Sarah Haskins-Kortuem & Ben Kanute Win St. Anthony's Triathlon

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., April 28, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Sarah Haskins-Kortuem and Ben Kanute claimed victories today at the 36th annual St. Anthony's Triathlon. World Champions, Olympians, and professional athletes from across the world comprised the field for this year's race, making it one of the most competitive races in event history.

Under clear skies and humid conditions, athletes battled each other over the Olympic triathlon distance (1.5K swim, 40K bike and 10K run). Since this year's event was a USAT Olympic Distance and Paratriathlon Regional Championship event, registered USAT athletes were able to qualify at the St. Anthony's Triathlon for the 2019 USAT National Championships in Cleveland, Ohio, to be held August 10-11, 2019.

For the women, Sarah Haskins-Kortuem crossed the tape in 1:58:54. To round out the podium, Lindsey Jerdonek finished in second place (1:59:18), and Alicia Kaye finished in third (2:03:30).

Haskins-Kortuem achieved a record eight wins at this year's St. Anthony's Triathlon. "I had to work the whole day," said winner, Haskins-Kortuem. "I was hurting on the swim, hurting on the bike, and hurting on the run. That made today special."

In the men's field, Ben Kanute took the top podium spot in 1:46:03, and was followed by Jason West in second (1:47:58), and Joe Maloy in third (1:48:34).

Kanute's first professional triathlon race was St. Anthony's Triathlon in 2013. Since that time, he has competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics and continued his professional triathlon career. "I have learned a lot since my first pro race," said Kanute. "St. Anthony's Triathlon is a classic race. There are not too many races like this."

In the Sprint Triathlon (Swim 750m, bike 20K, run 5K), the top three women were Yelena Maloney, Heather Butcher, and Celia Dubey and the top three male finishers were Braxton Bokos, Sam Geiman, and John Reback.

In total, over 3200 athletes competed in the weekend's St. Petersburg events from the Olympic Distance Triathlon, to the Sprint Triathlon, to the Kids' Meek & Mighty event.

"This year's St. Anthony's Triathlon was a tremendous success," said Susan Daniels, race director for St. Anthony's Triathlon. "We hosted a USAT Regional Championship for the Olympic Distance and Paratriathlon, and had the world's best triathletes compete on our beautiful St. Petersburg course."

Next year's St. Anthony's Triathlon will take place from April 24 to April 26, 2020. Registration for the 2020 event will open in October.

About St. Anthony's Hospital
St. Anthony's Hospital is a 393-bed hospital founded in 1931 as a ministry of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany and was the first faith-based hospital in Pinellas County. For more information on St. Anthony's, call (727) 953-6993.

About BayCare Health System
BayCare is a leading not-for-profit health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 15 hospitals and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the Tampa Bay and central Florida regions. Inpatient and outpatient services include acute care, primary care, imaging, laboratory, behavioral health, home care, and wellness. Our mission is to improve the health of all we serve through community-owned, health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care.

SOURCE St. Anthony’s Triathlon