{"id":17224,"date":"2018-11-30T10:42:09","date_gmt":"2018-11-30T10:42:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.challenge-family.com\/challenge-family\/uncategorized\/challenge-daytona-draws-impressive-professional-field-to-inaugural-race\/"},"modified":"2024-05-29T15:46:38","modified_gmt":"2024-05-29T15:46:38","slug":"challenge-daytona-draws-impressive-professional-field-to-inaugural-race","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.challenge-family.com\/challenge-family\/news\/challenge-daytona-draws-impressive-professional-field-to-inaugural-race\/","title":{"rendered":"CHALLENGE DAYTONA DRAWS IMPRESSIVE PROFESSIONAL FIELD TO INAUGURAL RACE"},"content":{"rendered":"

On December 9th<\/sup>, an impressive international field of professional triathletes will assemble on the CHALLENGE<\/em><\/strong>DAYTONA<\/em> Middle Distance start line at Daytona International Speedway. These world-class, fiercely competitive athletes are eager to cross the checkered-flag finish line and lay claim to the first triathlon titles ever awarded at the \u201cWorld Center of Racing.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Men\u2019s Field<\/strong><\/p>\n

Among the professional men are a number of the sport\u2019s top cyclists, including two-time Kona-course-record-crusher Cameron Wurf (AUS). Wurf is ready to push the pace in a battle royale against the rest of the men. His competition includes uber-biker Andrew Starykowicz (USA), known for his all-out aggressive racing style. Equally powerful podium contenders are top Americans Andy Potts (USA), a two-time Olympian and World Champion, and Matt Russell (USA), who finished sixth in the world in Hawaii, just one year after a life-threatening accident.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Kevin Collington(USA) and Jarrod Shoemaker (USA) both hail from ITU (Olympic-distance, draft-format) racing backgrounds. Collington, a collegiate swimmer, has found his niche in long-course triathlon, scoring a U.S. Pro Championship title in 2013 and earning multiple podium finishes. Shoemaker, an Olympian and multi-time World and U.S. National Champion in ITU triathlon and duathlon, known best for his run prowess, is sure to turn in a blistering half marathon at CHALLENGE<\/em><\/strong>DAYTONA<\/em>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adding interest to the men\u2019s field is Dylan McNeice (NZL). McNeice is no stranger to victory at CHALLENGE<\/em><\/strong>FAMILY <\/em>events, owning numerous titles including CHALLENGE<\/em><\/strong>WANAKA <\/em>Champion and CHALLENGE<\/em><\/strong>TAIWAN <\/em>Champion. Either McNeice or Potts, both supremely swift swimmers, are likely to celebrate being first out of the water at Daytona International Speedway\u2019s Lake Lloyd. Another\u00a0CHALLENGE<\/em><\/strong>FAMILY\u00a0<\/em>race regular is Pieter Heemeryck (BEL), victorious at\u00a0CHALLENGE<\/em><\/strong>GERAARDSBERGEN<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0CHALLENGE<\/em><\/strong>SARDINIA<\/em>\u00a02018 and also in the running for a top finish in the 2018\u00a0CHALLENGE<\/em><\/strong>FAMILY<\/em>\u00a0World Bonus ranking.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Also among the top professional men is Peter Kotland (USA), a 20-year veteran of the pro ranks with a collection of titles in marathon and full and ultra-distance triathlon, including the Ultraman World Championship. He\u2019s joined by pros Steve Zawaski (USA) and Ricky Flynn (USA), both of whom balance traditional careers in addition to pursuing their triathlon passions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Women\u2019s Field<\/strong><\/p>\n

Headlining the women\u2019s professional field are a number of notable contenders, a trio of whom have transitioned from ITU racing to long-course success and commonly compete against one another, racing toe-to-toe. Sarah Haskins (USA) represented Team USA at the 2008 Olympics, then went on to win gold at the 2011 Pan American Games. Now, a multi-time triathlon champion and mother of two, she\u2019s ready to put her experience to the test at Daytona International Speedway. She\u2019ll face two of her fiercest rivals in fellow ITU alums Alicia Kaye (USA), a Florida local, and Lauren Goss (USA). Both women own numerous Olympic and middle-distance triathlon titles and are among the fastest in the field.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Also contending for the title is Meredith Kessler (USA). No woman\u2019s place on the podium is ever secure when Kessler steps up to the start line. Known for her prolific racing and winning, as well as her gritty, never-give-up approach, Kessler holds both middle and full distance titles in the double digits. Her 2018 season has marked a return to sport with added motivation since the birth of her baby boy in November 2017. Given the swim prowess of Kessler, Haskins, Kaye, and Goss, the battle will be on between these women from the very first stroke.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Another phenom among the professional women is Lisa Roberts (USA), a former collegiate cross-country and track star who now claims four full-distance triathlon titles, including CHALLENGE<\/em><\/strong>VENICE<\/em>. Roberts is a frequent CHALLENGE<\/em><\/strong>FAMILY <\/em>competitor, currently ranked third in the 2018 CHALLENGE<\/em><\/strong>FAMILY<\/em> World Bonus standings. Pro Kelly O’Mara (USA) joined the professional ranks in 2017 after scoring the overall amateur women’s\u00a0victory at the storied Wildflower Triathlon in 2016. She now balances her time between training, racing, and reporting for numerous media outlets, including Triathlete\u00a0Magazine.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The<\/strong> CHALLENGE<\/em><\/strong>FAMILY<\/em> World Bonus <\/strong><\/p>\n

Adding an extra level of rivalry to the race, CHALLENGE<\/em><\/strong>DAYTONA<\/em> marks the final competition in the 2018 CHALLENGE<\/em><\/strong>FAMILY<\/em> World Bonus series, wherein professional athletes will share a total bonus prize purse of $165,000. Several athletes have strategically targeted the event as their last-blast opportunity to earn a solid share of the winnings. While the top three overall men\u2019s rankings are secure, the next three spots are up for grabs in an extremely tight race between Wurf (currently 4th<\/sup>), Heemeryck (currently 5th<\/sup>), and McNeice (currently 6th<\/sup>). Whichever man turns in the best performance on the day will have an opportunity to jostle the standings and win the race within the race. Likewise, in the women\u2019s field, Roberts (currently 3rd<\/sup>) hopes to move higher up in the final top three rankings with a strong race at CHALLENGE<\/em><\/strong>DAYTONA.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

CHALLENGE<\/em><\/strong>DAYTONA <\/em>also serves as an opportunity to qualify for\u00a0THE<\/strong><\/em>CHAMPIONSHIP,\u00a0<\/em>to be held on June 2nd\u00a0<\/sup>2019 at the x-bionic sphere in Samorin, Slovakia. The full start list for all CHALLENGE<\/em><\/strong>DAYTONA<\/em> events, including the entire pro field, may be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

About<\/strong>\u00a0CHALLENGE<\/em><\/strong>DAYTONA<\/em>
\nAre you ready to swim, bike, and run at the \u201cWorld Center of Racing\u201d? From December 7th-9th, 2018, Daytona International Speedway will welcome triathletes and triathlon fans from around the world to CHALLENGE<\/em><\/strong>DAYTONA<\/em>. The entire festival of events will take place at the approximately 500-acre motorsports complex,\u00a0home of \u201cThe Great American Race\u201d\u2014the DAYTONA 500.<\/p>\n

www.challenge-daytona.com<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On December 9th, an impressive international field of professional triathletes will assemble on the CHALLENGEDAYTONA Middle Distance start line at Daytona International Speedway. These world-class, fiercely competitive athletes are eager to cross the checkered-flag finish line and lay claim to the first triathlon titles ever awarded at the \u201cWorld Center of Racing.\u201d   The Men\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17224","news","type-news","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nCHALLENGE DAYTONA DRAWS IMPRESSIVE PROFESSIONAL FIELD TO INAUGURAL RACE - Challenge Family<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.challenge-family.com\/challenge-family\/news\/challenge-daytona-draws-impressive-professional-field-to-inaugural-race\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CHALLENGE DAYTONA DRAWS IMPRESSIVE PROFESSIONAL FIELD TO INAUGURAL RACE - Challenge Family\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On December 9th, an impressive international field of professional triathletes will assemble on the CHALLENGEDAYTONA Middle Distance start line at Daytona International Speedway. 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