Jenna takes 2nd, Ben places 5th at Pan-Am Championships

May

Posted in GPS MANUFACTURERS on May 18, 2009

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Garmin-sponsored triathletes Jenna Shoemaker and Ben Collins share their training and racing experiences with the Garmin Edge 705 and Forerunner 405. Soon, they’ll get to put the new swim-proof Forerunner 310XT to the test.

From Ben’s press release:
It is rare that an athlete’s Plan ‘A’ works out perfectly, but for Ben Collins there was no need for a plan ‘B’ in Oklahoma City. Of the 65 men who started the race, Collins stayed with a select few who managed to create a gap in the swim. That break was dwindled further in a hectic first transition, and a breakaway group of seven athletes was formed, including Olympians Hunter Kemper and Matt Reed. Collins and his breakaway companions turned a 20 second lead out of transition into three minutes over a chase pack of 50 athletes by the end of the 40km cycling leg. Starting the 10km run, Matt Reed went off the front. Collins stayed strong and clocked his best run split to date to finish in 5th place. A 5th place is Collins’ highest ITU finish to date, and to score such a high place at the Continental Championships is a monumental step toward the goals of this young triathlete.

From Jenna:
After a very productive, but short, two+ weeks in Boulder, I headed to Oklahoma City for the ITU Pan American Championships. Based on the start list, and how I have been progressing, I was confident that I could have another strong result and perhaps a top 5 finish if everything went really well. It was only about 65 degrees out when the race commenced, a lot cooler than I thought it would be, and with the strong Midwestern wind in full force, blowing upwards of 38 mph, weather would certainly be a factor. I was excited for another race but a bit nervous to be back on home soil and racing in front of pretty much the entire USA Triathlon staff.

The start of the swim was not nearly as hectic as I had imagined it would be and I settled safely into the big front group. About halfway through the swim I started to get really cold. The water temperature was measured at 71, making it non-wetsuit but quite chilly! Exiting the swim in 6th, I charged hard through transition and quickly mounted my bike.

Looking around, I saw that there were a few other strong cyclists in the group who were all willing to work, so we took off riding hard with the hope of dropping as many people as possible. We succeeded and found ourselves in a small group of 6 chasing the two swim specialists who had about 45 seconds on the rest of the field out of the water. By the end of lap 2, with the help of 3 other women, we had managed to close the gap to the leaders. After a few surges, crashes and fatigue-led attrition, I headed into T2 in the front pack with just two other women.

I had a smooth and quick transition and was out on the run first. Careful not to get too excited, as I have done this year, I settled into a rhythm and started the long 10k march to the finish. The other two women passed me after about 1k, but I didn’t panic. I kept to my rhythm and tried to focus on my form since my legs were slow to wake up. However, at the start of lap 3 they came alive and I picked up my cadence and started to push. Fortunately for me, as many athletes had failed to hydrate properly because of the tough road conditions (and the wind), the athlete in front of me, in second place, cracked and came back to me. With 1 lap to run, I was safely in 2nd place, and just needed to make sure I didn’t bonk! The run down the finishing chute was incredible because I had hoped to race well but had far exceeded my personal expectations. To achieve my second career podium, and a silver medal at the Pan American Championships, a race where I finished 14th in 2008, is real validation of the hard work I have been putting in over the last few months.

This finish pushes me to 2nd American and top 30 in the world. It also means that I will earn a start at the Washington D.C. World Championship Series race on June 21 as well as a start at the HyVee World Cup race in Des Moines, Iowa, June 27-28. This is a huge honor and an incredible gift. My mom and all 3 of my siblings will be racing in Washington, D.C. and it will be the first time I have seen them since August last year!

Now I am in Austin, Texas where I am preparing for another points race which will be held downtown on Monday May 25th. Thank you so much for all of your support. I will post pictures and links to my blog as they become available.