U.S. Elites, Age Groupers Headed to ITU Long Distance Worlds

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Defending world champion Timothy O’Donnell is among the seven elite athletes and more than 50 age-group standouts slated to represent Team USA Sunday at the 2010 ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships in Immenstadt, Germany.

The event consists of a 4-kilometer swim, a 130-kilometer bike and a 30-kilometer run. With a race location in the rugged Allgäu Alps, the cycling course from Immenstadt to Oberstaufen and back features inclines of up to 18 percent and more than 2,000 meters of vertical gain. Visit the event Web site for more information.

O’Donnell (Boulder, Colo.) captured last year’s title in Perth, Australia, in 3 hours, 48 minutes and 15 seconds. He won the 2010 Ironman 70.3 U.S. Pro Championship on April 25 and will be joined in the elite field Sunday by Justin Hurd (Boulder, Colo.), Adam Jensen (Seattle, Wash.) and Joe Umphenour (Colorado Springs, Colo.) on the men’s side. Haley Cooper (Spokane, Wash.), Lisa Ribes (Tucson, Ariz.) and Rachel Sears (Richmond, Calif.) are slated to race for the U.S. women.

Age groupers qualified for Sunday’s event at the 2009 USA Triathlon Long Course Triathlon Halfmax National Championship in Oklahoma City last Sept. 19. A trio of 2009 U.S. long course national champions are slated to be in action, including Adrienne Greenough (Durham, N.C.), who captured the women’s 20-24 title, and Danielle Rosman (St. Louis, Mo.), who won the women’s 25-29 crown last fall. Ribes was the women’s 30-34 winner in 2009 before making the jump to elite racing.

Also scheduled to race Sunday are Holger Beckmann (Redondo Beach, Calif.), who was third in the men’s 40-44 age group at the 2009 ITU Long Distance World Championships, and Barbara Kostner (Lakewood, Colo.), who was the women’s 60-64 world champion a year ago.

United States Women’s Elite Start List
Haley Cooper (Spokane, Wash.)
Lisa Ribes (Tucson, Ariz.)
Rachel Sears (Richmond, Calif.)

United States Men’s Elite Start List
Justin Hurd (Boulder, Colo.)
Adam Jensen (Seattle, Wash.)
Tim O’Donnell (Boulder, Colo.)
Joe Umphenour (Colorado Springs, Colo.)

United States Age Group Start List
Steven Ahrendt, 49, Wexford, Pa.
Grant Anderson, 47, Houston, Texas
William Ankele Jr., 55, Centennial, Colo.
Katie Arnold, 26, Columbus, Ohio
Holly Ball, 44, Town and Country, Mo.
Vicki Bate, 52, Frederick, Md.
Holger Beckmann, 45, Redondo Beach, Calif.
Spencer Bowen, 63, Jones, Okla.
Debra Brosnihan, 38, Arlington, Va.
Clarence Butz, 50, Berkeley, Calif.
Brett Carey, 44, Lawrence, Kan.
Betty Cox, 44, Manchester, N.H.
Tim Doescher, 41, Huntsville, Ala.
Shane Eversfield, 53, Lake Placid, N.Y.
Carter Fairless, 54, Sand Springs, Okla.
Gary Ford, 54, Encinitas, Calif.
Michael Gray, 42, Del Mar, Calif.
Adrienne Greenough, 24, Durham, N.C.
Maura Guthrie, 48, Dallas, Texas
Ashley Halsey, 58, Annapolis, Md.
Peter Harvey, 55, Piedmont, Calif.
Jonathan Hook, 40, Houston, Texas
Bill Horn, 57, Boerne, Texas
Lowell Jones, 60, Big Pine, Calif.
Kimberly Kanaday, 51, Erie, Colo.
Douglas Kopp, 61, Baton Rouge, La.
Barbara Kostner, 62, Lakewood, Colo.
Marc Malott, 24, Baltimore, Md.
Marisela Martinez, 29, Doral, Fla.
James McClendon, 51, Bella Vista, Ark.
Steve Meininger, 41, Clarksville, Md.
Casey Meyers, 31, Dallas, Texas
George Myers, 39, El Dorado, Kan.
Merry Nelson, 53, Houston, Texas
Melissa Olivas, 39, Henderson, Nev.
Ken Osmun, 42, Naperville, Ill.
Kristin Overton, 38, Middletown, Conn.
Tammy Powell, 43, Cochranton, Pa.
Shelley Probber, 53, San Antonio, Texas
Josh Rayner, 35, Houston, Texas
John Reiker, 25, Saint Charles, Ill.
Ryan Rice, 29, Las Vegas, Nev.
Beverly Richardson, 35, Faber, Va.
Mark Robbins, 49, Charlottesville, Va.
Brian Rodenbeck, 35, St. Louis, Mo.
Cheryl Rosentreter, 50, Geneva, Ill.
Daniele Rosman, 30, St. Louis, Mo.
Mike Sawa, 60, Greenwood, Ind.
Jeff Skinner, 56, Memphis, Tenn.
DeeAnn Smith, 41, Oceanside, Calif.
Elaine Smith, 43, Plano, Texas
Norm Smith, 38, Oceanside, Calif.
David Townsend, 49, Longview, Texas
Marion Webb, 44, San Diego, Calif.
John Weber, 72, New York, N.Y.
Douglas Woods, 41, Gaitherburg, Md.
David Young, 61, Plano, Texas
Marlene Zuhl, 47, Phoenix, Ariz.

About USA Triathlon
USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon – one of the fastest growing sports in the world – as well as duathlon, aquathlon and winter triathlon in the United States. USAT sanctions 3,100 races and connects with more than 133,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work with athletes, coaches, and race directors on the grassroots level, USAT provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including World Championships, Pan American Games and the Summer Olympic Games.