April 2011 - Spokes Magazine

Triathlete Doug Landau (right) was among 2,000 triathletes at Multisport World Expo in Bethesda March 27.
trispokes continued from p.18
a top local sprint distance race for triathletes – and
would-be triathletes – of both sexes. As of SPOKES’
mid-March deadline, slots remain open for that event.
The inaugural event last year also attracted 2,000 registrants.
The new event this year is the TriColumbia Kidz
Triathlon, scheduled for June 24, open to youths
aged seven to 14 years old. Starting at the Clemens
Crossing Pool in Hickory Ridge Village in Columbia
and organized around Clemens Crossing Elementary
School, the event offers four varying distances for kids
to race. The TriColumbia Kidz Triathlon, is partnering
with similar events in Frederick, Nottingham and
Annapolis, part of a mini youth triathlon series, said
Linda Congedo, communications director with the
Columbia Triathlon.
“It’s a first of its kind of event locally and the idea is
to engage youth in a healthy lifestyle in the state, and
hopefully get kids to compete in more than one event
and become eligible for prizes,” Congedo said. “The
priority is on fun and safety, with the bulk of donations
raised through the event going to the Joanna
Nicolay Melanoma Foundation.”
ChesapeakeMan Ultra Distance Triathlon
Swim 2.4mi • Bike 112mi • Run 26.2mi
ChesapeakeMan AquaVelo
Swim 2.4mi • Bike 112mi
Skipjack 75.2 Triathlon
Swim 1.2mi • Bike 64mi • Run 10mi
The Bugeye Sprint
Swim 800yd • Bike 15mi • Run 3.1mi
Aqua Velo & ChesapeakeMan
There’s also other big news this season for the
Columbia Triathlon Association from USA Triathlon,
the sport’s governing body.
The Eagleman half-Ironman event, a 1.2-mile swim,
56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run, a qualifying event for the
2011 Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii
and the 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater,
Fla., has also been named the host of the USAT mid-
Atlantic Aqua Velo Regional Championship for the
first time.
“The aqua velo events are really a growing trend,”
Congedo said. “There’s national rankings now. What
many triathletes like about it is that it doesn’t take the
toll on their knees like running does.”
Congedo also announced that 2010 Ironman world
champion Mirinda Carfrae has committed to race at
Eagleman again this summer. The New Zealand-native
won Eagleman in 2009.
The other major news at the Columbia Triathlon
Association is that the 2011 ChesapeakeMan Ultra
Distance Triathlon has been selected as the USAT
Mid-Atlantic Ultra Distance Regional Championship.
The ChesapeakeMan, was also named one of the
world's “10 Best” 140.6 races by Triathlete magazine.
A full 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-
mile run, without the “Ironman” affiliation, the
ChesapeakeMan, Sept. 24 this year, has become
a tradition for many local triathletes. And
ChesapeakeMan has grown into what’s known as at
the ChesapeakeMan Endurance Festival. Last year, the
Columbia Triathlon Association added the inaugural
Skipjack Triathlon, a 1.2-mile swim, 64-mile bike,
10-mile run event to coincide with ChesapeakeMan,
open again this year.
“It’s really a little gem,” Congedo said of the
Cambridge festival. “Just a great event, in the heart
of the season, with something for everyone. The temperatures
are generally better than for Eagleman,”
Congedo added with laugh.
20 April 2011