Fearless Pro Race To Host Olympians Tomorrow

Published April 23, 2013 06:25PM

Olympic athletes will be racing Fearless Pro’s unique racing format for a share in the $20,000 prize purse.

Fresh off racing the ITU World Triathlon Series race in San Diego over the weekend, several ITU pros have stuck around town to race the Fearless Pro triathlon for a share of the $20,000 prize purse on Wednesday. The race will take place at South Shores Park near Fiesta Island in San Diego, and will feature a super sprint distance: a 375-meter swim, 6K bike and 1.5K run.

For the women’s race, there won’t be a qualifying heat, just the finals at 5:30 p.m., when the women will race the super sprint race two times through (instead of going to the finish line, they head to transition to take off their running shoes and return to the ocean). The women’s race will feature a deep field: Olympic bronze medalist Erin Densham of Australia, fourth-place Olympics finisher Sarah Groff of the U.S., recent ITU WTS San Diego champ Gwen Jorgensen of the U.S., two-time Olympian Andrea Hewitt of New Zealand, and Olympian Aileen Reed of Ireland.

For the men’s race, only athletes who have competed at a 2013 World Triathlon Series race (either Auckland or San Diego) are automatically qualified into the “A Finals.” All the other competing men will race in one of two qualifying heats at 2 p.m. or 2:30 p.m., in which they’ll race the super sprint just one time through. The top-five men from each of those heats plus the next two fastest athletes (regardless of which heat) will race the double super sprint in the A Finals at 6:30 p.m. Anyone who doesn’t qualify for the A Finals can race in the B Finals at 3:30 p.m. to gain extra racing experience (not for a share in the prize purse). The men’s field will feature a few Olympians as well: fifth-place Olympics finisher Laurent Vidal of France, reigning U23 world champion Aaron Royle of Australia, Olympian Ivan Vasiliev and his younger brother Denis Vasiliev of Russia, Americans Joe Maloy, Tommy Zaferes Kaleb Van Ort and Eric Lagerstrom, and long-course athletes Luke McKenzie and Clayton Fettell of Australia.

The winners of the A Finals will each receive $2,500, and the prize purse will pay 10 deep (the 10^th-place male and female will received $200). The race format is ideal for spectators—the 6K bike is five laps and the 1.5K run is two laps, so spectators will see the athletes multiple times. At 5 p.m. spectators can also participate in the Fearless Mile, a one-mile foot race taking place on the same course that the pros are racing on. The proceeds will go to the Challenged Athletes Foundation’s Boston Support Fund.

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