Excitement Building for the Subaru Sooke Triathlon “Chase”Largest Pro Field Ever Assembled on Vancouver Island
The beautiful west coast community of Sooke is quickly placing itself on the triathlon world map. The event this Sunday will draw the largest Pro field ever assembled on Vancouver Island; with 40 Pro triathletes competing in “The Chase”. The Women’s Pro field will have a predetermined head-start time on the Men who will battle to track down the women, while the women fight to keep the lead and cross the finish line first for $15 000 in cash & prizes. The “Chase”, a non-drafting Olympic distance event where the cyclists must stay separated by at least 10 meters, has drawn a wide range of different triathlon specialists – from Junior Champions who traditionally race over the shorter sprint distance to Ironman athletes accustomed to racing a much longer event.
The race will be produced into a one hour feature and aired nationally on TSN and TSN 2 networks this September. The production will showcase the beauty that Sooke offers, including a new closed bike course up the scenic Pacific Marine Circle Route with its unique coastal communities and ocean views.
Racing on the Women’s side, is Ironman 70.3 US Champion, Amanda Stevens of Colorado Springs. Stevens will be challenged by Tenille Hoogland (Courtenay BC), who is coming off an Ironman 70.3 win in Calgary last weekend where she narrowly beat Sara Gross of Victoria by 6 seconds, Sara is also competing. Chasing on the Men’s side will be Olympian and Pan American Silver medalist, Brent McMahon (Victoria), Penticton’s Jeff Symonds (2010 Subaru Vancouver Champion) and Chris Boudreaux of Portland OR (2008 Subaru Sooke Champion).
“This is the biggest group of pros we have seen racing on Vancouver Island since the 2001 Nike International Triathlon at Elk Lake” said Olympic Gold Medal Coach Lance Watson, “This format is a really exciting way to have athletes of all different distance specialties come together in one race – it could be a battle of 4 or 5 men and women all sprinting for the finish”
The race will also feature an amateur field of 500 athletes arriving from 4 countries including Germany and Mexico; 5 provinces and 13 US states (with Hawaii, Texas and Idaho represented). Also featured is 2010 Vancouver Ski-Cross Gold Medalist Ashleigh McIvor who will participate as she continues her rehab after a devastating crash at the X Games where she tore her ACL.
The Subaru Sooke Triathlon will also include a brand new two day Sport and Lifestyle expo taking place on August 5th and 6th at the Prestige Oceanfront Resort and Conference centre. The expo is open to the public and will include the Danone Kids Fun Zone.
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