When you get to race in a little piece of paradise such as Cozumel, it is easy to believe why triathlon is one of fastest growing sports in the world. The 2015 Cozumel ITU World Cup begins on Sunday, but before the picturesque race begins, four athletes took the time to sit down with the local media and talk about the upcoming competition.
With the press conference sharing the backdrop with the crystal clear blue ocean waters and the sun shining, Richard Murray (RSA), Crisanto Grajales (MEX), Rachel Klamer (NED) and Cecilia Gabriela Perez Flores (MEX) gathered to comment on how they feel about racing in the destination race, the course and the preparation for what is to come when Cozumel hosts the WTS Grand Final in 2016.
Richard Murray
“The last race of the World Triathlon Series was two weeks ago, but Cozumel was definitely on my list of races that I have always wanted to do. This year I think it fell perfectly into the season. We stayed in America after Chicago for a week and then we decided to come Mexico a little bit earlier, so we have been here for a week. This is a great place to come, a great place to race. I saw last year that a ton of athletes came out and the scenery, the ocean and the racing here looked amazing so that is one of the reasons why I came out to race.”
Crisanto Grajales
“I am very happy to participate in a race in paradise. I believe I have had a good season, and I am happy to race this weekend with friends and with the best in the world. I am ready to race on Sunday, I asked a lot of people to go and cheer for us. I want to give thanks to the government and the Mexican Federation. It is very important and special that the Grand Final is in Cozumel next year, it will be a great party for the people. Again I want to invite everyone to the race on Sunday, it has been amazing to see the people have spread the good news over about the race. Many athletes from all over the world want to come to Cozumel because they want to come to paradise to race. We expect more people to come to race next year. I am very happy to stay
Rachel Klamer
“I am enjoying being back in Mexico; I raced my first World Cup in Mexico and I really enjoyed it. Speaking with athletes who have been herein Cozumel before, they were really positive about the race, so it made me really want to come here and compete. I have been feeling very strong, coming back from the race almost two weeks ago, I struggled a bit at the start for training and to recover, but it looks good the last couple of days, a lot went well, so I am looking forward to the race
Cecilia Perez
“First I want to thank the Mexican Federation. I am very happy to stay here in Cozumel. I am very motivated because the people here are very friendly and warm. Also it is very nice that a lot of people come to the races and they cheer everyone on and give support to us athletes. I come here very excited, I will do my best in the race to try to get on the podium for this World Cup. I hope Sunday will be a good day and I will race okay, I will give my 100 percent. Thank you for the opportunity and the people who support me. We hope next year will be something different and something special, we know that Cozumel is the best race.”
The action begins on Sunday, October 4, with the women’s race starting at 9:00am EST and the men’s race starting at 11:00am EST. You can follow along with live timing at triathlon.org/live and with race updates on Twitter @triathlonlive