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DES MOINES, Iowa (June 17, 2007) -- American triathlete Laura Bennett thrilled the hometown U.S. fans and took home the biggest paycheck in triathlon history by capturing the title at the Hy-Vee Triathlon, the seventh stop of the ITU BG World Cup Series in Des Moines, Iowa on Sunday.
The fourth-career World Cup win for Bennett - the 2006 USA Triathlon Female Triathlete of the Year - was undoubtedly her biggest. To go along with her $200,000 paycheck, she won an H3 Hummer, impressing the more than 10,000 fans who gathered in the stifling Midwest heat.
"I love big races and I love racing the best in the world. To actually win it is unbelievable," said Bennett, whose win qualified her to compete for the U.S. at next month's Pan American Games in Brazil and the ITU World Championship in Hamburg in September. "I didn't really expect it, but you never count yourself out in these races. And today everything fell into place. We had Sarah Haskins and Sara McLarty leading us out of the swim; we had a good pack working together; everything was falling into place and we had a good enough lead so we could cruise out on the run, make our own race. It turned out fantastic."
Bennett (N. Palm Beach, Fla. / Boulder, Colo.) entered the last lap of the run shoulder to shoulder with Canadian Kirsten Sweetland and Australian Anabel Luxford, but was the freshest of the three down the stretch, pulling away over the final 400 meters to coast to the win in 2:04:32. Luxford finished second in 2:04:46, while Sweetland succumbed to the 90- degree heat and did not finish. Brazilian Mariana Ohata made a magnificent charge on the run course, moving up 15 spots to finish in third (2:05:29).
Bennett's teammate Sarah Haskins (St. Louis, Mo. / Colorado Springs, Colo.) grabbed fourth in 2:05:47 and took home $15,000.
Bennett was among group of eight that exited the 1.5k swim and mounted their bikes. She was joined by Haskins, Sweetland, Luxford, Jessica Harrison of France and fellow Americans Julie Swail (Irvine, Calif.), Joanna Zeiger (Boulder, Colo.) and Sara McLarty (Deland, Fla. / Colorado Springs, Colo.). A chase group of Emma Snowsill (Australia), Emma Moffatt (Australia), Joelle Franzmann (Germany), Jill Savege (Canada), and American Sarah Groff was on their heels just 20 seconds back.
By the time the cyclists reached downtown, the lead group had push their advantage to 40 seconds, and that lead was extended each loop of the six lap 40k course. The lead group entered T2 with a 2:30 lead on the chase group. Sweetland, Luxford, and Bennett took control early in the 10k run, with Harrison, Haskins, Zeiger, and McLarty falling behind quickly in the searing heat.
The heat also had its toll on three-time World Champion and pre-race favorite Snowsill who maneuvered through the downtown streets struggling to keep pace with the women in front of her.
Luxford, Bennett, and Sweetland were still together midway through the last lap, but Sweetland pulled out of the race and the 32-year-old Bennett made her move to pull away from the young Australian.
Just 26 of the 44 athletes finished the race and more than a dozen were carried to the medical tent after crossing the finish.
2007 Des Moines BG Triathlon World Cup - Final Women's Results:
1st - Laura Bennett (Boulder, CO) 2:04:32
2nd - Ananbel Luxford (AUS) 2:04:46
3rd - Mariana Ohata (BRA) 2:05:29
4th - Sarah Haskins (Colorado Springs, CO) 2:05:47
5th - Andrea Whitcombe (GBR) 2:05:51
6th - Jessica Harrison (FRA) 2:05:55
7th - Kiyomi Niwata (JPN) 2:06:13
8th - Emma Moffatt (AUS) 2:06:26
9th - Debbie Tanner (NZL) 2:06:48
10th - Michelle Dillon (GBR) 2:07:22
Other Americans
14th - Julie Swail (Irvine, CA) 2:08:26
17th - Sara McLarty (Colorado Springs, CO) 2:09:59
22nd - Margaret Shapiro (Annandale, VA) 2:12:35
DNF - Joanna Zeiger (Boulder, CO)
DNF - Jasmine Oeinck (Littleton, CO)
DNF - Sarah Groff (Cooperstown, NY)
In the men's race, Jarrod Shoemaker (Sudbury, Mass.) was the top American, finishing eighth after a strong run leg that moved him up 24 spots among the 53 competitors. Shoemaker, who earns his second World Cup top-10 finish of the year, completed the course in 1:51:42 and takes home $7,000.
Shoemaker also secured his place at the Pan Ams Games and World Championship this summer.
"I really didn't feel that good on the run. I really tried to get my legs under me and tried to slowly pick things up," said Shoemaker, the 2005 U23 World Champion. "I knew those guys in first and second were really out of my reach. I was really hoping for a top five, but, hey, eighth place isn't too bad.
"I'm just so glad that Des Moines and Hy-Vee put this event on. It is so unbelievable to be here. My mom's here, my agent's here, my coach is here, my brother raced yesterday. It's awesome to be at home in the U.S."
Denmark's Rasmus Henning captured the win in a time of 1:50:03, with Bevan Docherty of New Zealand (1:50:33) and Spain's Javier Gomez (1:50:46) finished in second and third, respectively.
Doug Friman (Tucson, Ariz.) finished 12th, while Hunter Kemper (Longwood, Fla. / Colorado Springs, Colo.) finished 17th.
This race was close early as American Andy Potts (Princeton, N.J. / Colorado Springs, Colo.) led the athletes out of the 1.5k swim. And a large group joined Potts out onto the bike course for the six lap trek around downtown Des Moines.
The lead group included fellow Americans Matt Reed (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Brian Fleischmann (Jacksonville, Fla. / Colorado Springs, Colo.), Joe Umphenour (Bellevue, Wash. / Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Kemper, and internationals Simon Whitfield (Canada), Henning, Kris Gemmell (New Zealand), Brad Kahlefeldt (Australia), and a slew of others.
The bike soon became a massive pack as a large chase group caught the leaders after the first lap of 40k course and a group of more than 30 rounded the course together. Several athletes attempted to break away, with Reed making the most successful attempt, pulling ahead by several seconds. He slowed his pace at the start of the final lap and was joined by a smaller group that entered T2 and headed out on the run. That group included Henning, Whitfield, Canadian Brent McMahon, and Englishmen Paul Amey, Andrew Johns and Stuart Hayes. The main chase group - with Americans Kemper, Fleischmann, Umphenour, and Friman entered the second transition a minute behind the leaders.
Reed fell behind Henning and Whitfield after the first lap of the four lap 10k run course, while Shoemaker continued to climb through the ranks after two loops, along with current world No. 1 Gomez, Docherty, Tim Donn of Great Britain, and Australian Greg Bennett.. Shoemaker moved to ninth starting the final lap and looked strong as he moved further up the pack.
For two-time Olympian Kemper, it was his first race of the year as he has struggled with an injury since late last year. "It was a difficult race. It was hard racing right from the start. I had a pretty good swim and worked really hard on the bike and then just didn't get in the right break," said Kemper, the World No. 1 in 2005. "I was in front on most of the bike ride but just wasn't in the right place at the right time and missed the break going out and I struggled on the run. It was a tough day, a really hard day. But, you know, I'm just really glad to be back racing again. Coming off an injury it's difficult. I'm just glad I finished."
2007 Des Moines BG Triathlon World Cup - Final Men's Results:
1st - Rasmus. Henning (DEN) 1:50:03
2nd - Bevan Docherty (NZL) 1:50:33
3rd - Javier Gomez (ESP) 1:50:46
4th - Tim Don (GBR) 1:50:57
5th - Greg Bennett (AUS) 1:51:02
6th - Simon Whitfield (CAN) 1:51:08
7th - Daniil Sapunov (KAZ) 1:51:24
8th - Jarrod Shoemaker (Sudbury, Mass.) 1:51:42
9th - Andriy. Glushchenko (UKR) 1:51:44
10th - Ivan Rana (ESP) 1:51:50
Other Americans
12th - Doug Friman (Tucson, AZ) 1:52:18
17th - Hunter Kemper (Longwood, FL) 1:52:41
20th - Andy Potts (Colorado Springs, CO) 1:53:33
21st - Joe Umphenour (Bellevue, WA) 1:53:36
22nd - Brian Fleischmann (Jacksonville, FL) 1:53:56
23rd - Matthew Reed (Colorado Springs, CO) 1:54:15
DNF - Mark Fretta (Portland, OR)
The Des Moines BG Triathlon World Cup is part of the ITU's series of Olympic qualifiers and is a huge opportunity for athletes to gain ground in the race to make the cut for Beijing. The Olympic fields are extremely competitive with men's and women's fields capped at 55 with a maximum of three per National Federation. Olympic qualifying continues through the 2007 season including the World Championships in Hamburg, Germany on September 1-2.
For full results, schedule, race reports, athlete quotes and high-resolution images, visit the ITU's Online Media Centre.
Up next:
On June 24, the 2007 BG Triathlon World Cup series travels north to Edmonton, Canada for the last time. Americans expected in the field include Shoemaker, Reed, Zeiger, and Bennett.
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