"This was a wonderful experience!" Day one of two for athletes taking part in triathlon events in Milwaukee
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- For the second year in a row, this weekend, Milwaukee plays host to the USA Triathlon National Championships! Hundreds have trained for the chance at glory. USA Triathlon officials say: "After the successful 2013 Age Group National Championships, USA Triathlon is excited to head back to the Discovery World/Milwaukee Art Museum venue for what is anticipated to be an even larger race field and better overall national championship weekend."
On Saturday, August 9th -- participants took part in the Olympic-Distance 2014 Age Group National Championships -- involving a 1,500 meter swim, a 40K bike journey and a 10K run.
On Sunday, August 10th, folks will take part in the Sprint Distance 2014 Age Group National Championships -- involving a 750 meter swim, a 20K bike journey and a 5K run.
"It's just a lot of fun! A lot to see!" Kay Means said.
Means son was racing in the Olympic-Distance National Championships on Saturday.
Along Milwaukee's lakefront, an estimated 10,000 spectators took in the action on Saturday -- as the country's top athletes competed.
Means was on hand to support her son, Matthew.
"It's fun to cheer him on," Means said.
Matthew was one of over 1,000 athletes competing on Saturday. They came from all over the country.
Chris Macke scored a personal best in Saturday's competition. He comes to Milwaukee from Columbus, Ohio.
"Fantastic. This was a wonderful experience. First time competing in the National Championship up here," Macke said.
While it may have been his first time in Milwaukee -- this is Milwaukee's second straight year hosting the weekend events.
"There's good roadways here, good waterways, and it's just a nice place for athletes to come swim, bike and run," USA Triathlon Communications Director Lindsay Wyskowski said.
Macke agrees -- saying the urban course didn't disappoint.
"The run course was phenomenal. You're along the water so it's scenic. There was great fan support out there -- plus you do a couple out and back changes so you're seeing fellow competitors come back in and go out," Macke said.
It takes an army of people to put this event together.
"When the event ended last year, we started looking at the event to see what we could do to make it better," Wyskowski said.
One thing they did change was the swim path.
"It was wonderful actually. The water was like glass. It was crystal clear," Macke said.
Athletes who finished in the top 25 for their age group qualified for the ITU World Triathlon Championships being held in Chicago in 2015.
Amateur triathletes Heather Lendway and Steven Mantell bested a field of nearly 3,100 athletes from all 50 states and Washington, D.C., on Saturday in the Olympic-Distance competition.
Lendway (St. Paul, Minn.) successfully defended her title, posting a time of 2 hours, 5 minutes, 7 seconds to top the women's field for the second straight year. With the overall win, Lendway also claimed the female 30-34 age group title.
"I was hoping to . I came in expecting to do well on the swim and the bike, and hoping to do a little better on the run," Lendway said. "I think this is one of the most competitive races I'll do all year."
Mantell (Fort Collins, Colo.) posted the winning time overall for the men, clocking in at 1:50:59 to also claim victory in the male 20-24 age group. He finished second at this event last year and credited his performance to the time he spends training with Every Man Jack and the Colorado State University triathlon teams.
"It's really flattering ," Mantell said. "But it's consistency and hard work throughout the year. I give big thanks to my teammates and coaches who really push me in all our workout sessions and don't let me slack off. It's a big milestone and I'm proud."
The results from Saturday's Olympic-Distance competition are as follows:
Sara McLarty and Jarrod Shoemaker raced their way to the top of the podium on Saturday in the Super Sprint Series competition.
The athletes completed two continuous circuits of the same course, including a 325-meter swim, 4-kilometer bike and 1.5-kilometer run. The top three men's and women's finishers received a share of the prize purse of $4,950.
McLarty (Clermont, Fla.) logged a time of 37 minutes, 51 seconds to earn the win, finishing 40 seconds ahead of Abby Geurink (Hudsonville, Mich.), who took second in 38:31. Zara Guinard (Salt Lake City, Utah) rounded out the podium, finishing third in 40:17.
Shoemaker (Clermont, Fla.) bested the field with a time of 33:19, five seconds ahead of Darr Smith (Atlanta, Ga.) who finished second in 33:24. Alex Libin (Colorado Springs, Colo.) was third in 33:36.
"The crowds were amazing. They planned this out perfectly with nationals and everybody stuck around and lined the entire course -- like 5 deep or 10 deep in places," McLarty said. "The other thing for me was seeing all the future junior girls who are our next generation of pros, and it's fantastic to see them out there doing great."
"It was great because people could hang around after their race or when they dropped of their bikes," Shoemaker said. "It's an absolutely beautiful venue. It was hard; it was fun; it was fast. I don't think I could have asked for anything more."
The results from Saturday's Super Sprint Series competition are as follows:
Women
1. Sara McLarty (Clermont, Fla.), 37:51
2. Abby Geurink (Hudsonville, Mich.), 38:31
3. Zara Guinard (Salt Lake City, Utah), 40:17
4. Samantha Kennedy (East Lansing, Mich.), 40:35
5. Savannah Wayner (Dicky Beach, Queensland), 40:51
6. Phelan Purnell (Pewaukee, Wis.), 41:14
7. Heidi Stimac (Geneva, Ill.), 41:32
8. Victoria Clinton (Elburn, Ill.), 41:44
Men
1. Jarrod Shoemaker (Clermont, Fla.), 33:19
2. Darr Smith (Atlanta, Ga.), 33:24
3. Alex Libin (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 33:36
4. Ben Collins (Chicago, Ill.), 34:01
5. Andrew Starykowicz (Wauconda , Ill.), 34:06
6. Justin Roeder (Fishers, Ind.), 34:29
7. James Thorp (Toledo, Ohio), 34:40
8. Nickolaus Early (Buffalo Grove, Ill.), 34:48
9. Tucker Creger (Shelbyville, Ky.), 34:48
10. Alec Wilimovsky (Malibu, Calif.), 35:01
11. Max Bennett (Parker, Colo.), 35:04
Young up-and-coming triathletes Taylor Knibb and Mike Meehan raced their way to overall titles at the 2014 USA Triathlon Sprint National Championships, held Sunday as the closing event of the USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships.
Competing on a 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike, 5-kilometer run course, Knibb (Washington, D.C.) finished in 1 hour, 2 minutes, 53 seconds, the fastest time for the women's field by nearly two minutes. Knibb, who also won the 15-19 age group, competes at the junior level and was third last weekend at the 2014 USA Triathlon Junior Elite Nationals.
"It was just a lot of fun," Knibb said after her race. "I am very fortunate to be able to race a lot of different races a lot of different places. I didn't really know , because you can control what you can control and who shows up isn't in your control. It was a very competitive field today."
Dani Fischer (Wausau, Wis.), yesterday's second-overall finisher, repeated her performance today with second overall and first in the female 25-29 age group in 1:04:45. Adrienne LeBlanc (Scottsdale, Ariz.) picked up the female 45-49 age group win for third overall with a time of 1:04:59.
Meehan (Allison Park, Pa.), another young athlete from the 20-24 age group, turned in the fastest overall men's time for the day in 58:29. Meehan also completed the weekend double, excelling on Sunday after a tough day on Saturday.
"I heard that all the guys were right in front of me, so I just kept on pushing really hard on the bike," said Meehan, who lists USA Triathlon's Collegiate Nationals and Age Group Nationals as the two most competitive races he's done. "I was very happy with it. This is probably my biggest victory that I've had."
Kevin Denny (Lee's Summit, Mo.) was second overall and the top of the male 25-29 age group with a time of 58:47 after a 10th-place overall finish at Olympic-Distance Nationals on Saturday. Matthew Payne (Columbia Heights, Minn.) earned the male 35-39 age group title en route to third-place overall in 59:31, following a 15th-place overall finish on Saturday.
LeBlanc and Dave Slavinski (M40-44, Point Pleasant, N.J.), who won his age group in 1:01:45, won the Masters division in Sunday's race. In the Grand Masters division, Lorrie Beck (55-59, Williamston, N.J.) earned the honor in a time of 1:14:49, while Michael Orendorff (60-64, Pueblo, Colo.) was recognized on the men's side with a time of 1:08:48
"This is my third national championship in a row and I'm going for my third world title in Edmonton," said Lynda Lubelczyk (Manchester, N.H.), who won the female 65-69 age group title. "For the third time this feels wonderful. Especially since the field was so stacked this year. I have never seen so many people. There were four or five people in our age group that could have given me a run for my money."
"The competition is fierce," said Kirsten Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.), female 30-34 age group champion. "With Worlds spots on the line for next year, that's going to up the ante and you can't find better competition anywhere in the world, I don't think."
"Urban racing is kind of new to me," said male 65-69 champion Mike McDowell (Swartz Creek, Mich.). "Most of my races are in Michigan where you park your car 50 feet from transition. I love the city. There are a lot of great restaurants. The course was great. It's amazing they can put this thing together with so many people and run it as smooth as it is."
The results from Sunday's Spring National Championship competition are as follows:
Overall Female: Taylor Knibb (Washington, D.C.), 1:02:53
CLICK HERE for road closure information as a result of this weekend's triathlon events.
LIVE coverage of Saturday's event, the Olympic-Distance National Championships available by clicking below:
LIVE coverage of Sunday's event, the Sprint National Championships available by clicking below:
CLICK HERE to learn more about Saturday's event: The Olympic-Distance National Championships.
CLICK HERE to learn more about Sunday's event: The Sprint National Championships.
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