Dwyer Qualifies for 3rd Straight ITU Worlds at USAT Age Group Nationals

            Ryan Lynch, 21, of Porter led all athletes from the Woodlands MultiSport coverage area at the USAT Age Group Olympic National Championships on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama as he covered the Olympic distance course (1.5-kilometer swim, 40-kilometer bike and 10-kilometer run) in 2:12:13.

            Outrival Racing’s Doug Cooper, 42, finished in the top half of his age group (30th of 82 finishers) as he stopped the clock in 2:17:07.  Cooper, who lives in The Woodlands, was 11th out of the water in his age group in 23:04 and 32nd best on the bike in 1:04:46, but fell out of contention for ITU Worlds roll-down consideration – the top 25 in each age group -- on the run.

            Twenty-five competitors in Cooper’s age group finished the run in under seven minutes a mile – 19 spots ahead of his 45:56 time.

            Conroe Triathletes’ Stuart Simmons, 44, of Willis, had a rough day on the run en route to a 2:43:41 finish in the same age group.

Stuart Simmons - Courtesy of Jon Walk/Runner Triathlete News

             But it was another Conroe Triathlete – The Woodlands’ Michael Dwyer -- who nailed down a third consecutive trip to the International Triathlon Union Worlds as part of Team USA.

Michael Dwyer - Courtesy of Jon Walk/Runner Triathlete News

            The 62-year-old dentist finished fifth in a very competitive 60-64 age group in 2:28:54 to earn the right to travel next September to Beijing, China.

            Dwyer was eighth in his division in the water and on the bike, but used a 47:08 10K – fourth-best in the group – to move up three spots.

            Like Cooper, Team Strive’s Rick Parker, 46, of The Woodlands, was just five spots away from ITU Worlds consideration as he finished 30th in a 69-competitor division.

Rick Parker - Courtesy of Jon Walk/Runner Triathlete News

            Parker was 27th out of the water in 25:34, 36th in his division on the bike in 1:08:17 and 25th on the run in 46:55, but was two minutes and two seconds shy from the top 25 with his 2:24:51 performance.

            He, though, nearly replicated his 2:22:02, fifth-place age group performance at the Avia Austin Triathlon on Labor Day on a more challenging bike and slightly more challenging run course.

            Team Strive was also represented by a pair of Spring teammates – Leslie Watts, 41, and Vanessa Gnatzig, 28.

Leslie Watts - Courtesy of Jon Walk/Runner Triathlete News

Watts and Gnatzig met their time goals for the event by completing the course in 2:51:27 and 2:54:16, respectively.

The Woodlands’ Jarrett Hubert, 27, posted a time of 2:29:57 just four weeks from his debut Ironman finish of 13:12:47 at Ironman Louisville.

Kent Morris - Courtesy of Jon Walk/Runner Triathlete News

        Finish Strong Racing’s Kent Morris, 50, of Conroe - and the Conroe Triathletes, who is training for Ironman Florida in November – turned in a 2:32:09 performance in an age group that put more than half of its finishers in the top half of the entire race.

Outrival’s Mary Kay Cooper, 38, of The Woodlands was 11th out of the water in her age group in 25:50 on her way to a 2:51:52 finish in her first appearance at the USAT Age Group Nationals.

2:12:23 – Ryan Lynch, 21, Porter

2:17:07 - Douglas Cooper, 41, The Woodlands (Outrival Racing/TWRC)

2:24:51 – Richard Parker, 46, The Woodlands (Team Strive)

2:28:54 – Michael Dwyer, 62, The Woodlands (Conroe Triathletes)

2:29:57 – Jarrett Hubert, 27, The Woodlands

2:32:09 – Kent Morris, 50, Conroe (Finish Strong Racing/Conroe Triathletes)

2:43:41 – Stuart Simmons, 44, Willis (Conroe Triathletes)

2:51:27 – Leslie Watts, 41, Spring (Team Strive)

2:51:52 – Mary Kay Cooper, 38, The Woodlands (Outrival Racing/TWRC)

2:54:16 – Vanessa Gnatzig, 28, Spring (Team Strive)

In Sunday’s USAT Age Group Sprint National Championships, two Conroe Triathletes – David Boyette and Jimmy Fleming -- took to the terrain of Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Now residing in Eutaw, Alabama, the 71-year-old Fleming captured the national championship in his age group with a 27-second win over St. Petersburg, Florida’s Donald Ardell by covering the 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike and 5-kilometer run in 1:22:10.

Conroe’s David Boyette, 61, finished ninth of 14 competitors in the 60-64 age group with a showing of 1:22:42.