Race Previews

Claire-Bear's Debut...

Thursday, 22 March 2012 03:00

(Photo - Claire Bootsma. Claire-Bear will make her pro duathlon debut on Saturday.)

Race Preview - Minneapolisians Dan Hedgecock and Claire Bootsma will make their pro duathlon debuts on Saturday at Powerman Alabama, which is staged at Oak Mountain State Park near Birmingham. The event consists of a 10K run, 40K bike and 5K run and serves as the 2012 USAT Elite Duathlon National Championship. A prize purse totaling $10,000 will be distributed among the Top 5 male and female finishers.

Can Dan and Claire pocket some cash this weekend? We hope so. We know, as they do, that it won't be easy, though. They will be facing seasoned elite du vets, including St. Paul's David Thompson, who is a three-time PMAL champ. And yes, it wouldn't surprise us if DKT took home the biggest check on Saturday. But even for him, as we said earlier in this paragraph, it won't be easy....

Many of the elite participants have yet to race in a multisport event this season. A few, like Hedgecock (5th at the Clermont DL Challenge three weeks ago), have the advantage of having raced at least once.

Here are the athletes that Claire, who can probably stand on her head (photo below R) longer than any of those adversaries, will be facing on Saturday:

ELITE GIRLS

D'Ann Arthur (Dallas, TX) - Third year pro triathlete with limited du experience. She did win the Frost Yer Fanny Du in February by a wide margin, albeit against non-elite competition. D'Ann is going to med school and like most Southwesteners, loves guac. Can Claire beat her? We think so.

Marisa Asplund (Durango, CO) Marisa won a long course version of PM Alabama two years ago. A former pro road cyclist, Asplund probably wishes that the bike course were longer than 40K but is pleased that the final run is only 5K. Marisa loves olives and pistachios. Can Claire beat her? Probably not this year.

Jacqui Aubert (Crystal Lake, IL) - Jacqui was the amateur champion here in 2010. However, she finished 24 minutes behind the pro winner (Asplund). Her results to date suggest that she is not quite ready to take on a field as good a this one. Jacqui loves cookie dough. Claire should beat her.

Angi Axman (Phoenix, AZ) - This German transplant won Elite Du Nationals in Tucson last year against many of the girls she'll face on Saturday. Her favorite movie is "Hangover 2" and we assume she likes schnitzel. We don't expect Claire to beat her.

Rachel Chambers (Sarasota, FL) - A pro for the last 3-4 years, her results have been medium dazzle. She eats a lot of hummus. And we believe that Claire will beat her handily.

Kelly Fillnow (Charlotte, NC) - A first year pro with outstanding long-distance tri creds (9:29 IM PR). We don't expect her to be a factor on Saturday. She needs a lot more race course to be effective. Kelly eats bison burgers and sometimes plays tennis. Can Claire beat her? We think she will.

Amy Kloner (Phoenix, AZ) - Amy was the 2007 USAT Amateur Duathlete of the Year, boasting wins that year at a Long Course Duathlon Worlds and Long and Short Course Nationals. She's a hoot and she likes Lebanese food. Despite her resume, we believe that Claire will give her a run for her money, and may even come out on top in their head-to-head race.

Leslie LaMacchia (Houston, TX) - Leslie's resume does not suggest that she will finish in the money on Saturday. She's very pretty and loves grilled chicken sandwiches with fries, and yes, we think Claire will outrace her.

Nicole LaSelle (Dayton, OH) - Nicole was 2nd in 2011 at Elite Du Nationals and a Top 10 finisher at Gijon Worlds. She loves movies and almond butter. We don't expect Claire to beat her this year.

Deanna Newman (Birmingham, AL) - Deanna has a sweet resume and always seems to race well at PMAL. She's also a beautiful girl who is painfully shy at times. We've known Deanna for a dozen years or more, and though she is 41, muscle memory gives her the edge in her womana-a-womana battle with Claire. Deanna loves nachos more than life itself.

Michelle Parsons (Worcestershire, England) - A great duathlete who won PMAL last year, Michelle is now 46 and her best results appear to be in long distance races. We believe that Claire, who'll need a big lead over Michelle during the opening 10K run, can give the European star a great race. Advantage, however, goes to the more experienced Parsons.

Ann Curi-Preisig (Falmouth, MA) - We've known Ann since the early 90s and love her to pieces. She's had a superstar resume and has been one of duathlon's best ambassadors for two decades. Like Parsons, though, she's in her middle 40s now and unfortunately, it appears that her best racing is well behind her. Claire should beat Ann on Saturday. When Ann bakes chocolate chip cookies she uses extra brown sugar.

Looking back at our assessment, we predict that Claire will beat seven of the 13 elite girls in the current field. This would place her in 6th place overall, which would be a tremendous debut effort and only one spot out of the money. And Claire would learn a ton and come away from the experience as a smarter, faster athlete.

But we hope we're wrong. We'd love to see Claire crack the Top 5 and come away with smarts and speed, and cash, too. As one who takes her smile with her wherever she goes, we know she'll make the absolute most of the experience.

We'll evaluate the athletes that Dan will face in tomorrow's edition of MTN.