Previewing the 17th Ironman 70.3 Eagleman

TriColumbia, the Mid-Atlantic’s premier endurance event production company, will celebrate the 17th annual EnduraFit Ironman 70.3 EagleMan Triathlon on Sunday, June 9, 2013. More than 50 world-class professional triathletes, including defending 2012 Champion Meredith Kessler, 2010 Ironman World Champion and two-time EagleMan Champion (2011, 2009) Mirinda Carfrae, and two-time Ironman Champion Andy Potts are set to compete alongside more than 2,400 participants in a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run at Great Marsh Park on Maryland’s scenic eastern shore in Cambridge, Md.

The EnduraFit Ironman 70.3 EagleMan Triathlon is the largest Ironman 70.3 event in the Mid-Atlantic region, and one of the most popular Ironman 70.3 triathlons in the country. The conditions of the course are both demanding and challenging; heat, winds, choppy waters and little shade, making it uniquely similar to the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. Age group participants will compete to qualify for the Ironman World Championship (30 slots) on October 12, 2013 and the Ironman 70.3 Championship in Lake Las Vegas (40 slots) on September 8, 2013, making the EnduraFit Ironman 70.3 EagleMan Triathlon the only 70.3 qualifying event in the continental United States for the Ironman World Championship in 2013.

“The 17th annual EnduraFit Ironman 70.3 EagleMan Triathlon promises to be another competitive, world-class event, packed full of a stellar field of pros from around the world and loads of excitement,” said Kari Ebeling, Chief Operating Officer at TriColumbia. “We welcome back those who have competed with us in years past at this signature event, and welcome new competitors who will participate in their first EagleMan on June 9. Great Marsh Park in Cambridge is a beautiful and scenic venue for this race, and we wish all of our athletes the best of luck this year!”

More than 50 professional triathletes representing eight countries will compete for a $50,000 prize purse. Favorites competing include:

• Andy Potts: 2012 Ironman World Championship top U.S. finisher, 2012 Ironman Lake Placid Champion and five-time Champion: Escape From Alcatraz and 70.3 Oceanside.
• Greg Bennett: Bennett has won six World Cup titles and is a two-time World #1 Triathlete (2002, 2003). Bennett competed at the second Olympic triathlon at the 2004 Summer Olympics, where he placed fourth with a total time of 1:51:41.58. Bennett also won the Life Time series for three consecutive years (2006, 2007, 2008). It was in 2007 that Bennett won the world’s richest triathlon prize purse, by winning all five of the Life Time Fitness Grand Slam series events.
• James Cunnama: From Stellenbosch, South Africa, Cunnama is a member of Team TBB-Tri-Cozumel. In 2012, he won Challenge Roth with a finish time of 7:59:59, and took podium finishes at Rev3 Quassy and Wildflower Long Course. Throughout 2011 and 2012, Cunnama racked up 14 podium finishes, including wins at Rev3 Quassy, Ironman Florida, 70.3 Texas, Rev3 Cedar Point, and Alpe D’Huez Triathlon, France.
• Viktor Zyemtsev: From Avdeevka, Ukraine, Zyemtsev is a 10-time Ironman Champion, and an ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Champion (2005). He will make his fourth appearance at EagleMan this year.
• Meredith Kessler: The reigning EnduraFit Ironman 70.3 EagleMan Champion, Kessler is a five-time Ironman Champion. She has a career total 49 Ironman finishes, 29 as an amateur. In 2013, Kessler has already achieved victories at Ironman New Zealand, U.S. Pro Championships 70.3 St. George, and third place at Asia-Pacific Championships 70.3 Auckland.
• Mirinda Carfrae: Ironman World Champion and 70.3 World Champion, two-time EagleMan Champion, multiple 70.3 Champion, and podium finisher in all four of her Ironman World Championship appearances.
• Laura Bennett: Bennett has competed on the ITU racing circuit since 1998. She earned a silver medal at the World Triathlon Championships in 2003 and bronze medals in 2004, 2005 and 2007. Bennett has competed in two Summer Olympic Games, the 2008 Beijing Olympics , finishing fourth, and the 2012 London Olympics, finishing 17th. Bennett made her Half Ironman debut in 2009 by winning 70.3 Augusta, qualifying for the 70.3 World Championships, where she finished fifth.
• Angela Naeth: From Canada, Naeth is in her fifth year as a professional triathlete. She has amassed multiple victories and podium finishes at the 70.3 and Olympic distances. Career highlights include victories at Ironman 70.3 Syracuse, 70.3 St. Croix, Ironman 70.3 Panama, Leadman 125 Las Vegas (2012), Ironman 70.3 Boulder and Leadman Epic 250 (2011). (www.angelanaeth.com).
• Anna Cleaver: Cleaver is a fourth year professional from New Zealand. She has one of the most lethal swim strengths in triathlon, with 10 races leading out of the water. With a corporate finance background in mergers and acquisitions, Anna balances her corporate career with her elite professional triathlete one. In 2010, she was the Port Macquaire Ironman 70.3 Champion and has earned multiple podium finishes at the Half Ironman and Olympic distances.
• Mary Beth Ellis: Born in Washington D.C. and raised in Rehoboth, Delaware, Ellis holds the record for fastest debut Ironman and fastest Ironman by an American woman, set at Ironman Austria in 2011 where she finished in 8:43:34. Ellis finished fifth in the world at the Ironman World Championships in 2012, and took second place at both the 2008 and 2009 Ironman 70.3 World Championships. She has been named USA Triathlon’s Non-Olympic/ITU Female Athlete of the Year for both 2011 and 2012. Ellis has earned victories (six) at all Ironman distance races she has competed in outside of the Kona World Championships, between 2011 and 2012.

Also competing in this year’s deep and talented professional field: James Bowstead (New Zealand), David Kahn (USA), Mark Bowstead (New Zealand), Kyle Pawlaczyk (USA), Jack Smith (USA), James LaMastra (USA), Logan Franks (USA), Sean Sullivan (USA), Grant Bovee (USA), Jordan Jones (USA), Justin Park (USA), Kevin Danahy (USA), Ryan Bates (USA), Ryan Kelly (USA), Jason Watson (USA), Igor Amorelli (Brazil), Thiago Vinhal (Brazil), Nathan Buttrick (USA), Chris Boudreaux (USA), Kristin Andrews (USA), Sarah Piampiano (USA), Amber Ferreira (USA), Heather Leiggi (USA), Suzy Serpico (USA), Florence Chretien (USA), Carrie Lester (AUS), Annie Gervais (CAN), Tenille Hoogland (CAN), Beth Shutt (USA), Ashley Clifford (USA), Lauren Capone (USA), Jenna Parker (USA), Liz Baugher (USA), Michelle Mighdoll (USA), Robin Sandos (USA), Kendra Lee (USA), and Mariana de Andrade (Brazil)

For more information on the 2013 EnduraFit Ironman 70.3 EagleMan Triathlon, visit www.TriColumbia.org.

About TriColumbia

TriColumbia is a 501 (C)(3) nonprofit and the Mid-Atlantic’s premier endurance event production company providing an array of events for all ability levels across the triathlon/multisport continuum. Founded in 1983, the organization makes a difference for participating athletes by not only providing superior events and memories to last a lifetime, but also by giving back to the community by supporting many local and regional charities which provide a full spectrum of support for citizens in need. In 2012, TriColumbia contributed nearly $200,000 in direct donations to dozens of local and regional charities and community organizations, and enabled dozens of charity teams to fundraise in excess of $425,000 to support their missions.