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steve out-kicks Macca at San Diego Grand Prix event

Sat, 6 Nov 2010 21:07:25 -0700

It came down to a spring finish for seventh place at the Super Sprint Triathlon Grand Prix in Oceanside, CA last weekend, and Steve just narrowly beat out two-time (and recent) Ironman World Champion Chris McCormack at the finish line.
Spectators described the finish as one of the most dramatic moments of the event, which featured separate races for elite men and elite women in which the athletes went twice through a swim-bike-run circuit. The men’s competition lasted only about 45 minutes as each swim leg was only 300 meters, each bike was a mere 5 miles, and each run only 1.5 miles. The event, the first of its kind in the U.S., is designed to be spectator and TV “friendly” with 8 laps for each bike leg and 4 laps for each run leg.
The action was fast paced, as athletes moved from one leg to the next every few minutes. Only a few seconds separated the top eight men; in longer formats, minutes can pass before the second place finisher arrives at the finish.
“This was the most fun I have had in sport,” Steve said after the race. “Obviously Macca trains for a much longer race than this one, but he is such an amazing athlete and strong competitor that I am incredibly proud to have been charging to the finish line beside him and happy to have just barely beat him.”
Steve had moved past Macca on the second of four laps on the final run leg, but Macca held on to the pace, staying just one step behind Steve all the way to the last turn.
“We went into a hair pin turn-around to line up with the finish about 200-300 meters away and I knew I had to gun it out of the turn to take advantage of the little time I would have ahead of him as he followed be through the turn,” Steve said. The strategy seemed to work as even a charging Macca was unable to edge Steve out, though he did move up alongside Steve in the final meters of the race.
“I didn’t even know if I had won,” Steve said. “I wasn’t looking anywhere except the target--finish line, so I didn’t know.”
Jarrod Shoemaker took top honors among Americans at the race, finishing in second place. The event was a test event for a series to debut in 2011 featuring high-paced, very short course elite racing.
“I can’t wait to race this format again next year,” Steve said. “I better work on my sprinting.”

STEVE ENDS 2010 As 3RD american IN OLYMPIC rankings

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 20:14:58 -0700

With his seventh-place finish in Puerto Vallarta at the Pan American Championships last weekend, Steve climbed to 62nd on the Olympic Qualifying Ranking, making him the third-highest ranked American behind 2008 Olympian Jarrod Shoemaker and Matt Chrabot. He also moved into 72nd in the international points rankings--his first break into the top-75 in the points ranking.
“I am really happy to have had successes in the second half of 2010,” Steve said. “They put me in a good position heading into 2011 and the first Olympic selection event in London next summer.”
Steve started the Olympic points chase late due to a debilitating running injury that disrupted his training through June. He also had a considerable points deficit after a problem-riddled 2009 season precluded him from earning the international points that are critical for gaining entry into top-level ITU events.
“As I looked ahead to London 2012 earlier this year, the path to the Olympics looked like a real hard one,” Steve said. “It looks a lot better now.”
Steve’s rankings will help him get into important world competitions next year. It will be critical for him to maintain high rankings in order to gain entry into the U.S. Olympic team selection events, which could be limited to six athletes. The U.S. expects to earn spots for three men--the maximum number of athletes permitted by the ITU, which is the international governing body for triathlon and a member of the International Olympic Committee.
Steve says he expects to resume the Olympic points chase in March at the season’s first World Cup in Mooloolaba, Australia.

7th at pan am champs to close the itu season

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:35:54 -0700

In his second international race in Mexico in as many weeks, Steve raced to a 7th place finish at the Pan American Championships in Puerto Vallarta yesterday. The race amid hot and humid conditions marks the end of his 2010 season with a sprint race in San Diego all that remains on the schedule this year.
Steve emerged from warm 85-degree waters in the cruise ship harbor just behind a lead group of six athletes. Despite the efforts of his chase group of eight athletes, the gap to the leaders opened up over the course of the six-lap 40-kilometer bike course. The course was a hazardous one, with rough cobblestone sections, pot holes, steep, unmarked potholes, large metal grates, and slick tile sections. The lead group, which included American Matt Chrabot, would lengthen the lead going into the second transition to nearly two minutes.
Exiting the bike in the chase group that had grown to nearly 20 athletes as several chase packs merged, Steve put in the 5th fastest run of the day to pass beat out all but a couple athletes from his chase group. Chrabot’s lead would not be overcome by any of the chasers, though, as posted the top finish of the day, running well ahead of the field for the entire run.
“I’m glad to have finished the ITU season on a strong note,” Steve said. “I scored some valuable international and Olympic-qualifying points here today and I think I am pretty well situated going into next season.”
One week prior to the Pan American Championship in Puerto Vallarta, Steve contested the Huatulco World Cup, also in Mexico. A solid run there, amid sweltering heat, earned him a 14th place finish, the highest World Cup finish of his career.
“I have not historically performed well in the heat and humidity,” Steve said. “So I am glad to have turned in three consistent performances in some very hot conditions.”
The final race of the season will be a sprint race in San Diego that will serve as the test event for the 2011 Super Sprint Grand Prix, a new series intended to bring new and exciting format of racing to the U.S.