Possible Rematch between Jensen and Gollnick; Bless May Set Men's Standard
OTTAWA, Ill. (June 14, 2002) Ottawa, Ill., is preparing for Lycra-clad athletes to create wakes in their lake and burn rubber on their roads, when the city hosts its first triathlon ever, Starved Rock Triathlon, on Saturday, June 29th. More than 500 professional, elite amateur, weekend-warrior, and first-time triathletes, and nearly as many spectators, anticipate hot sunshine and high speeds on the point-to-point, Olympic distance racecourse.

The USA Triathlon-sanctioned event will begin with a 1.5 km (.93 mi) swim in the warm, flat water of Lake Holiday, shoot bicycles down a 14-mile stretch of turn-less LaSalle Cty. Rte. 2 (Hoxsey Rd.) and finish the net-loss-elevation 40 km (24.8 mi) cycle at Ottawa's Fox River Park. At the shade-covered transition area, nestled in a shady crook of the Fox River near its juncture with the Illinois River, athletes will turn on their running legs and take to a 10 km (6.2 mi) route, mostly on the gravel path along the historic Illinois & Michigan Canal with a dramatic finish in downtown Ottawa's Washington Park, site of the first Lincoln-Douglas political debate.

"We are excited that historic Ottawa has been chosen as the finish line for this new event," said Robert Eschbach, mayor of Ottawa.

"This course is going to be fast and fun," said Jeff Grady, race director, "and the community support from has been outstanding. Ottawa, Lake Holiday and so many of the residents and business people have welcomed us with open arms."

National and Local Athletes Alike
Anticipated athletes include professional triathletes Lauren Jensen, New Berlin, Wis., and Heather Gollnick, Hartford, Wis., and top amateurs Patrick Bless, 29, of Darmstadt, Germany, who is the 2001 USA Triathlon age-group champion for men 25-29, and Michael Boehmer, 22, Delafield, Wis., who is the 2002 Elkhart Lake International Triathlon champion. Anticipated athletes include professional triathletes Lauren Jensen, New Berlin, Wis., and Heather Gollnick, Hartford, Wis., and top amateurs Patrick Bless, 29, of Darmstadt, Germany, who is the 2001 USA Triathlon age-group champion for men 25-29, and Michael Boehmer, 22, Delafield, Wis., who is the 2002 Elkhart Lake International Triathlon champion.

Just a few weeks ago, on June 1st, Jensen took first place over Gollnick by 4:37 at Elkhart Lake. Gollnick has had quite a season in both duathlon and triathlon this year, and Jensen has been on a roll, too, finishing a close second to the world famous, long-course superstar Natascha Badmann at Memphis in May's Olympic distance race.

Bless who is currently living in Champaign, Ill., is pursuing a doctorate degree in Industrial Engineering at the University of Illinois. Most recently he placed fourth overall at the U.S. Collegiate National Championships and seventh overall at Memphis in May. Bless, who has raced the Ironman World Championship numerous times, is a five-time German national champion, two-time German national college champion, and also a world university champion.

Other noteworthy athletes to compete at Starved Rock include elite duathlete/triathlete Jeff Zematis, 26, Lake Forest, Ill., who is making an impressive comeback after a season-canceling car-vs.-bike accident last year, with numerous top ten overall finishes across the country so far this season including the fastest unofficial time at Springfield, Ill., last weekend (an inadvertent penalty cost him the overall win); and USAT All-American triathlete and multisport coach Adam Zucco, 27, St. Charles, Ill., who recently went sub-two-hours at Memphis in May last month; and internationally competitive Ironman Mark Bush, 36, Naperville, Ill., who has raced five times at the Ironman World Championships. On the women's side, Jenny Arbetman, 23, Naperville, who placed second at last week's Blackwater Eagleman, in Maryland, and who is a former USA Triathlon residence team member. She'll go head-to-head with short-course specialist Lindsay Yore, 34, Naperville, Ill., who has two top three overall finishes so far this season, including one where she bested Arbetman.

Local athletes at Starved Rock will include: Pam Booras, Jennifer Borkowski, Jay Bottarini, Jason Hartman, Matthew Hartman, Joe Hettel, Kirsty Lawson, Kenneth Nelson, Steve Phillips, Patricia Steinert, Michael Sutfin, Valerie Vesely, all of Ottawa, Ill.; Chad Kovash, Eileen Williams, Pete Witkowski, of Marseilles, Ill.; and Sarabeth Urech, Somonauk, Ill.

Some regional triathlon teams to be represented include Rocket Dog Racing, Headhunters, TriWisconsin, Multisport Madness, Mojo Multisport, and Tri-Sharks, among others. Ten states will be represented at the Starved Rock Triathlon, with athletes coming from as far away as Arkansas, Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota, and Texas.

Just a few weeks ago, on June 1st, Jensen took first place over Gollnick by 4:37 at Elkhart Lake. Gollnick has had quite a season in both duathlon and triathlon this year, and Jensen has been on a roll, too, finishing a close second to the world famous, long-course superstar Natascha Badmann at Memphis in May's Olympic distance race.

Bless who is currently living in Champaign, Ill., is pursuing a doctorate degree in Industrial Engineering at the University of Illinois. Most recently he placed fourth overall at the U.S. Collegiate National Championships and seventh overall at Memphis in May. Bless, who has raced the Ironman World Championship numerous times, is a five-time German national champion, two-time German national college champion, and also a world university champion.

Other noteworthy athletes to compete at Starved Rock include elite duathlete/triathlete Jeff Zematis, 26, Lake Forest, Ill., who is making an impressive comeback after a season-canceling car-vs.-bike accident last year, with numerous top ten overall finishes across the country so far this season including the fastest unofficial time at Springfield, Ill., last weekend (an inadvertent penalty cost him the overall win); and USAT All-American triathlete and multisport coach Adam Zucco, 27, St. Charles, Ill., who recently went sub-two-hours at Memphis in May last month; and internationally competitive Ironman Mark Bush, 36, Naperville, Ill., who has raced five times at the Ironman World Championships. On the womenaTMs side, Jenny Arbetman, 23, Naperville, who placed second at last weekaTMs Blackwater Eagleman, in Maryland, and who is a former USA Triathlon residence team member. SheaTMll go head-to-head with short-course specialist Lindsay Yore, 34, Naperville, Ill., who has two top three overall finishes so far this season, including one where she bested Arbetman.

Local athletes at Starved Rock will include: Pam Booras, Jennifer Borkowski, Jay Bottarini, Jason Hartman, Matthew Hartman, Joe Hettel, Kirsty Lawson, Kenneth Nelson, Steve Phillips, Patricia Steinert, Michael Sutfin, Valerie Vesely, all of Ottawa, Ill.; Chad Kovash, Eileen Williams, Pete Witkowski, of Marseilles, Ill.; and Sarabeth Urech, Somonauk, Ill. Some regional triathlon teams to be represented include Rocket Dog Racing, Headhunters, TriWisconsin, Multisport Madness, Mojo Multisport, and Tri-Sharks, among others. Ten states will be represented at the Starved Rock Triathlon, with athletes coming from as far away as Arkansas, Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota, and Texas.

Volunteers Make the Race
Most triathletes readily agree that volunteers are the real heroes-of-the-day, making the race much safer, more fun and successful for the participants. With opportunities to mark race numbers on tanned hard-bodies, lead them into and out of the fast-paced swim-to-bike and bike-to-run transitions, direct traffic for 500 colorful cyclists riding at speeds of more than 30 mph, and hand water and Gatorade to sub-six-minute-per-mile runners, volunteers are right in the action and very much a part of the event.

Dozens of Ottawans will help out on race day, and according to Mariann Grady, director of volunteers, Elkhart Lake Multisports, "these folks have every bit as much fun as the athletes, and a great post-race party to boot." A post-race party for volunteers and VIP's will be at the historic Ottawa Boat Club on the river. Grady notes that there are still many opportunities for volunteers and that all who are interested should contact her, toll-free, at (tel) 877-262-8148.

Notice for the Neighbors
The triathletes will be sharing roads with motorists from about 8:30 am until 1:00 pm, on Saturday, June 29th, with signs, volunteers, police and official vehicles marking the entire route, especially at intersections. One-way, southbound bicycle traffic will be present on LaSalle County Route 2 (Hoxsey Road) and portions of county roads N35, E19, E1951, N31, E18, and Champlain into Fox River Park, from about 8:30 am until 11:00 am. The cyclists are encouraged to stay to the right side of the road, so traffic will be able to pass, but motorists are strongly encouraged to drive with extra caution and patience. Traffic around Fox River Park and Washington Park will have minor detours, and through traffic on Norris Drive/U.S. Route 6 may experience delays.

Starved Rock Triathlon sponsors include Ottawa Visitors Center, Community Hospital of Ottawa, Adolf Kiefer, Gatorade, Motorola, and Baker's Breakfast Cookies. The first annual event is a USA Triathlon sanctioned event.