2010 USAT Age Group Nationals

Steamy hot and humid air, 83-degrees plus temps in the tea dark Black Warrior River, and the inspiring statues of legendary Alabama Crimson Tide coaches like Bear Bryant and Wallace Wade lent an atmosphere of athletic greatness to the USA Triathlon Age Group nationals in Tuscaloosa on September 25.

Kaleb Vanort and Mandy McLane won overall at the USAT age group nationals at the Olympic distance in Tuscaloosa, and 1,312 others pushed hard
in the heat.

All photographs © Timothy Carlson

Stephanie Smith, 29, of Metairie, Louisiana at speed.

Elizabeth Kuhl, 30 of Cincinnati, Ohio gets a kiss before her race.

Like coiled springs before the swim start are Reenie Parker, 51, of Riverside Connecticut (number 494) and Barbara Kuhlemeier, 52, of Minot North Dakota. (number 502). Kuhlemeier placed 3rd in 50-54 in a time of 2:24:36.

Swim pack midway through the 1.5 K course in the Black Warrior River.

Ida Jonsen, 52, of Broomfield, Colorado exits the swim.

Glad the swim is over.

Karen McKeachie of Ann Arbor, Michigan won yet another age group national title with a 2:28:47 finish in Women’s 55-59.

Roger Brockenbrough putting on his helmet for the bike. He won Men’s 75-79 in 3:14:03.

Kathryn Honderd, 27, of Atlanta Georgia at speed on the bike.

Tom Torildsen, 55, of Matthews, New York on the bike.

Stephen Milford, 25, of League City, Texas.

Maura Guthrie, 48, of Dallas Texas, rides past a foundry on the age group bike course.

A woman with number obscured runs past USAT signage at the race center at Manderson Landing.

Male competitor runs past an old wooden elevated railroad track.

Fred Soltow, 62, of Shepherdstown, West Virginia and Amy Rappaport, 50, of Tewksbury Township, New Jersey, run under a tall highway bridge on the run course. Rappaport finished 6th in 50-54 in 2:30:43. Soltow was 8th in 60-64 in 2:33:45.

Roger Little, 70, of Bedford, Massachusetts runs up a hill at the far end of the run course. Little won 70-74 in 2:36:46.

Brett Nichols (775) 27, of Brookline, Massachusetts, Benjamin Trnka, 22, of Collegeville, Minnesota (607), and Eugene O’Donnell, 31, of Madison, Wisconsin (929) run past the Tuscaloosa water tower.

Austin Jackson, 33, of Virginia Beach, Virginia runs past a gleaming concrete and glass office building in the trees on the run course

Matthew Maley, 23, of Lantana Florida (number 623) runs away from a pack of competitors over a wooden bridge.

Joanna Fiddler, 28, of Stillwater, Oklahoma, passes two other runners on Tuscaloosa’s River Walk. Fiddler was 5th in 25-29 in 2:15:17.