Challenge St Andrews race week has arrived. This weekend will feature the top amateur and professional athletes in the sport racing in the beautiful seaside resort town of St. Andrews-by-the-Sea. One of Canada's oldest tourist resorts, featuring the iconic Algonquin Resort, St Andrews has been a tourist destination for over a century.
This year's elite race will feature professional triathletes from as far away as Italy, New Zealand and Australia, as well as across Canada and the United States. Local residents will be excited to watch Cedric Boily compete in front of his family and friends after coming off strong recent performances in the professional fields in Puerto Rico and Mont Tremblant. Another Canadian to watch will be Taylor Reid. Moving up from ITU racing to the longer distance, Reid has been on fire with a second place finish in a stacked pro field two weeks ago in Mont Tremblant as well as a top five finish in Oceanside, California earlier this season.
In the women's race, top Canadian pro Melanie McQuaid will by vying for the win in St. Andrews. A 3 time Xterra World triathlon Champion and ITU World cross champion, McQuaid is a popular figure in the Canadian triathlon scene. Last year's second place female, American Charisa Wernick, will be back in St. Andrews and is also coming off a strong performance in Mont Tremblant.
The full pro athlete start list includes:
Women's field:
1. Charisa Wernick (USA)
2. Melanie McQuaid (Canada)
3. Jillian Peterson (USA)
4. Kristen Marchant (Canada)
5. Caroline St-Pierre (Canada)
6. Molly Roohi (USA)
7. Kate Bevilaqua (Australia)
8. Alexandra (Ola) Besser (USA)
Men's Field:
1. Cedric Boily (Canada)
2. Dan Feeney (USA)
3. Kyle Pawlaczyk (USA)
4. John Kenny (USA)
5. Mikael Staernathan (Canada)
6. Taylor Reid (Canada)
7. Alberto Alessandroni (Italy)
8. John Hirsch (USA)
9. Pierre-Yves Gigou (Canada)
10. Mike Caiazzo (USA)
11. Guy Crawford (New Zealand)
12. Iain Alexandridis
13. Alistair Eekman
The weekend includes the Challenge St Andrews Expo, TRI St. Andrews Sprint Triathlon and the Run St. Andrews 5 km and 10 km runs. The title sponsor, Kingsbrae Garden, along with the Algonquin Resort will be hosting Saturday's Kids Splash and Dash.
For a schedule of events and to follow the race on Sunday, log on to www.challenge-standrews.com. Updates will be provided throughout Sunday on Facebook and Twitter or through AtlanticChip Timing (www.atlanticchip.ca) for all race day updates.
