By Rob McNeely

June 20, 2013 (Tallahassee) – The Grand Prix season includes two events in the next 14 days, and several close races abound.  The next race is Saturday, June 22, an Olympic-distance event in Jacksonville.  The race after that is Freedom Springs (Sprint) in Marianna on July 4.

In the Men’s Overall Division (awarding points to the top five male Club members to cross the finish line at any Grand Prix race), Alan Cox looks to expand his five-point lead over Charlie Johnson.  Johnson will not race Saturday in Jacksonville, opting instead for Ironman Coeur d’Alene on Sunday in Idaho with fiancé Sandy Holt.  But Cox is only 15 points ahead of training partner Steve Steverson, and in the two Grand Prix races in which they went head-to-head, Steverson came out on top both times.  Cox’s top finish at the North Florida Triathlon (Sprint) gave him enough points to hold a lead over Steverson, who did not compete that day. Jason Venema is solidly in fourth place coming off a strong performance at the Gulf Coast Triathlon (70.3) where he was the top male finisher in the Club.  With the season not quite half over, nine men are within six points of one another for the fifth, and final, place.

On the Women’s side, five women are tied for second place with 30 points each, seven points behind Women’s Overall leader Sandy Holt.  With Holt continuing her “Quest for Kona” in Idaho this weekend, someone is going to unseat her and take the overall lead.  Click here to see the Male and Female Overall results.

All of the Age Group Division races are still in play in both genders at this point in the season.  (Age Group points are awarded to the first five Club members in each age group to finish at a Grand Prix event.)  Click here to see the Female Age Group results.  The Male Age Group results are available here.

Including June 22 and July 4, there are five Sprints, one Olympic, one Choice (your choice, Sprint or Olympic), one 70.3, and one Ironman left in the 2013 Grand Prix season.  The 70.3 (Augusta) and Ironman (Florida) are sold out, so if you want to enjoy that wonderful recognition and thunderous applause at our year-end awards ceremony, better sign up for some of the other races.  As the sign at a local gym says, “Know that showing up is half the challenge.”

Happy and safe racing!