Race Recap: The Chinook Chase

The Chinook Triathlon Festival took place this past weekend in Sylvan Lake, Alberta, with the new 5150 Pro Chase event drawing in female and male elite athletes of all different specialties to compete for the $10,000 prize purse. The women started first in the choppy waters of Sylvan Lake, with Ironman athlete Lisa Ulrich leading out of the water, followed closely by Sarah MacArthur from Calgary and Canadian multiple ironman champion, Heather Wurtele. On the bike, Wurtele took the lead, with MacArthur remaining in second place and Jenny Fletcher moving up into the third.

Meanwhile the men, having started 12 minutes down, began to chase. American Dan McIntosh led out of the water, followed by Matt Lieto, and a pack of three men including Xterra National Champion Karsten Madsen, multiple Ironman Champion Trevor Wurtele, and Edmonton ITU athlete Douglas Wickware. The men were able to bike through many of the women, and by the end of the 47 km ride Lieto was in third place, four minutes and twenty seconds behind Heather Wurtele, and just under two minutes behind MacArthur. Fletcher came off the bike in fourth place, and Trevor Wurtele rode himself into fifth, four minutes and forty seconds behind his wife.

Onto the flat and fast 10 kilometer run, Heather Wurtele ran away from the field, distancing herself from the Macarthur and Lieto. Trevor Wurtele, running from fifth, began to pick off athletes in front of him, as did Madsen. At the finish, Heather Wurtele crossed the line first, one minute and twenty seconds ahead of her husband, Trevor Wurtele. Sarah MacArthur proved she is able to race with some of Canada’s best athletes, with a third place finish. Matt Lieto finished in fourth overall, and as the second male finisher, and Karsten Madsen finished fifth overall, third male. Jenny Fletcher finished seventh overall, and was the women’s bronze medallist.