Hursey, Zaferes Win Kelowna Sprint Pan American Cup

U.S. elite triathletes Katie Hursey and Tommy Zaferes topped the field at Sunday’s PATCO Sprint Triathlon Pan American Cup, held in conjunction with the long-running Apple Triathlon in Kelowna, Canada.

Read the race recaps from USA Triathlon below:

Women’s Race
Hursey won the 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike, 5-kilometer run event with a time of 59:36 after leading throughout the day. Canadian Paula Findlay was second in 59:52, and Erin Dolan (USA) took third place in 1:01:22 for her second-straight podium finish. It was Hursey’s first win since claiming victory in an early-season ITU World Cup in New Plymouth, New Zealand, and her third ITU podium finish this year.

The three podium finishers were among the first athletes out of the water, trailing Summer Cook (USA) by just a few seconds heading into the first transition. Hursey and Findlay remained side-by-side throughout the race, finishing the 20k bike leg together before Hursey made a break on the run. Hursey’s 17:07 5k run split gave her the advantage, with Findlay trailing by 16 seconds at the finish.

“I was really happy to have Paula there with me all day,” said Hursey in a post-race interview with Triathlon Canada. “We were extremely motivated and worked so well together. I love this course. I think it plays into my strength and it is very hard.”

Men’s Race
In the men’s race, Zaferes posted the winning time of 54:24 on the sprint-distance course for his first career ITU win. Australian Calvin Quirk had the fastest run time of the day to move into second place, finishing in 55:00, and Quirk’s compatriot Daniel Coleman finished in 55:08, claiming the final podium spot.

Zaferes, known for his swim prowess, came out of the water in the lead group and joined forces with Canadian Andrew McCartney and Eric Lagerstrom (USA) over the 20k bike. Though the two Australians were charging, Zaferes had built up a solid lead and maintained his position through the finish, crossing the line more than 30 seconds ahead of the field. The U.S. had six men finish in the top 10.

“The course was great and really suits me,” said Zaferes in his post-race interview. “I knew there were lots of fast runners so I swam and biked as hard as I could to open up a gap on the run. There was lots of give and take but we worked well together in the pack.”

Top elites will compete in ITU World Triathlon Stockholm this weekend prior to the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in Edmonton at the end of the month. The next Pan American Cup is scheduled for Sept. 7 in Monterrey, Mexico.

2014 Kelowna PATCO Sprint Triathlon Premium Pan American Cup
750m swim, 20k bike, 5k run

Elite Women
1. Katie Hursey (USA) 59:36
2. Paula Findlay (CAN) 59:52
3. Erin Dolan (USA) 1:01:22
4. Summer Cook (USA) 1:01:35
5. Allison Hooper (CAN) 1:01:45

Elite Men
1. Tommy Zaferes (USA) 54:24
2. Calvin Quirk (AUS) 55:00
3. Daniel Coleman (AUS) 55:08
4. Eric Lagerstrom (USA) 55:15
5. Andrew Mccartney (CAN) 55:17

Complete results.