When it comes to competing in a sprint triathlon, Janda Ricci-Munn and Dean Phillips know each other's game inside and out.
Ricci-Munn and Phillips, who reside in Gloucester and Wenham respectively, train and compete against one another on the professional triathlon circuit. They are also two of the favorites in Sunday's first-ever Gloucester Triathlon.
That is, of course, if Ricci-Munn decides to compete. As the race's co-founder, Ricci-Munn is still undecided if he will compete in Sunday's race.
"My main focus right now is making sure everything is in place on race day," Ricci-Munn said. "This isn't about me racing or not, it's about putting on a top notch race that will attract competitors for years to come."
The two have both competed in the Cohasset Triathlon and Marlborough Triathlon earlier this summer with Ricci-Munn winning the Cohasset race and Phillips coming in second at Marlborough, ahead of Ricci-Munn.
"Dean and I are good buddies," said Ricci-Munn, who is the race co-founder. "I beat him in Cohasset and he beat me in our last race. He is an incredible athlete and he is always in great shape."
Phillips echoed his sentiment.
"We are always pushing each other in training," Phillips said. "We hit these races hard and it's nice to train with somebody who has similar goals."
Phillips, who co-owns a bike shop in Peabody called Fit Werx, specializes in the biking leg of the race. Although he is not a professional cyclist, Ricci-Munn says he is the best cyclist in New England, as he frequently bests professionals in cycling time trials. Phillips was also a member of the United States national rowing team.
"Dean is an unbelievable cyclist," Ricci-Munn said. "He is hands down the fastest cyclist in New England."
Ricci-Munn, on the other hand, is known for a combination of biking and running. While swimming is his weakest area, it is rapidly improving with every event.
The field boasts over 800 participants, which includes several professionals on both the male and female sides.
"This is a big race," Phillips said. "Janda has done a great job getting some talented competitors and race director Bill Burnett has a great reputation for putting on some of the best races in the area."
Stacked men's field
The men's field is no stranger to talent as the race course features several professionals and runners with a long list of triathlon success.
The 2005 Iron Man triathlon champion Tony Delogne and Australian professional triathlete and former world duathlon champion Andy Noble are just two of the top runners in the elite field.
"The field is amazing," Phillips said. "It is one of, if not the, strongest sprint triathlon field I have been apart of."
Delogne and Noble, however, are not the favorites to win the race despite their success in longer races.
According to both Ricci-Munn and Phillips, Ethan Brown is the odds-on favorite to take home first place. Brown won the Marlborough triathlon on July 26 and has competed in races in France, Austria, Texas, Washington D.C., Mexico, Oklahoma, Iowa and California this year.
Brown is a well-balanced triathlete who is projected to be the leader coming out of the first leg, a 1/3-mile swim. He is also an exceptionally fast runner as he has run sub-five-minute miles in the running leg after a swim and bike ride.
"Ethan is going to be hard to beat," Ricci-Munn said. "He is definitely the favorite to win. He is an Olympic level distance athlete, but he is extremely well-balanced."
Ricci-Munn, the Cohasset Triathlon champion, and Phillips, the runner-up in Marlborough, will also be two contenders to give Brown a run for first place. Ricci-Munn specializes in the bike and running portions while Phillips is the best biker in the field. Phillips is projected to lead the race after the biking leg according to Ricci-Munn
"I need to bike as hard as I can for the duration," Phillips said. "If I am leading after the biking leg I hope the run goes as quick as possible, because Ethan is so fast."
Rubber match on hand for women
Not to be outdone, the women's race has its fair share of highly-touted professionals and subplots to match the male counterparts.
The consensus favorites in the female division, Alicia Kaye and Amanda Felder, have developed a slight rivalry over the summer. Kaye finished first in the Cohasset triathlon and second in Marlborough while Felder won in Marlborough and finished second in Cohasset.
Kaye is a professional triathlete from Canada while Felder is a professional triathlete and a former collegiate triathlon champion.
"This is the rubber match between (Felder and Kaye)," Ricci-Munn said. "They are both very well-balanced competitors and they should push each other the entire race."
Despite Kaye and Felder's 2009 success, Ricci-Munn is predicting a dark horse to win the race in Lynn Bessette, a former Canadian and American cyclocross champion who is married to two-time Olympic cyclist Tim Johnson.
"I think Lynn is going to shock the field and pull off the upset," Ricci-Munn said. "She is phenomenal on the bike and an extremely strong runner. She is a tremendous athlete."
