COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Six U.S. elite triathletes are set to represent the stars and stripes at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, with individual Olympic-distances races on Saturday, July 27, and a Mixed Relay set for Monday, July 29. The entire American contingent — comprised of Sophie Chase, Mary Alex England, Avery Evenson, Austin Hindman, William Huffman and Jason West — will be making their Pan American Games debuts.
The elite women race first on Saturday at 11 a.m. ET (10 a.m. local time), followed by elite men at 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. local time). Athletes will complete a 1,500-meter swim off the beach of Agua Dulce, a six-lap, 40-kilometer bike around the Costa Verde Beach Circuit, and a 10-kilometer run finishing at the Lima Marina Club.
The Mixed Relay — a new event on the Pan American Games program — is set for Monday at 10 a.m. ET (9 a.m. local time). In the Mixed Relay race format, four athletes (two men, two women) each complete a super-sprint-distance triathlon before tagging off to the next teammate, with the fastest combined time winning the race.
The athletes who will comprise the U.S. Mixed Relay team will be determined at least two hours prior to race start on Monday. The U.S. is seeded No. 1 on the start list, as U.S. teams have reached the podium twice this season in the ITU World Mixed Relay Series. A total of 10 nations will field teams in the Mixed Relay event.
Leading the women’s squad into Lima is Chase (Burke, Va.) at No. 14 on the start list. A former NCAA Division I runner for Stanford University, Chase is in her third season as an elite triathlete. She is a three-time CAMTRI American Cup medalist and five-time ITU Triathlon World Cup top-15 finisher. Her resume also includes victories in non-drafting competitions, at the 2017 Nautica Malibu Triathlon and the 2018 Surf City Escape Triathlon.
At No. 17 on the start list is England (Raleigh, N.C.), also a former NCAA Division I runner at the University of Mississippi. England began competing on the elite ITU circuit just last year. She has already accumulated one CAMTRI silver medal, two CAMTRI bronzes and an ITU World Cup top-25 finish. In addition, she was the runner-up to Chase at the 2017 Nautica Malibu Triathlon.
Evenson (Brighton, Mich.) is 27th on the start list. She took fifth at the 2014 International Triathlon Union (ITU) Junior World Championships and fourth at the 2015 ITU Under-23 World Championships, before taking a three-year hiatus from triathlon to run NCAA Division I cross country and track for the University of Michigan. Evenson returned to triathlon in 2018, earning a silver medal at the FISU World University Triathlon Championships in Kalmar, Sweden. Earlier this season, she earned her first international win at the Clermont CAMTRI Sprint Triathlon American Cup.
The men’s roster is highlighted by Huffman (Colleyville, Texas), at No. 5 on the start list. Huffman is one of the most experienced athletes on the squad, having made his debut on the elite ITU circuit in 2011. He is a two-time USA Triathlon Elite National Championships bronze medalist (2014, 2018), an eight-time CAMTRI medalist and a five-time ITU World Cup top-10 finisher.
At No. 11 is West (Boulder, Colo.), the 2018 USA Triathlon Elite National Championships runner-up and a five-time CAMTRI champion. He is also a decorated triathlete in professional non-drafting events, winning the 2017 Philadelphia Escape and Nation’s Escape Triathlons and the 2018 Surf City Escape Triathlon.
Hindman (Wildwood, Mo.), seeded 21st, is the 2016 ITU Junior World Champion and a three-time ITU Junior World Championships competitor. He earned his first elite CAMTRI podium last year with a bronze in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador. Hindman ran NCAA Division I cross country and track for one season at the University of Missouri before joining USA Triathlon's Project Podium, a men’s elite development squad based at Arizona State University.
The U.S. has captured 11 all-time Pan American Games triathlon medals, including five golds, since the sport made its Pan American Games debut in 1995. Most recently, at the 2015 Games in Toronto, Kevin McDowell (Phoenix, Ariz.) captured silver in the men’s event.
Held every four years in the year before the Olympic Games, the Pan American Games are the third-largest international multi-sport Games after the Olympic Games and the Asian Games. The history of the Pan American Games dates back to 1951, when the Games were first hosted by Buenos Aires, Argentina. The 2019 Pan American Games mark the 18th celebration of the Pan American Sports Organization event. The U.S. has hosted the event twice, in Indianapolis in 1987 and Chicago in 1959.
Visit lima2019.pe/en and download the official Lima 2019 Media Guide for more information about the Pan American Games Lima 2019. Media covering the Pan American Games onsite or remotely may create an account at newsservices.lima2019.pe for access to sport previews, results and photos for editorial use.
Pan American Games Lima 2019 — Triathlon Competition Schedule
Saturday, July 27
11 a.m. ET: Individual Elite Women
2 p.m. ET: Individual Elite Men
Monday, July 29
10 a.m. ET: Mixed Relay
About USA Triathlon
USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon, as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and paratriathlon in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,300 events and connects with more than 400,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work at the grassroots level with athletes, coaches, and race directors — as well as the USA Triathlon Foundation — USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of the ITU and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).
