The 17th Ironman 70.3 Eagleman Preview
Carfrae and Tollakson are set to defend titles on June 10th.
TriColumbia, the Mid-Atlantic’s premier endurance event production company, has announced the reigning 2011 Ironman 70.3 EagleMan Champions, Mirinda Carfrae and T.J. Tollakson, will compete in the 17th annual EnduraFit Ironman 70.3 EagleMan Triathlon. Carfrae and Tollakson will join more than 2,400 endurance athletes in a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run on June 10, 2012 in Cambridge, Md.
Mirinda Carfrae, who has been named 2011 Competitor Endurance LIVE Female Triathlete of the year and 2007 Triathlete Magazine Ironman 70.3 Triathlete of the year, is an Ironman World Champion and record holder (2010), an Ironman 70.3 World Champion and record holder (2007), and has won seventeen Ironman 70.3 events in her career. At the 2011 Ironman 70.3 EagleMan Triathlon, Carfrae was the top female finisher with a time of 4:15.31. To learn more of Carfare’s accomplishments, visit MirindaCarfrae.com.
T.J. Tollakson is an Iowa native with two Ironman 70.3 EagleMan Triathlon Championships under his belt (2011, 2007). In 2011, Tollakson won with a time of 3:54:39. His 2007 victory was his first big win as a professional triathlete. Throughout his career, Tollakson has been a seven-time Top Five Ironman Finisher. To learn more of Tollakson’s accomplishments, visit Tollakson.com.
In addition to the returning champions, Craig “Crowie” Alexander, the reigning 2011 Ironman World Champion, will also compete in this year’s event. Alexander, who has been named one of Inside Triathlon Magazine’s “10 Greatest Male Iron-Distance Triathletes of All Time,” one of Inside Triathlon Magazine’s “15 Greatest Male Triathletes of All Time- Period,” and Competitor Magazine’s “2009 Male Triathlete of the Year,” is a three-time Ironman World Champion (2008, 2009, 2011), two-time Ironman 70.3 World Champion (2006 & 2011) and three-time Australian Long Course Champion (2004, 2006, 2010). From 2004-2010, he landed 27 half Ironman distance overall victories.
Other professional triathletes set to compete in this year’s EnduraFit Ironman 70.3 EagleMan Triathlon include 2012 Ironman New Zealand Champion and 2010 Ironman Canada Champion Meredith Kessler, 2011 Amica Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island Champion David Kahn, 2011 Ironman 70.3 EagleMan runner-up Richie Cunningham, five-time Ironman Amateur Champion Sarah Piampiano and Maryland native Kristin Andrews, 2011 Iron Girl Columbia Triathlon Champion and amateur record holder at the 2010 Ironman Lake Placid.
Age group participants will compete to qualify for the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii (30 slots) on October 13, 2012 and the Ironman 70.3 Championship in Lake Las Vegas (30 slots) on September 9, 2012. In addition, professionals will compete for a $50,000 prize purse.
“The triathlon world will have its eyes on Cambridge, Maryland in June as this year’s EnduraFit Ironman 70.3 EagleMan Triathlon promises to be another exciting event with a stellar field of nearly 2,400 participants,” said Robert Vigorito, President of TriColumbia. “We are thrilled and honored to have some of the greatest athletes in the world competing this year, including Crowie, Mirinda and T.J.”
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.
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 by current president, race director and 6-time Ironman Kona finisher, Robert Vigorito in 1983, the organization makes a difference for participating athletes by providing superior events and memories to last a lifetime, but also gives back to the community by supporting many local and regional charities, which provide a full spectrum of support for citizens in need. In 2011, 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 $500,000 to support their missions.
