Battle of Midway Triathlon thrills pros

MIDWAY — Since winning back-to-back junior national championships in 1992 and 1993, Jolene Wilkinson's love of triathlons has taken her from one end of the country to the other. Wilkinson, a Clearfield resident, loves the opportunity to travel and see new places while competing the best of the best among multisport athletes.

But the Arizona native is equally satisfied enjoying the experience of an elite triathlon in her newly adopted home state.

"It's nice to have something like that in your own backyard, rather than having to pack up your bike and fly somewhere," Wilkinson said. "It's nice to just have it right there."

Wilkinson joined an elite field of professional triathletes who competed in the first edition of the Battle of Midway Triathlon last Sunday. The Wasatch County race drew in a field of pros from as far away as Australia and awarded a professional prize purse of $20,000 and an elite prize purse of $2,000.

Pro triathletes who competed in the race included Emma Snowsill, a gold medalist at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, and world duathlon champion Leon Griffin.

This is the kind of high-profile race local triathletes have been dreaming about being staged in the Beehive state for many years. The fact it finally happened speaks to just how much popularity their sport is gaining in Utah.

"Any time you're drawing in a world-class international field like they've drawn in for the Battle at Midway, that just speaks for itself," said Salt Lake City resident Monte Still, another pro competitor at Midway.

Traditionally, Utah has taken on more of a role as a training ground for local pros who look to qualify for major triathlons in such diverse locales as Memphis, San Francisco, Chicago and New York City.

While reaching a level similar to the annual Escape from Alcatraz or Boulder Peak races could take several years, pros who train in Utah believe it has the kind of geography that makes it a good breeding ground for an elite triathlon.

The Battle at Midway, for example, featured a swim course at Deer Creek Reservoir, a bike course through Midway and a run course that followed the cross country ski trail at Soldier Hollow which was used during the 2002 Olympics.