Chrabot Takes Pan American Title in Puerto Vallarta

USA Triathlon National Team member Matt Chrabot capped a memorable 2010 season with a victory Sunday at the Puerto Vallarta PATCO Triathlon Pan American Championships. Jarrod Shoemaker, Gwen Jorgensen and Jillian Petersen added podium finishes for the United States.

After taking fourth at the same event a year ago, Chrabot (Colorado Springs, Colo.) finished atop the men’s field in 1 hour, 54 minutes, 48 seconds – more than a minute clear of his closest competitor – on the Olympic-distance course (1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run). Shoemaker (Maynard, Mass.) was third in 1:56:02.

Jorgensen (Milwaukee, Wis.), a first-year elite, posted a time of 2:05:24 to finish as the women’s runner-up, while Petersen (St. Louis, Mo.) was third in 2:06:28. Carla Moreno of Brazil captured the women’s title in 2:04:52. Kaitlin Shiver (Satellite Beach, Fla.) finished second among under-23 competitors in 2:10:18.

Nearly 100 of the top triathletes in the Americas were in action Sunday aiming for regional titles. PATCO – the Panamerican Triathlon Confederation – is comprised of 38 national federations in the Americas.

The women hit the water first Sunday, and Sara McLarty (Clermont, Fla.) took charge on the swim. She built a 55-second lead on the bike before being caught by the chase pack with two laps remaining. A group of 17, including Jorgensen and Petersen, hit T2 together, and Jorgensen eventually broke away from the pack on the run with Canada’s Kirsten Sweetland and Brazil’s Carla Moreno. Sweetland crossed the finish line first but was disqualified, moving Jorgensen, who posted a 36:56 run split, and Petersen to second and third, respectively.

Margaret Shapiro (Herndon, Va.), Rebeccah Wassner (New Paltz, N.Y.) and Annie Warner (Nine Mile Falls, Wash.) finished sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively, to give the U.S. five of the top eight finishers.

Chrabot, who was third last weekend at the Huatulco ITU World Cup and finished the ITU World Championship Series as the top-ranked American, was among the leaders from the start, as he was just 7 seconds down out of the water and led the race into T2. On the bike, Chrabot and Cameron Dye (Boulder, Colo.) led a breakaway group of four that built a 2-minute lead heading onto the run. Chrabot took charge out of T2 and held on to win by more than a minute.

Shoemaker closed strong with a 33:23 10k run split to grab a podium spot. Just as it did on the women’s side, the U.S. posted five of the top eight finishers in the men’s race. Kevin Collington (Orlando, Fla.), Steve Sexton (Pilot Hill, Calif.) and Ben Collins (Seattle, Wash.) grabbed fifth, seventh and eighth, respectively.

2010 PATCO Triathlon Pan American Championships – Click here for full results

Women’s Results
1. Carla Moreno (BRA), 2:04:52
2. Gwen Jorgensen (Milwaukee, Wis.), 2:05:24
3. Jillian Petersen (St. Louis, Mo.), 2:06:28

Men’s Results
1. Matt Chrabot (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 1:54:48
2. Leonardo Chacon (CRC), 1:55:58
3. Jarrod Shoemaker (Maynard, Mass.), 1:56:02

Women’s Under-23
1. Pamela Nascimento Oliveira (BRA), 2:10:07
2. Kaitlin Shiver (Satellite Beach, Fla.), 2:10:18
3. Maira Alejandra Vargas (COL), 2:15:25

Men’s Under-23
1. Adriano Sacchetto (BRA), 1:57:20
2. Matheus Diniz (BRA), 1:59:20
3. Jason Wilson (BAR), 2:00:55