U.S. Alters Lineups for Sunday's ITU Team Championships in Des Moines

The rosters have been finalized for the three teams the U.S. will field for Sunday's inaugural ITU 4x Mixed Team World Championships being held in Des Moines, Iowa.

After Saturday's ITU Hy-Vee Triathlon Elite Cup, a few athletes decided to pull out of the relay, forcing USAT Sport Perfomance to go with three teams instead of four and juggle some of the lineups.

The race is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Central Time.

Here's who will be competing in the event for the United States:

Team A
Laura Bennett
Jarrod Shoemaker
Sarah Haskins
Matt Reed

Team B
Mary Beth Ellis
Kevin Collington
Kate Ross
Greg Billington

Team C
Jennifer Howland
Ben Kanute
Jessica Clay
Lukas Verzbikas

The event is bringing together the world’s top triathlon nations as their teams of two women and two men battle it out over the 250m swim, 7k bike, 1.8k run. Each athlete will complete one leg with a transition area set up allowing them to tag their compatriots.

“We are really excited about the Team World Championships and especially being the host country, we want to win,” said USAT Sport Performance Director Scott Schnitzspahn. “The new format of men and women competing together is outstanding. We have great depth and team camaraderie so this is a perfect event for us to do well.”

This exciting action packed modification to the usual ITU triathlon format of an individual 1,500m swim, 40k cycle, 10k run, is highly anticipated by athletes and National Federations alike and coverage will appear on NBC.
 
This new exciting format of racing is aimed at introducing a new generation to the sport with smaller spectator friendly courses, faster, more intense action and more manageable distances for potential participants. The ratio of two women to two men also fits triathlon’s proud history of gender equality with equal prize money and racing opportunities.

With the IOC selections for additional events for the London 2012 Olympiad approaching, this is a great showcase for a possible team event at the Olympic Games.