On Sunday, June 17, 2007 elite triathletes from around the world will gather in Des Moines, Iowa to compete in the only BG Triathlon World Cup race in the U.S. in 2007 for the largest prize purse in triathlon history at the inaugural Hy-Vee BG World Cup. The Olympic distance (1.5km Swim, 40km Bike, 10km Run) triathlon will feature an amazing purse prize of $700,000 dollars. The 1st place winners in the men’s and women’s divisions will each leave with a prize of $200,000 dollars and a Hummer H3 vehicle. The stellar international field of athletes will have the who's who of triathlon and will include 16 Americans, 8 women and 8 men. The triathlon is a qualifying event for the 2008 Olympics so athletes from all over the world will be there competing.
American Women: Laura Bennett, Julie Swail, Sarah Haskins, Sara McLarty, Jasmine Oeinck, Margaret Shapiro, Sarah Groff, Joanna Zeiger
American Men: Andy Potts, Hunter Kemper, Matt Reed, Brian Fleischmann, Doug Friman, Joe Umphenour, Jarrod Shoemaker, Mark Fretta
Top Ranking Women: Erin Densham (AUS), Emma Snowsill (AUS), Kirsten Sweetland (CAN), Samantha Warriner (NZL), Michelle Dillon (GBR), Magali Di marco Messmer (SUI)
Top Ranking Men: Javier Gomez (ESP), Filip Ospaly (CZE), Kris Gemmell (NZL), Brad Kahlefeldt (AUS), Simon Whitfield (CAN), Bevan Docherty (NZL), Alexander Brukhankov (RUS), Shane Reed (NZL)
An ITU World Cup race is different than the normal triathlons we are accustomed to in the U.S. since the bike leg format is draft legal. The action is fast and furious all the way to the finish line. The world cup race in Des Moines will feature a 6 lap bike course and a 4 lap run course which will give spectators a great opportunity to see these triathletes in action.
The pro's aren't the only one preparing to race in Iowa on Sunday; the weekend includes many other races on the amateur side. The weekend starts off with the HyVee Kid’s Triathlon on Saturday morning and then the Youth Elite (13-15) / Junior Elite (16-19) Cup races in the afternoon. Sunday morning will feature the amateur Hy-Vee Triathlon Age Group race while the Hy-Vee BG World Cup triathlon is set for Sunday afternoon with the Women scheduled to start first at 1:30 pm while the men's race is scheduled to start at 4:30 pm.
ITU will offer live video coverage via their website of both the men’s and women’s races. Live coverage including live video, audio commentary and timing will begin at 1:15 p.m. Central. Visit the ITU Tricast page for more information (link).
If you are planning on going out and watch the Hy-Vee Triathlon and Hy-Vee BG World Cup races, download the Spectator Map to find out where to park and watch the action. To see the different course maps for all of the events going on this weekend download the Course Maps pdf file.
