Jorgensen Makes History and Stanford's Stellar Debut


At the ITU WTS San Diego event last weekend bluseventy athlete Gwen Jorgensen won and American National Championship but even bigger than that she became the first American female triathlete to win a WTS event.  Great Britain's Non Stanford, debuting in WTS events, charged hard late in the run to grab second place by a meter over Emma Moffat - putting blueseventy athletes on the top 2 steps of the podium.  San Diego was warm but cool water made it a wetsuit swim so both ladies donned their helix wetsuits to start the race.

We caught up with Gwen after the race:

bs: Gwen, first congratulations on your historic win, how were you feeling going into WTS San Diego?  
Gwen: I was feeling good; I knew my last three months of training had gone well and I was excited for the opportunity to race on home soil. 

Gwen: I am coached by Jamie Turner, who has me focusing on my swim. We have been taking my swimming back to the basics, focusing on technique and drills to help with my open water swimming. I also swim in the ocean with my Helix wetsuit at least once a week to prep for races. bs: You are a massively talented runner by background- what do you do to keep your swimming sharp so you can keep yourself in the "game" in the highly competitive ITU format? 

bs: What do you like most/what is most helpful about your Helix wetsuit?
Gwen: I love my Helix wetsuit. It does all of the obvious things like keep me warm, but it's comfort, durability, and ease in removal are key. I love the zipper that starts at the top (reverse zipper), it makes getting the wetsuit off faster than others. I swim in my wetsuit multiple times a week, and I love the durability. The Helix also gives me a lot of mobility in the shoulders, making it easy to swim faster with a high cadence. 

Watch for more winning results for Gwen and Non this season.  For more details on how the race played out and for pics of Gwen and Non at the finish line check out this article from Slowtwitch.com