Rev3 Wisconsin Dells Set For Sunday

The pro start list is filled with short-course speedsters for this Sunday’s race.

The Rev3 Triathlon series is headed back to Wisconsin Dells for the second year, where pros will vie for a $50,000 prize purse plus points in the overall series standings at the late-summer race. Pros will be racing on the Olympic-distance course (age-groupers will be racing in both the Olympic- and half-iron-distance races), and this is the fourth stop in the 2013 series.

The Dells course is known for its heat and hills. It starts with a 1500-meter swim in Lake Delton, and athletes will access the lake at the site of the Tommy Bartlett Ski Show, which features stadium seating for spectators. The 40K bike course is rolling, and follows the shore of Lake Delton as it heads out to rural Wisconsin, offering challenging terrain and views of the countryside. The 10K run course circles Lake Delton, and includes an out-and-back where athletes will see each other. The weather could play a role late in the run, with highs in the low 80s expected as well as the Midwest summer humidity.

“This course is hilly, beautiful and challenging,” said Charlie Patten, president of Revolution 3 in a press release. “With hills on the bike and hills on the run, each athlete is going to need to balance their strength and power throughout the race.”

PHOTOS: 2012 Rev3 Wisconsin

Men’s Race
In the men’s race, the man to beat will be Cameron Dye, who specializes in Olympic-distance racing and is known for his powerful bike. The 2012 Race to the Toyota Cup winner has had an impressive season so far, with wins at the Columbia Triathlon, Rev3 Knoxville, TriRock Philadelphia and Life Time Minneapolis.

This will be Dye’s first time racing on the course, so he has a slight disadvantage in not being familiar with the course. “I am stoked to be heading back to a Rev3 race this weekend, and even more excited that it will be on what looks to be a very tough course,” Cameron Dye said in a press release. “I missed it last year, and I always love a new course so this weekend should be really fun.”

Dye will come out of the water behind Dustin McLarty, who will likely push the pace on the swim. The question is whether Dye and other competitors Ben Collins, Kyle Leto and Eric Limkemann can stay on McLarty’s feet. McLarty’s lead could disappear quickly on the bike, with Dye, as well as Andrew Starykowicz and David Thompson racing. Starykowicz said earlier this year that he wants to be in the lead starting the run at every race he does, so he’ll definitely be powering on the bike.

The run will be the deciding factor for Dye, who certainly has the ability to stay with Starykowicz on the bike. The long hills on the run start at about mile 3 (of 6.2 total), so Dye and Starykowicz will have to have strong runs to cap their races before speedy runners such as Great Britain’s Will Clarke, Chris Foster and Kaleb VanOrt run them down, as they’re all capable of a 30-minute 10K. Other notable pros are Andrew Yoder, who hasn’t raced this summer, so his fitness is unknown; and Drew Scott, son of six-time Ironman world champ Dave Scott.

Besides $7,000 going to each of the winners, they’ll also earn 1,000 points in the Rev3 Pro Series. Limkemann is leading the series, Thompson is fourth, and Dye is in seventh, but a win in the Dells would give Dye second place in the series.

RELATED – Cameron Dye: “I’m Living The Dream”

Women’s Race
The women’s race at Wisconsin Dells is actually quite deep, and there’s no clear favorite. Top contenders include Danish pro Helle Frederiksen, who had a strong start to her 2013 season with wins at 70.3 San Juan in March and Nautica South Beach in April before an injury has kept her out of racing since May; Lauren Goss, the current Rev3 series leader and Rev3 Knoxville champ who is strongest at this distance; American Kelly Williamson, who used a crazy-fast run to narrowly win the half-iron-distance Rev3 Williamsburg; and Olympic-distance specialists (and twin sisters) Laurel and Rebeccah Wassner. Other podium contenders include Radka Vodičková of the Czech Republic, Jessica Jones and Jennifer Spieldenner.

Goss knows the course and is looking forward to racing this strong of a field. “This is the distance I specifically train for and have the most experience with so hopefully it will play into my advantage. I have been focusing on my cycling since moving to Tucson, Ariz., so I am very excited to see the last three weeks of very hard work pay off on the rolling terrain of the Dells,” Goss said in a press release. “The bike and run course are rolling and pretty tough so I am looking forward to suffering out there with the other girls.” Goss is leading the women’s series standings, with Williamson currently in second.

RELATED: Get To Know Helle Frederiksen

Pro Men
Adam Bohach (USA)
Andrew Starykowicz (USA)
Andrew Yoder (USA)
Ben Collins (USA)
Brent Poulsen (USA)
Brian Fleischmann (USA)
Brooks Cowan (USA)
Cameron Dye (USA)
Chris Braden (USA)
Chris Foster (USA)
Chris Leiferman (USA)
Damian Hill (USA)
Dan Feeney (USA)
Dan Hedgecock (USA)
Dan McIntosh (USA)
Daniel Tigert (USA)
David Thompson (USA)
Devon Palmer (USA)
Drew Scott (USA)
Dustin McLarty (USA)
Eric Limkemann (USA)
James Burns (USA)
Kaleb VanOrt (USA)
Kalen Darling (USA)
Kyle Leto (USA)
Michael Poole (NZL)
Paul Eicher (USA)
Ryan Frederickson (USA)
Thomas Maliszewski III (USA)
Tom Eickelberg (USA)
Wes Anderson (USA)
Will Clarke (GBR)

Pro Women
Emily Cocks (USA)
Helle Frederiksen IDEN)
Janet Edwards (USA)
Jennifer Spieldenner (USA)
Jennifer Tetrick (USA)
Jessica Jones (USA)
Kelly Williamson (USA)
Kyla Champan (USA)
Laurel Wassner (USA)
Lauren Goss (USA)
Lesley Smith (USA)
Lindsey Jerdonek (USA)
Lisa Mueller (USA)
Michelle Mighdoll (USA)
Radka Vodickova (CZE)
Rebecca Witinok-Huber (USA)
Rebeccah Wassner (USA)
Zana Buttermore-Baca (USA)

Our Twitter followers are the first to know about the latest in triathlon news. Follow us now @Triathletemag.