Dan Mackenzie 3rd at Columbia Triathlon

By: Riptide Multisports

Dan Mackenzie finished third in a competitive men’s pro field at the Columbia Triathlon in Columbia, Maryland this morning.

Mackenzie, who worked overtime in the pool over the winter, emerged from the swim amid the race leaders, most of whom were wearing swim skins (Mackenzie was not). Leaving the first transition, cycling prodigy Andrew Yoder unsurprisingly rode away from the others immediately. Dan stayed within striking distance of 2 other pro men for the duration of the ride. The Columbia bike course is quite brutal: a steady climb for the first 8 miles before entering a long section of rollers. Further testing the riders’ skills was the downpour that began as they exited the swim portion and headed out for the 40k bike. Fortunately, Mackenzie, a Maryland native, had raced on the course before, “It really helped to know the course. I knew which hills I could bomb down in the slick conditions without having to worry about a sharp turn at the bottom.”

Mackenzie exited the second transition with two other pro men, but the former Princeton University track runner who has a track 10k PR of 30:07 to his credit, quickly found himself in 3rd place. At the 2 mile mark Mackenzie caught 2nd place, Tim O’Donnell, and the pair ran stride for stride before O’Donnell surged with a mile to go.

The usually cool Mackenzie was excited about his performance, “By far the best race I’ve had in about two and half years. The only one that might top it is the ITU Kelowna Continental Cup a few years ago.”

Mackenzie races next at the ITU Coteau-du-Lac Continental Cup on June 26th, just outside of Montreal, Quebec.

Full results here.