Triathlon: American Pros Win Silver, Brone Medals at ITU Cross World Championships 2011
American athletes took three of the six elite podium spots up for grabs for professional athletes April 29th at the first-ever ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships.
In a race featuring some of the top off-road and XTERRA series athletes in the world, Americans Shonny Vanlandingham (Durango, Colo.) and Emma Garrard (Park City, Utah) placed second and third, respectively, in the women's race behind Canadian winner Melanie McQuaid.
For the men, Seth Wealing (Boulder, Colo.) claimed silver behind South Africa's Conrad Stoltz. Switzerland's Olivier Marceau finished third.
Vanlandingham, the reigning XTERRA world champion, posted a time of 1:43:25 on the 1k swim, 20k mountain bike and 6k cross country run course, using the fastest bike split and second-fastest run split to pass most of the field, including U.S. teammate Garrard, who finished in 1:43:43 in her second ITU World Championship of 2011. Garrard finished seventh in the ITU Winter World Championship in March. McQuaid's winning time was 1:43:02.
Stoltz pulled away from Wealing and the rest of the men's field with the day's fastest bike split - 3:40 faster than Wealing, who had the second-fastest run of the day. Stoltz finished in 1:26:40, Wealing in 1:27:36 and Marceau in 1:29:43.
Extremadura ITU Cross Triathlon World Championship Results: 1k swim, 20k mountain bike, 6k cross country run.
Elite/Professional Women
Gold - Melanie McQuaid (CAN) 1:43:02
Silver - Shonny Vanlandingham (Durango, Colo.) 1:43:25
Bronze - Emma Garrard (Park City, Utah) 1:43:43
Other American finishers
13. Suzanne Snyder (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1:52:00
17. Sara Tarkington (Boulder, Colo.) 1:56:01
Elite/Professional Men
Gold - Conrad Stoltz (RSA) 1:26:40
Silver - Seth Wealing (Boulder, Colo.) 1:27:36
Bronze - Olivier Marceau (SUI) 1:29:43
Other American finishers
4. Josiah Middaugh (Vail, Colo.) 1:30:27
8. Branden Rakita (Colorado Springs, Colo.) 1:32:13
10. Craig Evans (Hendersonville, Tenn.) 1:34:37
13. Brian Smith (Gunnison, Colo.) 1:36:06
15. Cody Waite (Lakewood, Colo.) 1:36:57
Follow Technorati