Five-Time ITU World Champion Javier Gomez Leads Pro Field At Des Moines Escape Triathlon

An elite field of professional triathletes are set to compete in the 2017 Des Moines Escape Triathlon, taking place on Sunday, September 3. Five-time ITU World Champion Javier Gomez leads a field of more than 20 elite pros set to compete for the $20,000 prize purse including Olympians Jarrod Shoemaker and Sarah Haskins, 2017 Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon Champion Lauren Goss, 2017 IRONMAN 70.3 Pan American Champion Kevin Collington and more.

“I’m excited to race in one of the new Escape Series triathlons,” said five-time ITU World Champion Javier Gomez. “I love to race non-drafting triathlons in the U.S., and I have great memories of racing several times in Des Moines. I hope my hard training sessions on my time trial bike to prepare for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship will pay off for this race as well.”

The pros will join triathletes ranging in age from 6 to 77 years of age for this annual race. New this year, the Des Moines Escape Triathlon will serve as a qualifying race for the 2018 Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. The top three finishers per Olympic age group will receive coveted entry slots into the iconic San Francisco race. First place finishers in each age group will also win a complimentary race entry.

Professional triathletes set to compete in the 2017 Des Moines Escape Triathlon include:

Men:

Elliot Bach
Casey Bateman
Rodolphe Von Berg
Kevin Collington
Robbie Deckard
Daniel Feeney
Javier Gomez (Olympian)
Andrew Keily
Jackson Laundry
Alex Libin
Garrick Loewen
Michael Lori
Steve Mantell
Andrew Mueller
Michael Phinney
Jarrod Shoemaker (Olympian)
Nicholas Sterghos
Nicholas Vandermolen
Jason West
Timothy Winslow

Women:

Kaitlin Donner
Lauren Goss
Sarah Haskins (Olympian)
Carly Johann
Heather Lendway

“Des Moines has been a special place with regards to racing for me, and I’m thrilled to be back this year racing in the Escape Series,” said Olympian Sarah Haskins. “I have raced there seven times in the past 10 years. I love the course, and the city. I look forward to getting back into racing after maternity leave.”

The challenging Olympic distance course of the Des Moines Escape Triathlon will take participants on a 1.5k swim through Gray’s Lake, located in the heart of the city; a 40k bike ride through historic Des Moines; and then a final, 10k run that will finish at the Iowa State Capitol. Formerly the Hy-Vee Triathlon, the all-new Des Moines Escape Triathlon will offer an action-packed weekend including both Olympic and Sprint distance races, as well as the Des Moines Tri Expo.