TriRock Philadelphia Reveals Pro Lineup

Organizers of the 2013 TriRock Philadelphia Triathlon, with title sponsor Johnson & Johnson and presenting sponsor Philadelphia Insurance Companies (PHLY), today revealed a first look at some of the pros who will be competing in this month’s Philly event.

In addition to a few top pro names, several decorated Challenged Athletes Foundation participants will compete.

Pro Field
In the men’s race, Americans Andy Potts, Matt Reed and Cameron Dye highlight the start list. Potts and Reed are both former Olympians, while Dye has been nearly unstoppable at non-drafting Olympic-distance events and is the defending champion in Philadelphia.

“I love racing in Philadelphia,” said Potts. “Growing up in Princeton, New Jersey, this is the closest thing I have to a hometown race. I am pumped to rock out at TriRock Philadelphia, alongside all of the participants.”

For the women, Canada’s Alicia Kaye will be the one to beat. She’s had a great start to the year and has proven to be one of the strongest at the distance in a non-drafting format.

Also looking to make some noise will be the Wassner twins who will look to make some noise. This will be Rebeccah Wassner’s first race back after having her daughter, Amy. For Laurel, it will be an opportunity to return to the top of the podium. Additionally, Sara McLarty, columnist for Triathlete magazine, is widely recognized as one of the fastest swimmers in triathlon and will put the heat on her competition on the swim course.

Pro triathletes will be competing as part of the new PHLY Cup pro division, which launched in partnership with Philadelphia Insurance Companies (PHLY). The PHLY Cup will evenly split a prize purse totaling $25,000 between the men and women top finishers in the Olympic distance.

CAF Athletes
CAF challenged athletes participating over event weekend will raise funds to support CAF’s mission in providing grants for adaptive sporting equipment, such as prosthetics and racing wheelchairs, advanced training, and competition expenses, which allow challenged athletes to succeed in sports and in life.

Several CAF participants will swim, bike and run to the finish on the Olympic course including Denise Castelli, a below-the-knee amputee who was featured on CNN’s Fit Nation with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and is training for an upcoming half-Ironman; Willie Stewart, left arm amputee and silver medalist in the Paralympic Games; Jamie Brown, last year’s winner at the USA Paratriathlon National Champion (TRI5); and Scout Bassett, two-time silver medalist at the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships.

Sarah Reinertsen, an athlete, motivational speaker and author, will race in the Sprint distance. She is the first woman on a prosthetic leg to finish the Ironman World Championship in Kona, in a very respectable finish time of 15 hours and 5 minutes. A year later she raced around the world on CBS’ hit show, “The Amazing Race.”

About the Event
The 9th annual event features three days of activities including a Multi-Sport Expo beginning on Friday, June 21 and a sprint-distance race at 7:30 am on Saturday, June 22. TriRock Philadelphia culminates with an Olympic distance event at 6:30 am on Sunday, June 23, which will welcome some of the best pro triathletes in the country. Fairmount Park will host the scenic and challenging race in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere, with a finish line concert taking place on both days of the event.

Named a top-five triathlon in the U.S. by Outside Magazine and lauded as one of the top big city triathlons by Inside Triathlon Magazine, TriRock Philadelphia will provide participants with a finisher’s medal, technical t-shirt, red carpet finish, post-race breakfast and beer garden.

TriRock Philadelphia is owned by Triathlete.com’s parent company, Competitor Group, Inc. To learn more about the TriRock series or to register for an event, visit Trirockseries.com.

RELATED:
– TriRock Philadelphia Announces PHLY Cup For Pro Athletes
– TriRock Philadelphia Offers Swim Clinics, New Buoy System

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