“I was always going to go over and ‘watch’ Kona this year with the idea of racing it next year, but the new selection policy grants current world champions a wild card into Kona, provided they finish one full Ironman – I finally decided to take up the offer,” Hauschildt said in a press release from USM Events (the organizers of Ironman Cairns).

The drama does not end there. Hauschildt, who comes from a professional running background, is dealing with a lower leg injury that, according to the press release, “if not rested from running could potentially turn into a stress fracture and derail her entire season.”

In the race Hauschildt will swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and then walk the marathon.

“I was so disappointed with the results and surprised to be honest, I really didn’t feel it was that bad and just expected to be told to rest it for a few days. I kept hoping it was all just a dream the next day.

“I was so nervous about doing an Ironman but once you’ve fully committed that’s your big goal and everything goes into it. Training had been going so well and I’d just started to get excited, ” she said. “It’s not ideal but I’d like to go to Kona this year and have a good Ironman 70.3 season, so I am looking on the up side of it all.”

Hauschildt says her main goals this year are to defend her Ironman World Championship 70.3 title and do well at the Hy-Vee 5150 US Championship. Both races take place in the United States in September.

PHOTOS: 2011 Ironman World Championship 70.3 

“It’s a tough call to be firing for all three distances but I’m confident I can handle the distance of a full Ironman now after having completed the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon.

“I’m not putting any expectation on myself this year,” she explained. “It’ll be a great experience and I’m sure I’ll be a lot more comfortable going into next year’s world champs with this under my belt. In comparison to the injuries I sustained as a runner I’m confident that this is only a minor setback and won’t affect my season in the US.”

Hauschildt anticipates it will take her six hours to complete the marathon, putting her at the finish line 12 hours after the start.

There may be some bragging rights up for grabs in the Hauschildt house with husband Jared competing in his first-ever triathlon at Ironman Cairns.

“Fingers crossed I can catch and pass Mel before she finishes her marathon walk. This might be my only chance to say I beat Mel in a tri,” said Jared.

“I hope Jared still has the legs to come back and walk with me after he flies past me on the run,” said Hauschildt. “I think he will surprise himself as long as he gets his nutrition right. He can swim all day long and we all know he can run like an African. But being such a lean runner he doesn’t have any fat stores to call upon so he’s going to have to eat like crazy.”

RELATED: Challenge Cairns To Be Ironman Cairns Going Forward 

RELATED: Where Did Melissa Rollison Come From?

“It’s been brutal…” Kemper explained to Bob Babbitt and Paul Huddle, “It’s been the hardest thing I’ve had to deal with in my career in regards to the recovery process and the therapy I had to go through.”

Kemper’s first race back from the crash was the 2012 ITU World Triathlon San Diego Triathlon on May 12. In order to earn a guaranteed spot on the 2012 London Olympic team Kemper would have to finish as the top American male, or finish in the top-nine athletes. He did both, finishing fifth.

PHOTOS: 2012 ITU WTS San Diego – Men’s Race 

“I think my confidence built over the course of the 10K,” Kemper said. “I wasn’t even in position at the 5K-mark. I still was the third American, even at 5K. So, I built into that run. I don’t have a lot of leg speed right now, so that’s the way I had to run it. I had to back half it and it worked to my advantage and it worked out well for me.”

Going into the race the focus was on Americans like Jarrod Shoemaker and Matt Chrabot, with the possibility of someone like Manny Huerta nabbing one of the two Olympic spots. Very little attention was given to Kemper. Babbitt asked Kemper if he used that as fuel for his race.

“To be honest with you I did. I really did,” Kemper said. “People kind of do write you off and it’s okay with me. I kind of chose, somewhat, to not be talked about because I was declining interviews and stuff like that. But, I’m not going to lie. When you see Jarrod and Matt on the magazines and on the covers you can’t help but be fueled. To think ‘hey, I guess everyone thinks this has been written. Why are we even doing the race?’”

To hear more from Kemper, including how he plans to prepare for the 2012 London Olympics, listen to the Competitor Radio podcast.

RELATED: Post-San Diego Interview With Hunter Kemper

Elite Women’s Preview
Andrea Hewitt missed only her second series race in series history by sitting out San Diego, but that does nothing to affect her favortism for Madrid. Hewitt’s incredible run of podium finishes hasn’t been matched over the past six months, in fact the last time she wasn’t on an ITU podium was in London last year, when she finished 6th. She’s also a previous Madrid winner, it’s where she claimed her first series win back in 2009 and could take the lead in the overall series rankings with a win.

But Hewitt isn’t the only one in form. Nicola Spirig endured a tough 2011, but is off to a brilliant start to the Olympic year with a silver medal in Mooloolaba, a fifth place in Sydney and a European Championship win. The two women that shared the podium with Spirig in Eilat are also ones to watch, Ainhoa Murua finished sixth in Sydney before going on to silver in Israel while Emmie Charayron has great history in the Spanish capital. She won silver here in 2009, before stamping another classy run last year to claim bronze.

Elite Men’s Preview
It will be the first year in series history that Alistair Brownlee does not win in Madrid, as he’s sitting this one out in his continued recovery from an Achilles injury. However, that doesn’t mean there won’t be a Brownlee on top of the podium for the fourth year in a row. Jonathan Brownlee might not have competed in a race in seven months when he came to San Diego, but it didn’t matter as he dominated the field to claim his first series win in 2012. Jonathan is also almost as comfortable with Madrid as his older brother; last year they stood on the podium together for the first time here – they went on to do that six times in 2011 – and he said after San Diego he couldn’t wait to race in Casa de Campo park.

Read more: Triathlon.org 

See the press release from USA Triathlon below:

Nearly 70 U.S. paratriathletes will descend on Austin, Texas, for the 2012 USA Paratriathlon National Championship, set for Monday, May 28 at the Capital of Texas Triathlon.

Athletes will race on a 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike, 5-kilometer run course to national championship titles in six different paratriathlon categories, as well as Team USA spots for the 2012 ITU Paratriathlon World Championships.

Eleven defending national champions will be competing Monday in Austin: Geoffrey Kennedy (TRI-1, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico), Melissa Stockwell (TRI-2, Chicago, Ill.), Travis Ricks (TRI-2, San Diego, Calif.), Beth Price (TRI-3, Spanish Fort, Ala.), David Kyle (TRI-3, Athens, Ala.), Robin Caruso (TRI-4, Ridgefield, Conn.), Joel Rosinbum (TRI-4, Scottsdale, Ariz.), Danielle McLaughlin (TRI-5, Santa Monica, Calif.), Jamie Brown (TRI-5, Carlsbad, Calif.), Patricia Walsh (TRI-6, Seattle, Wash.) and Aaron Scheidies (TRI-6, Seattle, Wash.). Stockwell and McLaughlin also are reigning world champions.

To qualify for Paratriathlon Nationals, athletes must have completed a sprint triathlon in two hours, or an Olympic-distance triathlon in four hours.

In addition to the national championship event, a number of athletes will participate in the Physically Challenged Open Wave, which is open to paratriathletes of all levels but does not qualify athletes for national titles or world championship slots.

In order to qualify for Team USA for the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand, on Oct. 22, athletes must finish in the top three of their respective paratriathlon category in Austin. When team size is set for the world championship event by ITU, more athletes may be added to the team by discretionary selections. Visit usatriathlon.org for more information on the qualification process.

Additionally, the top finisher in each category will also earn a spot on the USA Paratriathlon National Team for 2012. Paratriathlon Nationals is the first event of the three-race 2012 USA Paratriathlon Race Series, which also features the Denver Triathlon on June 10 and the Nickel City Triathlon on Sept. 16 in Buffalo, N.Y.

Interest in paratriathlon is at an all-time high and the sport continues to grow following its inclusion in the Paralympic Games program. The International Paralympic Committee announced in December 2010 that paratriathlon will make its debut at the Paralympic Summer Games in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.

At one time or another you or a friend have “mapped your run” or “mapped your ride” and beginning today there’s a whole lot more you can do in addition to those those things.

MapMyFitness announced the launch of a completely rebuilt platform with several new features for its portfolio of online fitness websites, including an innovative feature called Courses, one of the most advanced integrations of Google Maps’ API, and a fresh look and feel. Courses will span five primary categories of sports, including cycling, running, walking, hiking and winter sports, as well as hundreds of subcategory specialty activities like cross-country skiing and unicycling.

Courses now provides athletes or all levels along with casual enthusiasts an unprecedented leaderboard and “check-in” technology, and will be available initially through a private beta test for first 100,000 users who sign up at New.mapmyfitness.com/maps/courses. In addition to the introduction of Courses, MapMyFITNESS’ new features include the latest mapping technology from Google. MapMyFITNESS is the only online fitness service to offer Google API 3 maps integration, which enables users to create new Courses directly from their iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Windows Mobile or iPad. The Google API 3 integration also provides route details like traffic patterns and temperature in real-time, which will help users better plan and experience activities. The new site, which provides fitness enthusiasts five-times-faster performance, is now available to everyone at New.mapmyfitness.com, and widespread access to Courses will be offered later this summer.

“With more than 9 million registered users, we are the largest and fastest growing fitness tracking community,” said Richard Jalichandra, chief executive officer of MapMyFitness. “We’re very excited to keep innovating and improving our tools for people of all levels to improve their fitness, nutrition and overall health, and today’s launch offers both cutting edge technology and ease of use design.”

For More: MapMyFitness.com

Julia Polloreno: You went into Florida as the favorite—how did it feel to win your first 70.3 after so many years away from the sport?

Lance Armstrong: First of all, I didn’t feel like I was the favorite—you guys said that.

JP: Well, we were right!

LA: [laughing] I wasn’t trying necessarily to win the race. I was just trying to keep working on the nutrition part of it—trying to get it to a better place than it had been the first three go-rounds, which were quasi-disastrous. Perhaps there have been too many races lately, and there’s another one in two weeks and then France three weeks after that, but I don’t have experience and time on my side so I’ve got to use these races to learn as much as I can. It’s hard to simulate that in training. So that’s all I wanted to do—dial in the nutrition part, and it seems like, based on my feelings, that I got close.

JP: Did you do something dramatically different or was it some details you fine-tuned that made a big difference?

LA: Well, I think there are two things: the amount of calories you consume, and the type—so either a sports drink, a gel or a piece of solid food. All of those things we considered, and I guess the takeaway for me was to consume a lot less calories than I had been consuming. I was ingesting a massive amount of calories in the other races, just assuming I could handle that, and my gut was turning off completely. And then it’s doing a much better job of hydrating the days and hours before the start of the race. In the other races I took in mostly sports drink water and gels, and [in Florida] I went with sports drink with salt tabs dissolved in the drink, and Honey Stinger Waffles—solid food [on the bike]. On the run I just took Coke and water at the aid stations. I started with two gels and didn’t feel like I needed the energy so just stayed with water and Coke. I wore a regular hat—not a visor—and was taking cups of ice and putting it in my hat and then putting my hat back on, just keeping the ice constantly on my head so that it would melt and drip down, keeping me pretty cool.

JP: Now that you’re four races in and have a win under your belt, what have you learned about managing your effort on the bike to have a good run? You cranked out a 1:15 in Florida—how do you manage your effort on the bike so you can run like that?

LA: At least it seems—and it’s not a knock on other people’s tactics—but for me, my run is not going to be affected by my effort on the bike. It’s probably a better strategy for me in the future to utilize my strengths. Even if I rode an easy bike, I’m not going to get off and run 1:11. But I suspect I can ride harder than I rode Sunday and still run 1:14, 1:16, somewhere in there. I believe that if I can constantly ride close to two hours and run 1:15, maybe you’re not always going to win every race, but you’re gonna be close.

PHOTOS: Lance Armstrong Wins Ironman 70.3 Florida 

JP: Are you intentionally picking races that are in hot and humid locations to prep yourself for Kona?

LA: [laughing] No! But it has been that way. Panama was my own pick but certainly all the races have been hot and humid. Actually, they’ve been a lot hotter and more humid than Kona will ever be. Kona is nothing compared to Panama or Galveston. Haines City [Florida] was actually very comfortable—I didn’t start to feel heat until the last part of the bike and then on the run.

JP: Racing three half-ironmans within a span of six weeks and then doing an Ironman three weeks after that may, by your average triathlete’s standards, seem like quite a bit of racing. Are you just used to that kind of volume from pro cycling? Does it not feel like a lot of racing to you?

LA: I wouldn’t say it’s the best plan, but like I mentioned, I don’t really have a choice, especially when I’m still learning and trying to get up to speed on the technical aspects of these races. I can’t simulate them in training. I don’t have time on my side—I’m 41 years old. It’s not like I’m 30 and am saying to myself, ‘I’m going to do this for 10 years,’ and can take a year to figure it out. I literally have months to figure it out and that’s not a lot of time. When I added St. Croix, I thought in the back of my head I should probably scratch Florida because it’s too much racing. But when St. Croix was yet another nutritional disaster, I thought I had to go do it because I felt recovered from St. Croix and felt nutritionally I’ve gotta keep trying different things to see if it works. Fortunately I think I’m on to something that’s gonna work for me. I will back off the racing after Ironman France.

JP: With all that you’ve got going on, are you just finding pockets of time to train? How do you balance training for such high level racing with an already very full life?

LA: Well, I know I get a little bit of grief from different factions and parts of the sport for having kind of an entourage or a posse but it’s the only way I can seem to manage it with five kids, a foundation and all these other business obligations that I’m trying to fulfill. If I didn’t have a good core group of people around me then I wouldn’t be able to do it. But at the same time, I don’t feel like I need to defend that—I’ve worked hard for the lifestyle I have and the system that’s in place, so it’s not as if my mom is the Queen of England. I came from nothing and worked hard to have what I have and I’m not going to make any excuses for that.

JP: How are you feeling about tackling the full-Iron distance next month in France? Do you have any specific goals, or is it going to be a big experiment for you?

LA: It’s going to be a complete experiment. I’m very curious-slash-slightly nervous. But I don’t know, I look at my performance—I guess I was running 5:47s on Sunday—and I don’t think I could have doubled that, but I do think I could have held that for 20 miles, which is encouraging for me. My long runs are getting longer—the fatigue and soreness post-long run is not nearly what it used to be. That’s also encouraging. My recovery from the 70.3s has gone down from Panama to Galveston to St. Croix to here. After Panama I was literally out of training for two weeks. Galveston was a week and St. Croix was two or three days. Tomorrow or the day after I’ll be back hitting it hard again in preparation for Nice, which I have to be doing. My longest run has been 18 miles. I need to get into the 22-, 23-mile range. All the while I have to juggle that with racing Honu. And then, after Honu I basically go from Kona to France, which is a heck of a haul.

JP: You said you’re recovering a lot more quickly from races as you progress through the racing season. What’s made the biggest difference in being able to bounce back more quickly?

LA: After Panama I was like…you know those people who after they’ve run a marathon they’re walking down steps backwards and it’s like someone took a bat to their quads? More frequent runs and longer runs have made the soreness much, much less than it was. The other thing is, I’ve layered in more speed work on the track. I tend to recover from those a lot more quickly too.

JP: So, now you’re in Kona and just going to have some downtime with the family and do some training before Honu… 

LA: Yeah, this is without a doubt my favorite place in the world to spend time, whether it’s on or off a bike, in or out of the water. And I’m excited to race again—I was very encouraged by Sunday, but I’m not going to rest on that. I’m going to go out and retry what we did in Florida and see if it continues to work all the while knowing that Nice is twice as long and not as intense so nutrition is going to be a whole other experiment there. Hopefully I don’t mess it up too bad.

RELATED:
PHOTOS: Lance Armstrong Wins Ironman 70.3 Florida
Video: Lance Armstrong Talks 70.3 Race Tactics
Video: Lance Armstrong’s Race Prep
Pro Bike: Lance Armstrong’s Trek Speed Concept
A Conversation With Lance Armstrong

McCormack talks about his fitness in the press release below:

Two-time Ironman world champion and Olympic hopeful Chris McCormack returns to Australia this week after an extended stay in the US. He will then head up to Far North Queensland for final preparations in an attempt to defend his Cairn crown over the full Ironman distance.

The 2012 season has seen McCormack work hard in an attempt to make the Australian Olympic team. While the Australian selectors make up their minds about the line-up of the men’s team, he is taking a short break from the ITU circuit to honour his commitment to his fans in Cairns.

Throughout his career he has never done anything by half and at 39 years old that isn’t about to change because this year Queensland triathlon fans will bear witness to a performance like no other from Cronulla’s favorite son as he faces one of his toughest assignments.

PHOTOS: Challenge Cairns

Despite being in great shape to race the Olympic distance, McCormack is about to push the envelope again, heading north to punish himself over the Ironman distance on limited preparation on June 3.

“I was hoping to have an eight-week window from ITU Sydney to train for Cairns, but the addition of San Diego to the Olympic selection criteria dead set threw a spanner in the works,” McCormack said.

With the Olympics in August and the Ironman World Championship in October McCormack has decided to keep all this options open.

“I will be racing the Ironman regardless of Olympic selection, but to be honest it won’t be like last year.”

“I will openly say that this is the most ‘under prepared’ I have ever been in an Ironman race. This was not through choice, but was forced upon me by changes to the Olympic selection criteria that left me in this position.”

“Cairns offers me the ability to stamp my ticket to Kona and give me options for the back end of the year. I am not committed to Kona right now, but giving me that option is something that is very important.”

McCormack realizes he is expecting a lot from his body and he will be drawing on every bit of his experience and years of training to get him through the day.

“I know the guys will be arriving in Cairns prepared and ready to race. I will play for as long as I can that is for sure. Maybe things might fall my way and I can sneak a nice win. That would be beautiful,” he said with a real Macca smile.

RELATED: Challenge Cairns To Be Ironman Cairns Going Forward 

5150 Kansas City Triathlon
Kansas City,  - May 20, 2012
1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run

Women
1. Laura Bennett (USA) 2:01:35
2. Jillian Petersen (USA) 2:03:48
3. Becky Lavelle (USA) 2:04:53
4. Jenna Parker (USA) 2:05:17
5. Lauren Brandon (USA) 2:07:18

Men
1. Jordan Jones (USA) 1:49:46
2. Jon Bird (CAN) 1:50:08
3. James Hadley (USA) 1:53:57
4. Michael  Fox (USA) 1:54:15
5. Karl Kahsar (USA) 1:54:37

Complete results. 

Dye earned the 1:49:41 win thanks to a 16:59 swim, a 56:18 bike and a 34:40 10K. Super cyclists Andrew Yoder (USA) finished second, with Ben Collins (USA) earning third.

Luxford swam in 18:48, biked in 1:06:01 and ran in 39:20 to take the 2:06:18 victory. Leanda Cave (GBR), who normally specializes in long-course triathlons, turned in an impressive second place. American Laurel Wassner claimed the final podium spot.

The Columbia Triathlon
Ellicott City, Md – May 20, 2012
1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run 

Men
1. Cameron Dye 1:49:41
2. Andrew Yoder 1:52:18
3. Ben Collins 1:52:35
4. James Seear 1:52:57
5. Matt Chrabot 1:53:13
6. Clark Ellice 1:54:08
7. Kevin Collington 1:55:37
8. Holden Comeau 1:55:46
9. Chris Foster 1:55:53
10. Matthew Wisthoff 1:57:07

Women
1. Annabel Luxford 2:06:18
2. Leanda Cave 2:07:17
3. Laurel Wassner 2:07:29
4. Margaret Shapiro 2:08:02
5. Debbie Tanner 2:09:53
6. Sara McCarty 2:10:48
7. Lisa Marangon 2:11:25
8. Rebeccah Wassner 2:11:33
9. Anna Battiata 2:11:40
10. Suzanne Serpico 2:13:28

Complete results. 

Men’s Recap

American David Kahn, who is known for his strength in the water, led the men into T1 with a 1.2-mile swim time of 25:20. Spain’s Francesco Godoy was right on his heels with Brazil’s Mauro Cavanha, Colombia’s Andres Castillo and Armstrong about a minute back. The 56-mile bike ride through Polk County was all about Armstrong.

In Armstrong’s previous 70.3s he had appeared to hold back in the early stretch of the bike ride and then take off in the final miles. That was not the case in Florida today. From the beginning of the ride, Armstrong pushed the pace and by mile 38 the seven-time Tour de France winner had established a lead of six minutes over Kahn and Godoy. According to Ironmanlive.com, Armstrong eased off of his fiery pace and settled into a rhythm in the final miles. Armstrong’s 2:01:13 bike split earned him a 10-minute lead heading onto the run.

Prior to the race Armstrong said he had a difficult time with his nutrition plan in his three previous 70.3s. “To get the nutrition right and trying to figure out the best plan during a race; it has been more intense than I thought – the level is high and the athletes are great and I have struggled with that (the nutrition) issue,” Armstrong explained at the pre-race pro panel.

With nutrition as the big question mark, Armstrong headed out onto the three-lap run course. Whatever Armstrong did today with his nutrition appears to have worked. The American maintained his lead all the way to the finish line, evenly splitting the three laps along the way to post a 1:15:56 half-marathon. He earned his first 70.3 victory with a time of 3:45:38. Ukraine’s Maxim Kriat finished just over 11 minutes later in second. Goday was the final finisher under four hours, earning third.

The win will add 500 points to Armstrong’s Kona Pro Ranking total. Armstrong will next take on Ironman 70.3 Hawaii in less than two weeks as he continues to work to qualify for October’s Ironman World Championship.

Women’s Recap

American Amanda Stevens was the first women out of the water in just over 25 minutes. More than 90 seconds later the next female into T1 was Germany’s Nina Kraft. Stevens took advantage of her lead and worked to hold the gap throughout the bike ride. When bike turned to run, Stevens lead stood at 55 seconds over fellow American Jennifer Tetrick. Another five minutes back were the United States’ Many McLane and Kraft. Seven minutes back was American Jessica Jacobs.

The strong bike performances by Stevens and Tetrick came at a cost. They each held the lead on the run, but the win was not meant to be for either. Jacobs worked her way through the field, coming from fifth off of the bike to first at the finish line. Her 1:21:53 half-marathon gave her the 4:24:30 win. Tetrick finished second, with Stevens taking the final podium spot.

Ironman 70.3 Florida
Haines City, Fla. – May 20, 2012
1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run

Men
1. Lance Armstrong (USA) 3:45:38
2. Maxim Kriat (UKR) 3:56:56
3. Francesco Goday (ESP) 3:59:45
4. Andres Castillo (COL) 4:01:08
5. Mauro Cavanha (BRA) 4:02:04

Women 
1. Jessica Jacobs (USA) 4:24:30
2. Jennifer Tetrick (USA) 4:26:09
3. Amanda Stevens (USA) 4:28:19
4. Nina Kraft (GER) 4:28:43
5. Tamara Kozulina (UKR) 4:31:14

Complete results. 

RELATED:

Video: Lance Armstrong Talks 70.3 Race Tactics
Video: Lance Armstrong’s Race Prep
Pro Bike: Lance Armstrong’s Trek Speed Concept
A Conversation With Lance Armstrong

Ospaly battled it out with Kona podium finisher Andreas Raelert of Germany. Ospaly’s 1:11:33 half-marathon proved to be the edge he needed to take the win. He crossed the finish line in 3:54:45. Despite a day of very fast splits on the swim, bike and run, Raelert was forced to settle for second in 3:55:24. France’s Cyril Viennot snagged the final podium spot in 3:56:18.

Gajer’s 26:40 swim,  2:31:20 bike and 1:20:22 half-marathon combined to give her the 4:23:14 win. Hungary’s Erika Csomor finished second in 4:24:08, with six-time Ironman world champ Natascha Badmann of Switzerland finishing a close third in 4:24:24.

Ironman 70.3 Austria
St. Polten, Austria – May 20, 2012
1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run

Men
1. Filip Ospaly (CZE) 3:54:45
2. Andreas Raelert (GER) 3:55:24
3. Cyril Viennot (FRA) 3:56:18
4. Alessandro Degasperi (ITA) 3:57:25
5. Francois Chabaud (FRA) 3:57:26

Women
1. Julia Gajer (GER) 4:23:14
2. Erika Csomor (HUN) 4:24:08
3. Natascha Badmann (SUI) 4:24:24
4. Sonja Tajsich (GER) 4:25:08
5. Caroline Steffen (SUI) 4:25:35

See the recap from Xterra below:

The age group races for the ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships/Xterra Southeast Championship were truly an international spectacle, as South Africa, the United States and New Zealand took the top podium honors.

Bradley Weiss of South Africa won the U23 division, and posted the fastest time among all age-group racers at 2:11:23.

Fred Smith of Knoxville, Tennessee, was the first true age group finisher with a time of 2:12:31. The U23 division had a different start time, from the other age groups, although they all used the same course at Oak Mountain State Park.

Elizabeth Orchard of Epsom, New Zealand, was the top female finisher with a time of 2:32:07.

The age group racers used a course that followed a 1.5-kilometer swim, a 31-kilometer mountain bike (different from the pro races), and a 10-kilometer trail run. More than 250 competitors from around the world participated in the age group races.

Weiss, who is from Cape Town, was thrilled to post the fastest time in what was his first racing experience in America. “It’s the first time I’ve been to America, first time to Alabama, but I’ll definitely be back. Awesome trails here.”

Weiss and Slovakia’s Tomas Kubek stayed near each other for most of the course, and Weiss was finally able to forge a lead early in the run.

“At about 10K into the bike, there’s a nice long climb out and I really pushed it up the climb,” Weiss said. “Then I just brought it home on the run.”

Smith pulled off an exciting victory in the age group race, running into the lead late in the trail run.

“It went better than expected,” said Smith, 35. “I had Tim Van Daele, a two-time world champ, out there with me and a couple of other fast guys to act as rabbits.”

Bryce Phinney of Tucson, Arizona, was in the lead after the bike, but Smith passed him about seven kilometers into the 10K run. “I saw Bryce Phinney in front of me … I just had to put the cramps out of my head and go by him hard – a little shock and awe.”

Phinney came in second overall (also second to Smith in the 35-39 division) with a time of 2:12:47 – 16 seconds behind Smith, despite the fact he crashed hard at the notorious “Blood Rock” section and mangled his pointer finger.

Because the event was an ITU world championship race, Smith, Phinney and other Americans got to wear a special USA jersey.

“It’s a lot more special,” Smith said. “Any time you get the privilege of putting on a uniform that says USA and competing with your country, whatever country it is, it’s a special opportunity and something I definitely didn’t want to miss and won’t forget it for a long time.”

Belgium’s Tim Van Daele, a two-time former Xterra amateur world champion, placed third in 2:14:01.

Orchard put on an impressive show in the women’s field, finishing more than three minutes ahead of the other females.

“I think I was about fourth out of the water, and I passed a few on the bike ride,” said Orchard, 26. “There were a lot of spectators out there, cheering me on, giving me a lot of time indication of how far in front the leader was, and I think I took the lead a quarter of the way into the run.”

Sylvia Van Tromp of South Africa was the second overall female (first in the 30-34 division) in 2:35:34.

Here is a list of all the 2012 ITU Cross Triathlon World Champions/Xterra Southeast Champions:

Women
Junior Hannah Rae Finchamp 1:00:15 Altadena, CA
25 – 29 Elizabeth Orchard 2:32:07 New Zealand
30 – 34 Sylvia Van Tromp 2:35:34 South Africa
35 – 39 Melanie Etherton 2:42:06 Germany
40 – 44 Mimi Stockton 2:43:12 Stevensville, MI
45 – 49 Lori Goldweber 2:45:54 Homewood, AL
50 – 54 Tamara Tabeek 2:42:19 San Diego, CA
55 – 59 Lucia Colbert 2:57:04 Altadena, CA
60 – 64 Cindi Toepel 3:12:51 Littleton, CO
65 – 69 Charlotte Mahan 5:04:03 Lenoir City, TN

Men 
U23 Bradley Weiss 2:11:23 South Africa
Junior Bradley Schuit :56:12 South Africa
20 – 24 Taylor Seavey 2:26:13 Seward, AK
25 – 29 John Reiker 2:29:27 St. Charles, IL
30 – 34 Tim Van Daele 2:14:02 Belgium
35 – 39 Fred Smith 2:12:31 Knoxville, TN
40 – 44 Chris Scott 2:14:18 Morrison, IL
45 – 49 Mike Hebe 2:25:07 New Cumberland, PA
50 – 54 Casey Fannin 2:22:06 Birmingham, AL
55 – 59 Tom Monica 2:32:32 Thousand Oaks, CA
60 – 64 David Rakita 2:46:18 Durango, CO
65 – 69 Richard Wall 3:21:54 Colorado Springs, CO
70 – 74 John Stover 3:36:19 Jackson, MI
75+ Nathaniel Grew 4:30:42 Costa Rica
PC Larry Hicks 1:29:28 Pike Road, AL

See the race recap from Xterra below:

Conrad Stoltz of South Africa made it two-for-two at the ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships by successfully defending his title on Saturday.

Stoltz won the inaugural event last year in Spain, and won it again this year at Oak Mountain State Park in Pelham, Ala. The event was held in America this year as a partner event with the Xterra Southeast Championship triathlon.

Stoltz, 39, completed the course in 2:12:11. It consisted of a 1.5K swim, a 30K mountain bike and a 10K trail run.

Craig Evans of Tennessee was an impressive second on what he considers one of his “home courses.” Evans, 34, had the lead out of the swim, and rode in front of Stoltz for much of the bike.

However, Stoltz made his winning push in the last 10K of the bike and held the lead the rest of the way.

Christopher Legh of Australia was third in 2:14:11, followed by Josiah Middaugh of Colorado (2:15:47), and Richard Stannard of Great Britain (2:16:10).

Lesley Paterson of Great Britain won her first ITU world title in the women’s division with a strong trail run. She was as far back as fifth place early in the bike, but eventually passed all the others in front of her.

Canada’s Melanie McQuaid, the 2011 ITU women’s world champion, was ahead by more than two minutes after the bike, but Paterson chased her down quickly and then ran away.

Paterson, 31, finished with a time of 2:24:39, while McQuaid came in second at 2:27:15.

Carla Van Huyssteen of South Africa had the fastest swim time and finished third overall in 2:28:34.

Suzie Snyder of Virginia was fourth in 2:29:14, and Colorado’s Shonny Vanlandingham was fifth in 2:29:15. It was Vanlandingham’s first race since undergoing knee surgery last October.

ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships
Shelby County, Ala. – May 20, 2012
1.5K swim, 30K mountain bike, 10K trail run

Men
1. Conrad Stoltz (RSA) 2:12:11
2. Craig Evans (USA) 2:12:58
3. Chris Legh (AUS) 2:14:11
4. Josiah Middaugh (USA) 2:15:47
5. Richard Stannard (GBR) 2:16:10

Women
1. Lesley Paterson (GBR) 2:24:39
2. Melanie McQuaid (CAN) 2:27:15
3. Carla Van Huysteen (RSA) 2:28:34
4. Suzanne Snyder (USA) 2:29:14
5. Shonny Vanlandingham (USA) 2:29:15

Complete results. 

After only participating in Ironman races in Arizona and Canada, Jordan Rapp decided in 2012 he’d take a gamble and test himself with a new, highly competitive Texas race. That gamble paid off handsomely, as Rapp secured his fourth Ironman win in The Woodlands with a time of 8:10:44.

“I wanted to try something different” said Rapp after his win, “and I wanted to test myself. I knew going in this race would be a good challenge for me.”

Rapp overcame a 12-minute deficit off the bike, after Mathias Hecht blazed through the course in 4:18:17, a new Ironman Texas record. Rapp admits he was nervous coming off the bike, but by mile three knew he was in for a solid run. His marathon time was 2:46:55.

“I felt great on that run,” Rapp explained. “I’ve been wanting to break the 2 hour and 50 minute barrier in the marathon, to show that I’m not a one-trick pony. Now I want to go to Kona and run with the big boys.”

Colorado athlete Justin Daerr ran his way from seventh off of the bike to secure second-place honors with a time of 8:22:15. Hecht would go on to take third place with 8:22:58.

In the women’s race, Mary Beth Ellis and Amy Marsh battled alongside each other during the swim and bike, until Ellis pulled away early in the run. She extended her lead by over six minutes, finishing with a time of 8:54:58, a new course record.

Caitlin Snow shattered the women’s run course record, clocking a 2:51:47 marathon on her way to second place. Marsh finished third, with a time of 9:04:03.

Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas

The Woodlands, Texas – May 19, 2012
2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run

Men’s Race
1. Jordan Rapp (USA) 8:10:44
2. Justin Daerr (USA) 8:22:15
3. Mathias Hecht (SUI) 8:22:58
4. Jozsef Major (HUN) 8:27:19
5. Brandon Marsh (USA) 8:30:18

Women’s Race
1. Mary Beth Ellis (USA) 8:54:58
2. Caitlin Snow (USA) 9:01:32
3. Amy Marsh (USA) 9:04:00
4. Corinne Abraham (GBR) 9:18:39
5. Charisa Wernick (USA) 9:27:43

Complete results.

About 1,500 athletes competed in the challenging, hilly event, including several Ironman champions: Stephen Bayliss, Philip Graves, and Bert Jammaer, to name a few. With a high of 81 degrees and lighter winds than usual, it was a beautiful day for a race.  (And a proposal—age grouper Daniel Arévalo Beni proposed to his girlfriend at the finish line. She said yes.)

Men’s Race

The UK’s Daniel Halksworth led the men out of the calm, two-loop swim in 47:55. Fellow Brit Stephen Bayliss beat Halskworth out of T1, taking off first onto the bike course, which has more than 8,000 feet of climbing. Close behind was former Ironman UK champ, Philip Graves, who crushed the bike, setting the second fastest Lanzarote bike split ever in 4:48:40 (which will not stand because he didn’t finish the race). Although he set out on the run first, Graves faded fast. Spain’s Victor del Corral overcame a slow swim with a strong bike and a run that nobody could match. Del Corral blasted through the men’s field on the flat run in 2:50:09, winning his first Ironman title in 8:44:39. Bayliss came in second, and Portugal’s Sergio Marques rounded out the podium in third.

Women’s Race

Denmark’s Michelle Vesterby said coming into this race that she’d win it, though it would only be her third attempt at the distance after debuting at Ironman Arizona last year. Vesterby led the women in the swim, exiting the water in 51:43. She stayed ahead on the bike, posting the women’s second-fastest bike split in 5:39:25. Though she struggled toward the end of the run, the 31-year old held on to her lead and fulfilled her own prophecy, winning Lanzarote in 9:58:06. Making it a true daily double, Bella Bayliss, wife of men’s second-place finisher, Stephen Bayliss, crossed the line in second. The Netherlands’ Heleen Bij de Vaate ran it in for third.

Ironman Lanarote
Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain – May 19, 2012
2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run

Men 
1. Victor del Corral 8:44:40
2. Stephen Bayliss  8:53:38
3. Sergio Marques 9:02:59
4. Bert Jammaer 9:04:42
5. Patrick Jaberg 9:06:26

Women
1. Michelle Vesterby 9:58:07
2. Bella Bayliss 10:06:13
3. Heleen Bij de Vaate 10:17:34
4. Veerle D´haese 10:25:13
5. Nicole Woysch 10:37:20

A community of about two thousand Marshallese (originally from the Marshall Islands) live on the Big Island of Hawai’i. After the U.S. military did nuclear tests on one of the Marshall Islands in 1954, many Marshallese had to leave their homes because of the high levels of radiation in the area. Due to these dangers many Marshallese have been stricken with cancer. The Marshallese have lived through great nuclear, environmental and economical adversities.  Despite the difficulties, the Marshallese community has a strong sense of hope. “Let’s keep thinking about life and let’s keep going. Don’t give up.”

Between now and June 3, More Than Sport hopes to raise funds for college scholarships and an Aquaponics farm. The “GiveBack” Day will be filled with painting, building, farming, arts and crafts with the kids and any other way the team can help by getting their hands dirty!

RELATED PHOTOS: More Than Sport In Panama 

How Can You Help?

Join the crew on June 3. Confirm your spot (space is limited) by making a donation of $100 per person through volunteer now.

Once confirmed, you will receive the details of the “GiveBack” day. Email Volunteer@morethansport.org for more info.

If you would like to donate to the Marshallese Fund, visit Crowdrise.com/mtsmarshallese.

To learn more about More Than Sport, visit  Morethansport.org.

RELATED VIDEO: Chris Lieto And More Than Sport Build In Panama

“My first triathlon was an Olympic distance tri on 27 Aug 2011. It was held at Canyon Lake, CA by Canyon Lake Triathlon Club. It took me 3 hours! After that first race I was hooked. I compete in monthly triathlons with my club now and recently completed my first Ironman in St. George,UT. Those who were there know what a challenging day that was… I have two club members with their fingers crossed for me to join them in the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon. If I escaped the Sand Hollow reservoir, I can escape Alcatraz!!!”
- Paul Archibald

“First: Iron Girl Sprint Triathlon, Columbia, MD, 2008. Backstroke the entire time freaked out by imaginary frogs under me. Swim time-30:46. During, I thought triathletes were crazy. Hooked, now a triathlon coach, recently competed in Kemah Olympic, missed qualifying for Alcatraz by a minute and change. Hardest swim of my life. Swim time-34:33. First triathlon showed my weaknesses-each triathlon since taught me lessons. Future triathlons are made to challenge. As one once said, “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” show no weakness. Forge forward and accomplish the undreamable. Your dreams are actions away.”
 - Kamden Hoffmann

Congratulations to Paul and Kamden! Didn’t win? Check out our latest bike giveaway!

This will be the first year the event won’t take place on the grounds of Walt Disney World in Orlando. Instead, athletes will swim in Lake Eva, bike through Polk County and finish with a three-lap run around the lake’s park.

The Florida race will be Armstrong’s first time entering a 70.3 event as the favorite to win. The American has so far competed in three half-iron-distance races, finishing second at Ironman 70.3 Panama on Feb. 12, seventh at Ironman 70.3 Texas on April 1 and third at Ironman 70.3 St. Croix on May 6.

Last year’s 70.3 Florida winner Andy Potts (who also beat Armstrong at 70.3 St. Croix two weeks ago) has decided not to race. Armstrong will have to contend with the other two podium finishers from last year. American David Kahn is skilled at all three sports and may challenge Armstrong on the run if he can stay within striking distance. Ukraine’s Maxim Kriat has faced Armstrong twice this year and finished behind him both times (11^th at Ironman 70.3 Texas and seventh at Ironman 70.3 St. Croix).

RELATED VIDEO: Lance Armstrong Talks 70.3 Race Tactics 

Armstrong will likely be experimenting with a couple of things as he works toward Ironman 70.3 Hawaii on June 2 and his Ironman debut in Nice, France on June 24. He’s expressed the need to hone in on a nutrition plan that will help him feel strong through the entire 70.3-mile race. The cycling star is also still learning how to balance the need to gain time on the bike with the desire to have fresh legs heading onto the half-marathon.

The Ironman 70.3 Florida race is a P-500 event, the lowest possible rating on the Kona Pro Ranking scale. The winner will bank 500 points toward Kona qualification, with 440 going to second and third earning 390.

PHOTOS: Ironman 70.3 Panama Race Images 

See the complete start list below:

Men’s Start List
1 David Kahn
2 Ed Donner
3 Tyler Lord
4 Lance Armstrong
5 Zach Ruble
6 Jimmy Archer
7 Andres Castillo
8 Pablo Montoya
9 Josh Seifarth
11 Fabian Rahn
12 Jim Lubinski
13 Andrew Hodges
14 Michael Poole
15 Chris Huff
16 Julien Biboud
17 Raymond Botelho
18 Jason Watson
19 Andrew Langfield
20 Stephen Dyke
22 Flo Kriegl
23 Mauro Cavanha
24 Martin Lamonatgne-Lacasse
25 Francesc Godoy
26 Chris Bagg
28 Bojan Maric
29 Maxim Kriat

Women’s Start List
36 Nina Kraft
37 Ashley Clifford
38 Mandy McLane
39 Heather Leiggi
41 Andrea Hutchins
42 Amber Ferreira
43 Erica Urquiola
45 Fiorella Dcroz
46 Angela Axmann
47 Missy Kuck
48 Terra Castro
49 Natasha Yaremczuk
50 Paolina Allan
51 Jessica Jacobs
52 Amanda Stevens
53 Melody Ramirez
54 Jennifer Tetrick
55 Tamara Kozulina

Will a sub-eight-hour Ironman happen in Texas this weekend? Rasmus Henning says it’s possible. The Danish athlete, who first broke the time barrier at the 2010 Challenge Roth, hopes to secure his second sub-eight-hour performance at Ironman Texas.

The race, which will take place in the Houston suburb The Woodlands, will be held this Saturday, May 19. A competitive professional race is expected, with the men’s race featuring three-time Ironman winner Jordan Rapp, 2011 Ironman St. George champion Mathias Hecht and British Ironman record holder Paul Amey.

At the inaugural event last year, Eneko Llanos won with a time of 8:08:20. Henning believes he can beat that time.

“This is a fast bike course,” Henning said in an interview with Triathlete.com after today’s pro panel, “There is no other course like this in the United States. With a good run, [a sub-eight] is definitely possible.”

PHOTOS: 2011 Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas

Rapp agrees, pointing out the roads are mostly flat and smooth with few sharp turns. He also believes the impressive competitive field will be a contributing factor in the men’s pro race. Rapp cites Llanos’ performance at 2011 Ironman Arizona, a 7:59:38 win, as an example, saying that a competition between Llanos and Amey fueled his fast performance.

“We are all racing hard out there,” adds Henning, “In this race, it is not likely we will have strong winds [like Ironman Arizona] that might normally cause someone to drop back and be more cautious.”

Though winds will likely not be a factor in Saturday’s race, a major impediment to a sub-eight performance may be found in the heat. The weather is expected to be in the high 80s and humid. Warm conditions are also expected to affect swim times. As of Thursday afternoon, water temperatures in Lake Woodlands were at 84 degrees; meaning that most likely both pros and age-groupers will be left to race without wetsuits.

If a sub-eight time takes place in Texas this weekend, it will be the first time an athlete has broken that mark without wearing a wetsuit in the swim.

Susan Lacke writes the “Out There” column for Competitor.com.