Garrard Adds Bronze Medal for Strong U.S. Contingent
USA Triathlon
pro | amateur
April 30, 2011 (Extremadura, Spain) – American athletes took three of the six elite podium spots Saturday at the first-ever ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships.
In a race featuring some of the top XTERRA athletes in the world, Americans Shonny Vanlandingham (Durango, Colo.) and Emma Garrard (Park City, Utah) placed second and third, respectively, in the women’s race behind Canadian winner Melanie McQuaid.
For the men, Seth Wealing (Boulder, Colo.) claimed silver behind South Africa’s Conrad Stoltz. Switzerland’s Olivier Marceau finished third.
Vanlandingham, the reigning XTERRA world champion, posted a time of 1:43:25 on the 1k swim, 20k mountain bike and 6k cross country run course, using the fastest bike split and second-fastest run split to pass most of the field, including U.S. teammate Garrard, who finished in 1:43:43 in her second ITU World Championship of 2011. Garrard finished seventh in the ITU Winter World Championship in March. McQuaid’s winning time was 1:43:02.
Stoltz pulled away from Wealing and the rest of the men’s field with the day’s fastest bike split – 3:40 faster than Wealing, who had the second-fastest run of the day. Stoltz finished in 1:26:40, Wealing in 1:27:36 and Marceau in 1:29:43.
Age group results are not yet available. The Team USA squad of age-groupers is comprised of 53 athletes ranging in age from 23 to 68 and hailing from all across the United States. The athletes qualified for Team USA, which is comprised of amateur athletes that represent the U.S. at every ITU World Championships, at four different off-road triathlon events in 2010.
Extremadura ITU Cross Triathlon World Championship Results
1k swim, 20k mountain bike, 6k cross country run
Elite Women
Gold – Melanie McQuaid (CAN) 1:43:02
Silver – Shonny Vanlandingham (Durango, Colo.) 1:43:25
Bronze – Emma Garrard (Park City, Utah) 1:43:43
Other American finishers
13. Suzanne Snyder (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1:52:00
17. Sara Tarkington (Boulder, Colo.) 1:56:01
Elite Men
Gold – Conrad Stoltz (RSA) 1:26:40
Silver – Seth Wealing (Boulder, Colo.) 1:27:36
Bronze – Olivier Marceau (SUI) 1:29:43
Other American finishers
4. Josiah Middaugh (Vail, Colo.) 1:30:27
8. Branden Rakita (Colorado Springs, Colo.) 1:32:13
10. Craig Evans (Hendersonville, Tenn.) 1:34:37
13. Brian Smith (Gunnison, Colo.) 1:36:06
15. Cody Waite (Lakewood, Colo.) 1:36:57
