Collins at Huatulco
Comments Off Collins Takes an Impressive Seventh in Sweltering Conditions at Huatulco World Cup
Huatulco, Mexico – November 8, 2009
The 2009 Huatulco World Cup was the hottest race of the year for the International Triathlon Union. With a water temperature of 84 degrees, and air temperatures over 100 degrees with high humidity, the athletes were certainly faced with extreme conditions.
From the gun two Americans lead the swim. Dustin McClarty and Ben Collins were first and third out onto the bike with the rest of the 50 man field on their heels. The athletes were tentative due to the weather, and without anyone willing to take the lead for the rest of the group, the entire field came together quickly.
Each lap of the eight-lap bike course featured a large hill that reached 18% grade and took the competitors about 80 seconds to summit. Collins rode towards the front of the group but stayed conservative, following the lead of Olympian Jarrod Shoemaker. On the fourth lap when Matt Chrabot attacked up the hill, the rest of the field let him go, thinking he was setting the stage for his own demise. Over the remaining four bike laps, Charbot’s lead continued to grow over a lone chaser and the main pack, which whittled down to ten athletes.
The shattered main pack started the run together, and Collins found himself in a dog fight over the hilly four lap run. The athletes poured water over their heads, trying to stay cool while putting in surge after surge. As the group thinned Collins found himself running for fifth with two other athletes, Francisco Serrano (Mexico) and Ivan Tutukin (Russia). The final sprint found him in seventh place, just four seconds behind 5th and 47 seconds off the podium.
Collins more than achieved his top-10 goal for the race, and this result earned him a slot on USA Triathlon’s “Team 2012” focused on developing athletes for the London Olympics. Huatulco marked only his second World Cup Triathlon, and a seventh place finish proves his phenomenal improvement on the international scene. With a new level of running ability and confidence, Collins is looking forward to fighting for podium places in 2010.
Thank you for your support, allowing Ben Collins the opportunity to compete at such a high level. Please visit bencollins.org for a tentative 2010 schedule, 2009 results, a more in depth account of Huatulco, and other fun triathlon reading material.
