Olympians and World Champions to Compete at St. Anthony's Triathlon
Online Registration Set to Close Soon
St. Petersburg, FL (April 18, 2014) – The St. Anthony’s Triathlon will host approximately 50 professional stars of the sport when the race begins Sunday morning, April 27. Both male and female winners of the 2013 Triathlon, Jan Frodeno of Germany, and Alicia Kaye of the United States, will be on hand to defend their titles and compete for a portion of the $65,000 prize purse.As the pro field gears up, there is still time to register for the race, but act fast. Online registration, at www.SATriathlon.com, will close April 21. Those who still want to enter any of the three races during the Triathlon weekend – the Meek & Mighty Triathlon on April 26; and the Olympic distance and Sprint Triathlon on April 27 – will need to call (727) 825-1521 to register.
Frodeno and Kaye will be challenged by a strong professional field that includes world champions, past winners and Olympians who are coming from around the world and from around Tampa Bay. The professional field represents a variety of distances from the sport including Ironman and 70.3 racing, to the non-drafting Olympics distance and the ITU.
Frodeno has been busy since winning the St. Anthony’s Triathlon last year. He has already won two 70.3 races this year in Oceanside, Calif., and Auckland, New Zealand. Among those who will be challenging him are Cameron Dye, a winner at the St. Anthony’s Triathlon in 2010, who won the Life Time Tri South Beach in Miami earlier this month; Tim O’Donnell, who finished fifth and was the top American in the 2013 Ironman World Championship race and first at 2013 Boulder Peak Triathlon; Hunter Kemper, a four-time Olympian who finished third at last year’s St. Anthony’s Triathlon; Matt Reed, the winner of the 2012 Ironman Boise and a two-time St. Anthony’s Triathlon champion; and Greg Bennett, a world champion and Olympian who finished second to Dye at the Life Time Tri South Beach in Miami earlier this month.
Kaye was a winner at the Life Time Tri Tempe in 2013 and finished third at the recent Life Time Tri South Beach. She will be challenged by four-time St. Anthony’s women’s champion Sarah Haskins, who is back after maternity leave and has won all three races she has entered in 2014; Mirinda Carfrae, the current Ironman World Champion Kona and a top 10 finisher in 2013 at the St. Anthony’s Triathlon; and Laura Bennett, world champion and Olympian who finished 11th at last year’s St. Anthony’s Triathlon.
For more information on the races or to register online until April 21, visit www.satriathlon.com.
The 2014 St. Anthony’s Triathlon weekend events and registration fees are:
Friday, April 25 – Saturday, April 26:
Sports and Fitness Expo, Straub Park, 500 Beach Drive.
Friday: Noon – 7 p.m.; Saturday: 9 a.m. – 7 p.m., Free.
Saturday, April 26:
Meek & Mighty Triathlon, North Shore Pool, 901 North Shore Drive.
Shorter distance race for youths ages 7 – 14 and novice adults. 7:30 a.m. start time. (Individual registration fee: $65)
Sunday, April 27:
St. Anthony’s Triathlon, North Shore & Vinoy Park
International-distance race (1.5K swim, 40K bike and 10K run.) 6:50 a.m. start time. (Individual registration fee: $180)
St. Anthony’s Sprint Distance race (750-meter swim, 20K bike, 5K run) Approx.
8:45 a.m. start time. (Individuals registration fee: $85)
The St. Anthony’s Triathlon race attracts high-caliber athletes from all over the world including Olympic athletes and Ironman world champions and is entering its fourth year as part of the World Triathlon Corporation’s (WTC) 5150 Triathlon Series. In addition to serving as a qualifier for the Hy-Vee 5150 U.S. Championship, the race also serves as the USA Triathlon Florida Regional Championship to qualify athletes for USAT Nationals.
The St. Anthony’s Sprint Triathlon was recently selected to be the 2014 Paratriathlon Florida Regional Championship event by the USA Triathlon (USAT). The Florida Regional Championship race will host several Paralympic hopefuls looking to join Team USA as the sport of paratriathlon makes its debut at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games in Brazil. The qualifying route will be Sprint Triathlon route with an approximate distance of a 750-meter swim, a 20K bike and a 5K run.
Race organizers invite all athletes to secure their spots at the starting line for the 2014 races.
For more details about the 2014 races, athletes and fans can also visit St. Anthony’s Triathlon’s Facebook page: facebook.com/stanthonystriathlon.
About St. Anthony’s Hospital
St. Anthony’s Hospital is a 395-bed hospital founded in 1931 as a ministry of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany and was the first faith-based hospital in Pinellas County. The hospital continues its rich history dedicated to improving the health of the community by providing high-quality, innovative and compassionate care.. For more information on St. Anthony’s, call (727) 953-6993.
About BayCare Health System
BayCare Health System is a leading community-based health system in the Tampa Bay area. Composed of a network of 11 not-for-profit hospitals, outpatient facilities and services such as imaging, lab, behavioral health and home health care, BayCare provides expert medical care throughout a patient’s lifetime. With more than 200 access points conveniently located throughout Tampa Bay, BayCare connects patients to a complete range of preventive, diagnostic and treatment services for any health care need.
BayCare’s family of hospitals are: Mease Countryside, Mease Dunedin, Morton Plant, Morton Plant North Bay, St. Anthony’s, St. Joseph’s, St. Joseph’s Children’s, St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, St. Joseph’s Women’s, South Florida Baptist, and Winter Haven. For more information, visit BayCare on the Web at www.BayCare.org.