Olympians Headline USAT Florida Elite Development Race

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Triathlon's future stars will have a chance to compete alongside U.S. Olympians Sarah Haskins and Jarrod Shoemaker in the first USA Triathlon Elite Development Race of 2010, set for Sunday at Lake Louisa State Park in Clermont, Fla.

Development races were designed by USAT to allow athletes ages 16-23 the chance to race with elite triathletes and top amateurs pursuing the Olympic dream. Sunday's race, which will immediately follow the Florida's Great Escape Triathlon, consists of a 750-meter swim, a 20-kilometer bike and a 5-kilometer run.

"This race is an outstanding opportunity for our top amateurs and juniors to compete against some of the best elite triathletes in the world," said Scott Schnitzspahn, USAT's sport performance director. "Development races give a wide-range of athletes valuable draft-legal racing experience that can be a springboard to success on the international stage."  

Members of the U.S. Olympic Team in 2008, Haskins (sixth) and Shoemaker (10th) finished 2009 as the top Americans in the ITU World Championship Series Rankings. In addition to Haskins, ITU-ranked elite women slated to race Sunday include Alicia Kaye, Sara McLarty, Amanda Hahn and Chris Tommerdahl.  

On the men's side, ITU-ranked competitors Brian Fleischmann, Cameron Dye and Mike Orton will join Shoemaker in the field. Thirty-five men are scheduled to race Sunday, while 13 women will toe the starting line.

Sunday's race also will qualify the first three amateur finishers for each gender for their USAT elite licenses, which open the door to ITU Continental Cup events and the road to the 2012 London Olympic Games. Additionally, nearly $5,000 in prize money will be up for grabs.