Clarke, Montgomery Hope To Repeat Victories

1994 MALE WINNER

Frank Clarke will try to set an outright course record when he returns to defend his 1994 Coeur d’Alene Triathlon title Aug. 13. The Vancouver, British Columbia resident finished last year’s race in 1:51:18, almost a minute faster than the existing record held by Mark Allen, 1992 winner. However, when someone took the course markers the night before the 1994 swim race, officials added two minutes to each contestant’s time.

Clarke will also be more vigilant about the running course. Last year he took a wrong turn on Tubbs Hill because he neglected to check the course prior to the race. In spite of getting lost and having to come down the hill to the main trail, Clarke caught up with the leader Bill Braun and passed him in City Park, tying for the fastest ever run on the course.

After winning the Coeur d’Alene event, he placed second to Greg Welsh during a televised race in Toronto. He went on to France and raced on a French club team, earning third overall in the club championships of the France National.

Last winter, Clarke also raced in Australia’s Tooheye Series, a group of races involving 25 of the world’s top triathletes. He finished 15th overall.

For the past three years he has ranked in the top three Canadian triathletes. This weekend, Clark has been racing in both Toronto and Montreal at the Canadian National Duathalon Championships, which features a run-bike-run concept.

1994 FEMALE WINNER

Canada’s Carol Montgomery led from start to finish and set a course record of 2 hours, 2 minutes (2:02:00) as top female triathlete in the 1994 Scenic Challenge. Her time was three minutes better than any other woman athlete in last year’s race.

A native of Vancouver, B.C., she has ranked as Canada’s leading triathlete the past three years and one of the top five women triathletes in the world since 1993. As the premier runner for the Canadian national cross country team, Montgomery finished 32nd in the world championships in 1994.

In the 1994 Pan American Track Championship, she took bronze and silver medals in the 5,000 meter and 10,000 meter runs, respectively. Her bronze medal effort ended with Montgomery crossing the finish line missing a shoe. Having been stepped on during the race, she lost one shoe and kept on running.

She holds Canada’s third best 10,000 meter time of 32:26:28, and she’s ranked as top Canadian middle distance runner.

So far this year, Montgomery has raced in Europe and in the ITU World Cup Series has finished second to Michelli Jones (1991 CDA winner and first in the world in ‘91, ‘92, ‘93, and ‘94) in Germany, St. Croix and St. Anthony.

Montgomery, now 26 years old, lives in Vancouver with her husband Dr. Mark Roberts.