Race Previews

DKT, Hedge & Claire-Bear....

Monday, 23 April 2012 11:10

Event Preview - David Thompson, Dan Hedgecock and Claire Bootsma will kick off their 2012 tri seasons at the iconic St. Anthony's Triathlon in St. Petersburg, Florida, next Sunday. David will be facing one of the deepest pro fields that this 29th-year-old event has ever assembled, while Dan and Claire, who like each other a lot, will take on large and talented elite amateur fields.

A $65,000 purse will be distributed amongst the Top 10 pro men and women. For DKT, who has finished, as they say, in the money, on four prior occasions here, to come home with a check in his pocket on Sunday, he will have to outrace several of the sport's best practitioners. This year's field features five former champs. They are Matty Reed (2008, 2007), three-time Czech Olympian / two-time European champion Filip Ospaly (2011), Cameron Dye (2010), Andy Potts (2009) and six-time podium finisher, Greg Bennett (2005). Also in the field are international stars Bevan Docherty and Terenzo Bozzone of New Zealand, Steward Hayes of ....

Great Britain, Paul Matthews of Australia. Docherty, a former World Champion and Olympic medalist, is racing well right now and some consider him to be the favorite to win.

Two other Americans who deserve mention here are Ben Collins, who is off to a great start in 2012 (1st @ Lima Pan Am Cup and 2nd @ South Beach), and Tim O'Donnell, who has two 70.3 victories already this season.

DKT would have to outrace at least one of the aforementioned guys in order to make the 10-step podium. This assumes that any of the other 38 unmentioned male pro challengers don't turn in breakout efforts.

Will he do it? Will David, for the fifth time, earn some money at St. Anthony's?

We think he will!

Is a podium finish in the cards for Claire and Dan? We think so. Let's discuss Boots' situation first.

As we see it, Claire Bear's stiffest competition will come from defending Elite Amateur champ Kailand Cosgrove (FL) and last week's 3rd