Source: USA Triathlon // filed: July 31 2006
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Park City Mossman Triathlon in Bridgeport, Conn., will host the third installment of USA Triathlon's five-city 2006 Haul to the Great Wall Series on Saturday, August 5.
The race, taking place at Seaside Park, is also serving as an ITU Continental Cup event and is the 2006 USAT Youth Elite and Junior Elite National Championships.
The elite start list includes 48 athletes representing four countries. Among the elites are World Cup competitor Sarah Groff (Boulder, Colo.), U23 Elite National Champions Sara McLarty (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Manny Huerta (Miami, Fla.), and 2005 U23 World Champion Jarrod Shoemaker (Sudbury, Mass.), National Team members Tim O'Donnell (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Michael Orton (Reston, Va.), Jasmine Oeinck (Colorado Springs, Colo.), and Jenna Shoemaker (Sudbury, Mass.) are also on the start list, as is 2005 U.S. Collegiate Women's National Champion Justine Whipple (Annapolis, Md.).
Seaside Park is the most spectacular beachside park in Connecticut. It is a perfect venue for a triathlon, with 49 acres of landscaped beachside park with 2.5 miles of coastline, spectacular views of the sound, and newly paved roads.
The swim is a 1.5K course in the Long Island Sound starting and finishing on Seaside Park Beach. Estimated water temperature is 74-75F. The bike route is five loops of five miles each - flat and very fast - in the park area. Therun course is two flat and very scenic loops of 3.1 miles each along the sea.
The course is slightly shorter for both the youth elite and junior elite races. The youth course is a 400m swim, 12.5k bike, and a 2.5k run, while the juniors will race a 750m swim, 19k bike, and 5k run.
Highlighting the junior start list is Steven Duplinsky (Bethesda, Md.), last year's junior male world champion and recent 2006 junior duathlon world champion, and defending female national champion Yasmine White (Arcata, Calif.).
While there are no world championships for youth elite, the Junior Elite National Championship will qualify three femaleand three male athletes for the 2006 ITU Junior World Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland in September.
More information on the Mossman races can be found at http://www.trifitness.net/ParkCity%20ITU.htm
The 2006 Haul to the Great Wall Series kicked off with the Honolulu Triathlon in May and continued with The Beach Tri in Long Beach, Calif., in June. The Boston Triathlon in Boston, Mass. (September 3), and the Westchester Triathlon in Rye, N.Y. (September 17) are still ahead.
The series of intermediate distance triathlons - now in its second year - 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 and also the International Triathlon Union (ITU). The ITU world rankings system is used as part of the qualification process for the Olympic Games.
Each elite race, which allows drafting on the bike, has a prize purse of $20,000. Moreover, the overall series men's and women's champions - whether from the United States or another country - will each receive $10,000.
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.
More information on the 2006 Haul to the Great Wall Series, including series point standings, can be found at http://www.usatriathlon.org/HaulToGreatWall.htm
USA Triathlon is the national governing body for triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon and winter triathlon in the United States. USAT sanctions 1,800 races and connects with more than 60,000 members each year, making it the largest multi-sport organization in the world.
Please visit USA Triathlon's web site at www.usatriathlon.org.