Matt Reed Backs Up Olympic Trials Win with Third St. Anthony’s Title
After two runner-up finishes, Sarah Haskins finally wins St. Anthony’s
Posted Apr. 27, 2008
Article Extras
Haskins celebrates her first St. Anthony's title
American stars Matt Reed and Sarah Haskins defeated top international fields to take home $10,000 apiece today at the 25th anniversary St. Anthony’s Triathlon in St. Petersburg.
The men
Emphasizing that his upset win in the Olympic Trials last week at Tuscaloosa was no fluke, Reed outdueled top U.S. rival Andy Potts on the run for third St. Anthony’s victory Sunday in St. Petersburg.
“I’m on a roll,” said Reed, the 33-year-old, 6-foot 5-inch New Zealand native who celebrated his recent American citizenship with a chance to represent the red white and blue in the Olympics. “I’m really happy with how I’m going, but it’s even better that I still see room to improve.”
Reed and Potts, who finished second to Reed at Tuscaloosa, broke out to a minute lead out of the water, added another 50 seconds on chief rival Greg Bennett on the bike.
"I tried hard to drop Andy at the start of the bike,” said Reed. “But all credit to him, he stuck with me and made a great race of it.”
Potts bears down on the bike course
“Just before the end of the bike, Reed made a mini-surge and came into T2 with a six-second lead. “I think I had 50 meters on Andy when I started the run, and put in the hard yards straight away. I fully expected him to show up on my shoulder, but when he didn’t, I got into a good rhythm and put in a 5:02 mile so if he were to catch me he’d have to go really hard. The last couple of miles I thought I had a good gap. But at the last bridge with a mile to go, he’d closed and made me panic a little bit. Thank goodness I had just enough lead to bring it in.”
Reed’s 32:12 closing 10k topped Potts' run by 12 seconds. Thanks to Reed’s and Potts’ big swim-bike breakaway, Greg Bennett’s race-best 31:19 run did not make a dent and the two-time Australian Olympian and 2007 Life Time Fitness series dominator had to settle for third.
“It was fun to go head to head with Andy once again,” said Reed, the 6-foot 5-inch tall giant of elite triathlon who will head to the Richards Bay South Africa World Cup next weekend to test himself against the likes of Olympic medal favorites Javier Gomez and Simon Whitfield.
Reed’s 1:46:34 finish topped Potts by 18 seconds and a fast-closing third place Greg Bennett of Australia by 69 seconds. Reed’s time on was the fourth-fastest mark on the current St. Anthony’s course – just 24 seconds back of his 2007 course record and 20 seconds slower than Rasmus Henning’s 2006 winning time, and four seconds slower than Greg Bennett’s second place finish last year. Reed’s win was his second St. Anthony’s win in a row and third ever, including a 2005 victory at this, one of the great U.S. non-drafting Olympic distance classics.
Reed and Potts enjoy a great day at the races
“I might have had a shot at the course record, but the currents were tough and there was a lot of chop on the swim,” said Reed, whose bike and run times were better than last year but his swim was 46 seconds slower.
Underlining the depth and excellence of St. Anthony's 25th anniversary field, 2005 Life Time Fitness winner, 2006 Ironman 70.3 World Champion and 2007 Ironman World Championship runner-up Craig Alexander of Australia was two minutes back of Bennett in fourth, followed by Richie Cunningham of Australia 5th, former National Collegiate champion Kevin Collington of Florida 6th, Australia's Stephen Hackett 7th, Brazil’s Marcus Ornellas 8th and bike superstar David Thompson of St. Paul Minnesota 9th.
The women
Haskins pedals tough
After two straight second place finishes at St. Anthony’s, Haskins finally stole center stage with wire-to-wire win in 1:59:24 finish that gave her a 70-second margin of victory over fellow U.S. pro Rebeccah Wassner and a definitive 2 minutes 28 seconds margin over the third place finisher, Ironman 70.3 World Champion Mirinda Carfrae of Australia.
“It’s a different style of racing than last week’s ITU draft-legal Olympic Trials,” said Haskins of the non-drafting format at St. Anthony’s. “I just wanted to enjoy the day and have fun. So it was nice to finally get over the hump and stand on top of the podium.”
Haskins’ best-of-the-day 19:39 swim gave her a minute lead on Wassner, 2006 champion Becky Lavelle, and Julie Dibens, and two minutes on long course stares Carfrae and McGlone. Haskins’ fifth-best 1:01:34 bike held even with Wassner, McGlone and Lavelle, while putting a minute on
Haskins never looks back
Carfrae and Dibens. At the final transition, Haskins had a 55 second lead.
Then Haskins’ race-best 35:56 run sealed the deal, outpacing Wassner by 11 seconds, Carfrae by 16 seconds, and McGlone by 26 seconds.
“The water was choppy and my swim time was off from last year,” said Haskins, whose swim was 96 seconds slower than last year and her bike 9 seconds slower, but whose run was 30 seconds quicker for a finish 1 minute 36 seconds slower than her second place time last year.
Haskins’ win gave her a measure of satisfaction after losing a duel with Tuscaloosa winner Julie Ertel for the second U.S. women’s Olympic slot a week ago. After all, Haskins holds a commanding points lead going into the final Olympic Trials qualifier at Des Moines in June.
But Wassner’s runner-up finish ahead of certified stars like Carfrae, McGlone, Lavelle and Julie Dibens must have been even sweeter redemption after the 33-year-old New Yorker’s disappointing 10th place finish at Tuscaloosa.
“Rebeccah had a great performance today,” said Haskins. “This was more like her win at the Philadelphia Triathlon last year.”
Wassner strides to a fast finish
25th Anniversary St. Anthony’s Triathlon
St. Petersburg, Florida
April 27, 2008
S 1.5km/ B 40km/ R 10km
Men
1. Matt Reed (Boulder, CO) 1:46:34 -- $10,000
2. Andy Potts (Colorado Springs, CO) 1:46:52 -- $5,000
3. Greg Bennett (AUS) 1:47:43 -- $4,000
4. Craig Alexander (AUS) 1:49:41 - $3,000
5, Richie Cunningham (AUS) 1:50:39 - $2,000
6. Kevin Collington (Orlando, FL) 1:50:42 - $1,000
7. Stephen Hackett (AUS) 1:50:47 - $750
8. Marcus Ornellas (BRA) 1:51:42 - $600
9. David Thompson (St. Paul, MN) 1:51:50 - $400
10. Paul Ambrose (AUS) 1:53:20 - $250
Women
1. Sarah Haskins (Colorado Springs, CO) 1:59:24 - $10,000
2. Rebeccah Wassner (New York, NY) 2:00:34 - $5,000
3. Mirinda Carfrae (AUS) 2:01:52 - $4,000
4. Samantha McGlone (CAN) 2:02:35 - $3,000
5. Becky Lavelle (Los Gatos, CA) 2:02:54 - $2,000
6. Julie Dibens (GBR) 2:03:04 - $1,000
7. Nina Kraft (GER) 2:03:31 - $750
8. Cynthia Wilson (Gatineau, Quebec, CAN) 2:05:04 - $600
9. Bree Wee (Kailua-Kona, HI) 2:05:18 - $400
10. Alicia Kaye (Maynard, MA) 2:06:11 - $250
Photo Gallery
Article Tools