A record field of paratriathletes took to the Hudson River, the West Side Highway, and Central Park on July 18 for the 2010 Accenture USA Paratriathlon National Championship, which was held in conjunction with the Nautica New York City Triathlon. Twelve athletes claimed individual national titles, and each competitor that bested the 4-hour mark qualified to compete at September’s ITU Paratriathlon World Championship in Budapest, Hungary.
Racing for the first time after a two-year injury hiatus, veteran “One Arm Willie” William Stewart of Boise, Idaho, posted the top overall finish in the Olympic-distance event in 2:16:14 to take home the TRI-4 (arm impairment) category. Robin Caruso of Ridgefield, Connecticut, repeated as women’s TRI-4 champion in 2:54:24 and logged the top women’s time of the day. A total of eight national champions were repeat winners from last year.
Joining Caruso as repeat champions were men’s TRI-1 (handcycle) winner Oscar Sanchez of La Mesa, California; women’s TRI-2 (transtibial or higher amputation) victor Sandy Dukat of Denver, Colorado; women’s TRI-3 (Les Autres) champ Beth Price of Spanish Fort, Alabama; TRI-5 (transtibial or lower amputation) winners Megan Fisher of Missoula, Montana, and J.P. Theberge of Carlsbad, California; and TRI-6 (visual impairment) champions Ivonne Mosquera of Midland, Michigan, and Aaron Scheidies of Seattle, Washington.
Also claiming national titles Sunday were women’s TRI-1 champion Carly Waugh of Knoxville, Tennessee; men’s TRI-2 winner Mark Barr of San Luis Obispo, California; and men’s TRI-3 winner Craig Vogtsberger of Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Barr was competing in just his second triathlon. Theberge posted the second-fastest men’s time, 2:19:04, while Fisher logged a time of 3:05:48 to rank second among all female paratriathletes.
In addition to the athletes in the national championship wave, a number of paratriathletes competed in the new, open Physically Challenged Division, which helps meet the needs of emerging populations of paratriathletes. Ryan Van Praet and Patricia Walsh had the fastest times in this division.
“It’s unprecedented in the world to have [70] paratriathletes in one race, so we’re really, really happy,” said Jon Beeson, co-chairman of USA Triathlon’s paratriathlon committee.
Leading the way in the championship division was Stewart, who credited his victory to a strong swim. “Being an old guy and a veteran, you do get some advantages,” Stewart said. “You’re a little more experienced; you’ve got more races under your belt, and I knew how to stay relaxed.” “Because I pulled off such a good swim today, it put me in a spot where I could kind of chill out. Not that I went slow, but I knew if I could see those guys then I had a shot at winning it. T1, I was in first, and T2, I was only down by maybe 20 seconds, so I thought that was going to be it. It was up to me to just not fall apart.”
Caruso won her third straight title after losing the use of her arm when she was in an accident on a training ride in July 2007. “It’s our national championship, so it’s kind of a must win,”: Caruso said. “It’s such a big race. It’s home for me; I live in Connecticut, so my family’s here. “This was the first race that I did after my crash that made me lose my arm, so it’s kind of sentimental to me. It’s always the anniversary of my crash, so it’s kind of a ‘fight back’ sort of thing.”
The enthusiastic New York crowd also served as a motivating factor for a number of the athletes. “As I was running down 72nd Street, I just had a grin on my face, ear to ear,” said Fisher, who is the defending TRI-5 world champion. “I’ve never had this much crowd support. I feel like I’ve raced some big-name races before, but this was astronomical in its support.”
Melissa Stockwell, who was second in the TRI-2 category in her first nationals appearance agreed. “It’s hot, but the crowds and the scenery and running through Central Park-you can’t really beat that. Crossing that finish line, the cheers kind of keep you going all the way until the end,” said Stockwell, who recorded a personal-best time. “It’s awesome.”
Fisher summed up the attitude of all competitors, who battled steamy conditions to cover 31.9 miles Sunday. “I think completing a triathlon is proof of just how able you are, whether you’re an able-bodied athlete or a challenged athlete. It’s just proof that we are all capable of greatness of more than we give ourselves credit.”
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