Chrabot & Oeinik win USA Champs
Matt Chrabot and Jasmine Oeinck each used convincing runs to pull away from the rest of the competitors and claim the men’s and women’s titles at the 2009 USA Triathlon Elite National Championship on Saturday. It was the first championship win for both of the rising young stars of the sport. Oeinck (Littleton, Colo. / Boulder, Colo.) had done well overseas in recent years, claiming two ITU U23 World Championship silver medals, but this time she made it count in her home country by surviving in the summer southern heat and outrunning Jenna Shoemaker and Hayley Peirsol to get her first triathlon title. It was Peirsol who set the pace early by taking a 1:25 lead into the first transition. Peirsol’s typically strong swim in the 83-degree Black Warrior River set her up to lead the majority of the bike. She was finally caught at the start of the final of six laps by a chase group consisting of Oeinck, Shoemaker, Margaret Shapiro, Jennifer Spieldenner, Jillian Petersen, and Mary Beth Ellis. Ellis was the first to fade. In obvious pain on the bike, the 2009 Pan American Confederation champion pulled out of the race with a hamstring injury. With pre-race favorite Ellis out, Oeinck took advantage, using a race best 35:14 run to seal the win in a time of 2:02:49. Shoemaker ran to second in 2:03:17, with Peirsol grabbing third in 2:04:29. Peirsol, who swam at nearby Auburn University, produced a strong run of 36:48. “Everyone did a really good job out there. It was a tough race,” said the 24-year-old Oeinck. “Hayley was so far ahead. She was phenomenal. I just tried to encourage everyone [in our group] that we could get her, if we kept working and plugged away. It’s a really nice feeling to hold the finish line tape. It’s pretty cool.” The race also featured athletes competing for the U23 national title. The women’s crown went to Spieldenner, who finished fifth overall in the race and edged Lauren Goldstein-Kral (7th overall) and Amanda Hahn (8th overall). “I was happy where I finished overall,” said Spieldenner. “The U23 national title means a lot to me. It’s very exciting to have it on my resume. I’ve very excited to see what I can do [in the sport] over the next few years.” In the men’s race, Chrabot (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Virginia Beach, Va.) exited the water with Dustin McLarty, Tim O’Donnell and Brian Fleischmann, and that group built a slight advantage over a four-man chase pack of Matt Reed, Kevin…
