On a rugged, rainy, windy, storm-tossed day at the beach in Atlantic City, the third season of Major League Triathlon mixed relay team competition got underway on July 21 for a total purse of $35,000 fought over by nine teams of two men and two women.
Like the recent ITU Mixed Relay World Championship in Hamburg Germany won by the French team, each team consists of two men and two women. In Atlantic City, each member of their team attacked a mini sprint distance course of 300 meter swim, 3.5 mile bike leg and 1 mile run set in rough Atlantic City surf, riding 3.5 miles on the famed Boardwalk and finish with a 1 mile run in the sand.
The key moment in slam bang, highly competitive, back and forth racing came down to a battle between the Carolina Gliders’ Tommy Zaferes and Gold Coast Tritons; Brandon Copeland on the bike leg. When Copeland slid down, Zaferes ran off for the $7,000 team prize and Copeland picked up his bike and crossed the line second for the $5,000 runner-up team prize.
As if this sprint distance racing wasn't enough, Ben Kanute of the Carolina Gliders packed up his gear and drove 325 miles north to compete in the Boston Triathlon where he won the top male pro prize.
Major League Triathlon – Mixed Relay
Atlantic City, New Jersey
July 21, 2018
4 x S 300m / B 3.2 mi. / R 1 mi.
Results
Team Standings
1. Carolina Gliders 1:23:22 $7,000 (Ben Kanute, Tommy Zaferes, Chelsea Burns, Lindsey Jerdonek)
2. Gold Coast Tritons 1:23:43 $5,000 (Emma Jeffcoat, Ryan Fisher, Brandon Copeland, Jaz Hedgeland)
3. San Diego Stingrays 1:24:14 $4,000 (Taylor Spivey, Matt McElroy, Chelsea Sodaro, Seth Rider)
4. Arizona Kingsnakes $3,000 .1:24:29 Desirae Ridenour, Martin Sobey, Sophie Linn, Alex Hinton)
5. Guardianes de Guadalajara 1:24:32 $2,400 (Cecilia Pérez, Vanesa de la Torre, Abraham Rodriguez, Aram Peñaflor)
6. Florida Sun 1:25:19 $2,600 (John O’Neill, Kaitlin Donner, Megan Foley, Robby Webster)
7. Atlantic City Waves 1:27:28 $2,200 (Walter Schafer, Alex Wilimovsky, Erica Hawley, Cata Salazar)
8. Colorado Peaks 1:29:54 $2,000 (Jason West, Cam Dye, Erin Storie, Jessica Broderick)
9. Toronto Freeze INCOMPLETE $2,000 (Elise Bolger, Karol Ann Roy, Matthew Wright, Patrick Smith)
Individual awards winners TBD
All photographs © John Dimaio
Tommy Zaferes of the winning Carolina Gliders team.
L to R: Chelsea Burns, Ben Kanute, Tommy Zaferes, Lindsey Jerdonek (Carolina Gliders)
L to R: Karol Ann Roy (Toronto Freeze) Jaz Hedgeland (GC Tritons) Cata Salazar (AC Waves) Des Ridenour (Arizona Kingsnakes) Jess Broderick (Colorado Peaks) Kaitlin Donner ((Florida Sun) Chelsea Burns (Carolina Gliders) Taylor Spivey (San Diego Stingrays) Cecilia Perez (Guardianes Guadalajara)
L to R: Jess Broderick, Kaitlin Donner, Chelsea Burns, Taylor Spivey, Cecilia Perez, Cata Salazar,
L to R: Jess Broderick, Kaitlin Donner
L to R: Jaz Hedgeland, Chelsea Burns, Kaitlin Donner, Cecilia Perez
L to R: Jaz Hedgeland, Chelsea Burns, Cecilia Burns, Kaitlin Donner, Des Ridenour
Jess Broderick
L to R: Cata Salazar, Chelsea Burns, Des Ridenour
Ben Kanute
Ben Kanute
Ben Kanute
Alexander Hinton (Arizona Kingsnmakes)
Robby Webster (Florida Sun)
Sophie Linn (Arizona Kingsnakes)
Lindsey Jerdonek
Matt McElroy and Chelsea Sodaro (San Diego Stingrays)
Matt McElroy and Chelsea Sodaro (San Diego Stingrays)
Ben Kanute (Carolina Gliders)
