The Triathlon Chronicles

The Racing Diary

Potts Claims First U.S. Triathlon Title In Hawaii

By Brent Smith

Nearly two months after his Ford Ironman 70.3 California victory, U.S. Olympian Andy Potts returns to competition in style by winning his first USA Triathlon National Championship title at the 2007 Honolulu ITU Triathlon Pan American Cup.

HONOLULU, Hawaii (May 20, 2007) Despite taking a small break from racing during the past two months, Athens Olympian Andy Potts (Colorado Springs, Colo.) has kept himself busy, not just in his training, but in his preparation with his wife, Lisa, for the birth of their son, Boston. The recent addition to Team Potts certainly provided more than enough motivation for him to continue his winning ways and capture his first U.S. Triathlon title.

“Having a child is unlike anything I’ve experienced in my life,” said Potts.  “The first thing I felt when they handed the baby to Lisa was a powerful sensation of pride. Personally, it’s hard to explain how emotional it is, and professionally, I definitely feel that it has reinforced my motivation to excel in the sport. It’s a sign of good things to come.”

In Hawaii, Potts took advantage of the calm, early-morning waters and immediately took the lead with Brian Fleischmann just behind. Together, the two athletes started the bike with a gap on the rest of the field and worked hard to extend that lead throughout the cycling leg.

“It was just me and Brian hammering the whole way,” Potts said. “The roads were pretty good and there was a little breeze, but nothing that would affect the race that much, so we were able to continue pulling away from the chase pack.”

With about a minute and a half lead heading onto the run course, Potts just focused on starting the run strong and immediately put some space between him and Brian. “I just wanted to push myself in the beginning, maintain, and see how my body felt. Everything was comfortable and I had a good lead so I was able to just enjoy the last few miles.”

“I had been anxious to race and was confident in my preparation, so I was willing to go solo on the bike,” said Potts, “but Brian was there out of the water so we were able to work together. I’m really happy he got on the podium with me. It wasn’t a huge field, but it had a strong American presence and it was nice to race well and win in front of my family.”

It was the second National title of his career, the first earned at the 1995 USA Swimming National Championships where Potts won the 800 meter Freestyle.

Potts will race next at the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon on June 3, followed by his return to the ITU World Cup circuit. He is hoping to improve on his second-place finish from the 2006 event.