite National Champion Sarah Haskins (St. Louis, Mo. / Colorado Springs, Colo.), 2006 USAT U23 National Champion Sara McLarty (DeLand, Fla. / Colorado Springs, Colo.), and 2006 USAT Non-ITU Female Triathlete of the Year Becky Lavelle (Minnetonka, Minn. / Los Gatos, Calif.) will also be contenders. A strong list of up-and-coming athletes will be competing for the right to be called a national champion in the youth, junior, and U23 divisions. U23 National Championship This race will run concurrently with the elite race and features some of the finest athletes in USAT's Elite Development program, including John Dahlz, Kyle Hughes, Yoni Doron, and a strong group that has excelled on the collegiate level, led by 2007 USAT Collegiate National Champion Kevin Collington. For the women, the favorite should be National Team member Jasmine Oeinck, a top-10 finisher at U23 Worlds in 2006. The Elite Development Athletes include Amanda Hahn and Jennifer Spieldenner, and look for strong performances from Danielle Kehoe and two-time USAT Collegiate National Champion and recent U.S. Armed Forces National Champion Justine Whipple. Junior Elite National Championship (Course: 750m swim, 12.6 mile bike, 5k run) Last year's national champions, Yasmine White and Willy Pickhardt, are returning to defend their titles, but they will have a lot of competition as this will be the largest field assembled for a Junior National Championship. Look for the challenges on the boys side to come from Greg Billington, winner of Hy- Vee/Des Moines Junior Elite Cup, Zach Paris and Duncan Hoge. They are all members of the USAT Junior National Team. For the girls, Kate Ross, winner of last month's Pittsburgh Junior Elite Cup and a National Team Member, will present tough competition, as will Lauren Goldstein-Kral, runner-up at the Des Moines and Pittsburgh Junior Elite Cups. Also in the field representing Canada are Connor Hammond and Sarah-Anne Brault, both reigning Canadian National Champions. Find out more about USAT programs for Junior and Junior Elite. Youth Elite National Championship (Course: 400m swim, 8.4 mile bike, 2.5k run) In the Youth Elite National Championship field, the favorite female is Jennifer Howland, 2006 Youth Elite National Champion and undefeated this year with wins at Des Moines, Pittsburgh and Pikes Peak. She will be challenged by Bryn Morales and Ryan Russ, both of Colorado. On the boys side, look for Ben Kanute, winner of Des Moines and Pittsburgh. He will be challenged by teammate Kevin McDowell, runner-up at both Des Moines and Pittsburgh, as well as Colorado's Linley Wendt. The Development Team National Championships will also be decided this weekend. Multisport Madness Kids from Illinois goes into the race with a commanding lead over host team, Riptide Multisport, and New England-based Vortex Racing. The championship is determined based on team places at Des Moines, Pittsburgh, and Longmont. Find out more about USAT programs for Youth and Youth Elite. About the Haul to the Great Wall Series Now in its third year, the Haul to the Great Wall Series allows triathletes and spectators to get their first look at who might be competing at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Each race is sanctioned by USAT. The ITU world rankings system is used as part of the qualification process for the Olympic Games. The 2007 series includes five great race destinations with more than $800,000 in prize money up for grabs. After opening at the Honolulu Triathlon in May, the series moved on to Des Moines, Iowa and the Hy-Vee Triathlon on June 17. That race alone featured a prize purse of $700,000, and served as the only ITU World Cup on U.S. soil in 2007. The series continued with the Musselman Triathlon in Geneva, N.Y. on July 14.The San Francisco Triathlon at Treasure Island (Series Championship) will wrap up the series on November 10. The overall series men's and women's champions will each receive $6,000. Athletes must compete in a minimum of three events to be eligible for the overall series title. If athletes compete in more than three events, the top-three results will be included in the points total. Swimwear and sports apparel giant Speedo is also providing $5,000 in bonus money for each race on the five-city tour. American men and women who finish in the top-three in their respective races are eligible for the bonuses, with $1,500 going to the top finisher, $750 to second, and $250 to third. In addition to the individual race bonus pool, Speedo is providing a $15,000 end-of-the-season bonus to be split if U.S. athletes finish first or second in the series. First place will receive $5,000 and second place will take home $2,500 in both the men's and women's categories. Find out more about the Haul to the Great Wall and see current standings. About USA Triathlon USA Triathlon is the national governing body for triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon and winter triathlon in the United States. USAT sanctions 2,000 races and connects with more than 95,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. Website: USATriathlon.org. Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest