Julie Rechel (Richmond ’11) earns spot on USA Triathlon Team for the 2012 World University Games

Julie Rechel (Richmond ’11) earned spot on the
USA Triathlon Team for the 2012 World University Games
today on South Carolina.

Congratulations to Spider Alumni Julie Rechel (UR ’11) on qualifying today for the U.S. team for the 2012 World University Games Triathlon Championships to be held next June 29-30 in Yilan County, Chinese Taipei.



Rechel, who holds the 10K record for the women’s track & field program at Richmond, was the 2nd place finish among qualified competitors and 9th over-all (2:06:05) at today’s 2011 TriSports.com Halfmax Triathlon Championship in Myrtle Beach, SC. The race consisted of a 1500M swim, 24 mile bike followed by a 10K (6.2 miles) run.

As the competitors exited the water Rechel held 15th place (25:14) in the race. A smooth transition from the swim to the bike, followed by an excellent bike segment (1:00:58) she moved back into contact with the main field with the 4th fastest bike leg on the day. The bike led to one of her strongest race segments, the run. Today she finished with the 7th fastest run (39:15) to secure a spot on the USA team for the 11th World University Games Triathlon Championships.

Julie Rechel Quote: “I’m really excited to make the USA national team for the World University Games next summer!..There are a lot of differences in the rules for the professionals; particularly the ability to draft during the bike was a lot of fun. That’s where I was able to regain contact with the main field.”

The 2011 TriSports.com Halfmax Triathlon Championship in Myrtle Beach, SC is one of the 6 events in the USA Triathlon Elite Race Series. The Myrtle Beach site was chosen as one of the race series events that will help prepare the U.S. professional athletes for the 2012 Olympic Games.

2011 marks the debut of the USA Triathlon Elite Race Series. USA Triathlon created a domestic, six-event series that delivers an opportunity for the nation’s top Olympic-distance triathletes to compete for prize money and a series title — all while honing the draft-legal racing skills necessary to challenge for the podium at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

The six events that comprise the series were held in Clermont, Fla. (March 5), Monroe, Wash. (June 25), San Francisco (July 9), Miami. FL (May 22), Buffalo, N.Y. (Sept. 24) and Myrtle Beach, S.C. (Oct. 9). Each site also hosted an age-group race in conjunction with the elite event. Each race featured a maximum field of 200 elite athletes and offered a $50,000 prize purse.