RYE, N.Y. - The second annual USA Triathlon Haul to the Great Wall Series wrapped up in impressive fashion at the ITU Westchester Pan American Cup Triathlon in Rye, N.Y., on Sunday, with Jarrod Shoemaker and Sarah Haskins winning both the races and the series championships in the process.

Shoemaker (Sudbury, Mass.) came into the Westchester race tied with Manny Huerta (Colorado Springs, Colo.) for the overall series lead, but grabbed his second win of the four races to claim the title. Huerta, the USAT U23 National Champion, finished eighth at Westchester and second in the series.

Haskins (Colorado Springs, Colo.), the 2006 USAT Elite National Champion, was in third place following the first three events, but had a strong race at Westchester to get her second win of the series and grab the overall title. Sara McLarty (Colorado Springs, Colo.), who came into the race atop the points standings, faced mechanical problems on the bike and finished 12th at Westchester and second in the series.

As the series winners, Shoemaker and Haskins each took home a cash prize of $5,000 and a $5,000 bonus from Speedo for being the top Americans. Huerta and McLarty each received $2,500 series bonuses from Speedo for their second-place finishes.

The Race
The Westchester Event took place under sunny skies and featured a participant list of 48 male and 21 female elites.

Shoemaker and Huerta were among a strong lead pack of 20 that came out of the water and transitioned onto the bike. Throughout the 40k loop, several athletes, including Matt Reed (Boulder, Colo.) and David Thompson (St. Paul, Minn.) attempted to pull away from the pack, but were reeled in each time. Out onto the run, Shoemaker was joined by Derek Kite (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Doug Friman (Tucson, Ariz.), and Reed. But Shoemaker proved to be too strong and pulled away down the stretch to take the win in 1:44:05. Kite had a great race to finish second in 1:44:21, with Friman in third with a time of 1:44:55.

Jarden Westchester Triathlon
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Men's Results

1 Shoemaker Jarrod Sudbury, Mass. USA 01:44:05
2 Kite Derek Colorado Springs, Colo. USA 01:44:21
3 Friman Doug Tucson, Ariz. USA 01:44:55
4 Reed Matthew Boulder, Colo. USA 01:45:16
5 Cunningham Richie Gold Coast, Australia AUS 01:45:27
6 Fleischmann Brian Colorado Springs, Colo. USA 01:45:37
7 Thompson David St. Paul, Minn. USA 01:45:49
8 Huerta Manuel Colorado Springs, Colo. USA 01:46:08
9 Tache David James Montreal, Quebec, Canada CAN 01:46:15
10 Marsh Brandon Austin, Texas USA 01:46:30

Complete men's results can be found at http://www.triathlon.org/zpg/zresults-evt-dtl.php?call=TVRrdw==&keep=sh&id=ODEx&rsid=642

For the women, it was McLarty who used her typical strong swim to lead the first pack out onto the bike. She was joined by Haskins, Rebeccah Wassner (New York, N.Y.), and Sarah Groff (Boulder, Colo.), but her chance at a race and series win came to a halt with a kinked chain. That dropped the 2006 USAT U23 National Champion several minutes back and out of the top 10. The lead group of three continued to stay together through T2 and out onto the run, where Haskins pulled away for the win in 1:55:53. Wassner grabbed second in 1:56:17, with Groff in third with a time of 1:58:49.

Jarden Westchester Triathlon
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Women's Results

1 Haskins Sarah Colorado Springs, Colo. USA 01:55:53
2 Wassner Rebeccah New York, N.Y. USA 01:56:17
3 Groff Sarah Boulder, Colo. USA 01:58:49
4 Shapiro Margaret Annandale, Va. USA 01:59:18
5 Oeinck Jasmine Colorado Springs, Colo. USA 01:59:21
6 Warner Annie Nine Mile Falls, Wash. USA 02:00:21
7 Kaye Alicia Pickering, Ontario, Canada CAN 02:00:28
8 Ellis Mary Beth Boulder, Colo. USA 02:01:22
9 Meade Lesley Chicago, Ill. USA 02:01:38
10 Marsh Amy Austin, Texas USA 02:02:18

Complete women's results can be found at http://www.triathlon.org/zpg/zresults-evt-dtl.php?call=TVRrdw==&keep=sh&id=ODEx&rsid=643

A prize purse of $30,000 was awarded 10 deep for both races. And as they have done for each race of the series, Speedo provided $5,000 in bonus money for the top-three Americans in both the men's and women's races, with $1,500 going to the top finisher, $750 to second, and $250 to third.

Westchester Prize Purse Breakdown ($30,000):
1st $3,750
2nd $3,000
3rd $2,250
4th $1,500
5th $1,200
6th $1,050
7th $900
8th $600
9th $450
10th $300

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, and the Mossman Park City Triathlon in Connecticut in August. The fourth event - The Boston Triathlon - was cancelled due to inclement weather.

The series of intermediate distance triathlons 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.

The 2005 Series winners were Hunter Kemper and Julie Swail. Shoemaker finished second in 2005, while Haskins finished third.

More information on the 2006 Haul to the Great Wall Series, including final 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 70,000 members each year, making it the largest multi-sport organization in the world.

Please visit USA Triathlon's web site at www.usatriathlon.org.