Team Sport Beans®/NTTC
To find out when and where Team Sport Beans®/NTTC will be competing, look at our Event Calendar.
Jelly Belly Candy Company has joined forces with the National Triathlon Training
Camp (NTTC). The title sponsor will be our revolutionary Sport Beans® Jelly
Beans. It’s a wonderful honor and a great testament to the power of Sport Beans®
that such amazing athletes would use them as fuel for their grueling
performances. In 2006, the elite team became known as Team Sport
Beans®/NTTC.
Founded in 1982 by triathletes Tom Peters and Mark Wendley, the NTTC has guided
its members to over 200 victories in triathlons all over the world. That track
record, combined with Jelly Belly’s makes Team Sport Beans®/NTTC a can’t-miss
success.
For more information on the involvement of Sport Beans® with the NTTC, the team
members, and the NTTC itself, go to NTTCracing.com. And keep checking
JellyBelly.com for event schedules and more information. For up-to-date race
results, go here.
If you're a triathlete and would like to join Team Sport Beans®/NTTC, we accept
age-group competitors. For details on the program, go here.
The 2009 Pro/Elite Team roster is as follows:
Daniel Bretscher 25, Greencastle, IN
New to Team Sport Beans/NTTC in 2009, Daniel is beginning just his second year as a pro. In 2008, he was honored as USA Triathlon's Elite Male Rookie of the Year, only a year after being named USA Triathlon’s Male Age-Group Triathlete of the Year. His rookie pro season in 2008 was highlighted by six wins, including the Spirit of Morgantown Half Iron in a course-record 4:05:23. He also placed 2nd at Memphis in May (1:47:53), 3rd at the Muskoka Ironman 70.3, and 4th at Kansas IM 70.3. At each of those three races, he was the first American finisher. Daniel also placed 6th at the Longhorn IM 70.3 and 4th at the Spirit of Racine Half Iron (3:54:48) in 2008. He capped his season with a 19th place finish (3:52:12, 4th American) at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Clearwater, FL in November.
Leah Daugherty 23, Pace, FL
Like Daniel, Leah is new to the team in 2009 and will be beginning only her second year as a pro. She won the Colonial Beach Tri in 2008 and was runner-up at the 2008 Collegiate National Triathlon Championship while representing the University of Colorado at Boulder. Leah’s pro rookie season also saw her finish 3rd at the Savage Man Half Iron, 3rd at the Spirit of Morgantown Half Iron (4:56:29), and 5th at the very competitive Boulder Peak Olympic Tri. She also placed 2nd at the Talent ID Race and 2nd at the Lake Havasu Olympic Tri.
Ben Hoffman 25, Durango, CO
Ben joins Team Sport Beans/NTTC as a third-year pro. He was the Collegiate National Triathlon Champion in 2006. In 2007, he won the USAT National Long Course Championship at Wildflower and raced for Team USA at the ITU Long Course World Championships in L’Orient, France. 2008 saw Ben win the Harvest Moon Half Iron and Grizzly Triathlons. He also placed 2nd at the Soma Half Iron (3:49:48), 3rd at Memphis in May (1:48:54), and 5th at the Lake Stevens IM 70.3. He also had three other top-10 finishes on the Ironman 70.3 circuit – 6th at Boise IM 70.3, 8th at Longhorn IM 70.3, and 8th at Pucon, Chili IM 70.3. He capped his season with a blazing 8:24:13, 6th place finish at Ironman Arizona, which qualified him for the 2009 Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.
Jessica Jacobs 32, Maylene, AL
A rising star on the circuit, Jessica joins Team Sport Beans/NTTC as only a second year pro. Despite that, she is already making big waves in the pro ranks at the Ironman distance. In 2008, she placed 3rd (2nd American) at Ironman Wisconsin in 9:50:45, nabbing a qualifying spot for the 2009 Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. She capped her season with a 3rd (1st American) at Ironman Florida with a sizzling 9:17:51 clocking. Her 4:50:52 bike split in Florida was one of the fastest ever for a woman at any Ironman. And, she ran a 3:13:31 marathon off the bike! Her 2008 season also included a win at the Chattanooga Waterfront Olympic Tri and a 7th at the Kansas Ironman 70.3.
Lauren Jensen 41, Muskego, WI
A veteran pro who has won over 75 triathlons in her career, Lauren remains at the top of her game. She was the 2004 US Pro/Elite National Long Course Triathlon Champion, the 2003 US Pro/Elite National Duathlon Champion, and was 12th at the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2000. In 2008, Lauren won seven triathlons and was 5th at Ironman Wisconsin, her sixth straight top-5 Ironman finish. In 2007, she also placed 5th at IM Wisconsin after placing 3rd there in 2006. In 2005, she took 3rd at IM Brazil in 9:49:11 and 2nd at IM Wisconsin. She also was 2nd at IM Wisconsin in 2004. Her 2008 victories included the Terra Haute Olympic Tri, Elkhart Lake Olympic Tri, Pleasant Prairie Olympic Tri, as well as Danskin Chicagoland, and the U.S. Women’s Tri Series race at Naperville. Lauren also placed 4th at the 2008 Spirit of Racine Half Iron.
Jeff Piland 34, San Carlos, CA
Jeff is a fourth-year pro and in his fourth year with Team Sport Beans/NTTC. He is a former NCAA All American swimmer and water polo player for the University of California, Davis. In 2007, Jeff qualified for Team USA and competed in the ITU Long Distance World Championship in L’Orient, France. He finished that season 5th in the prestigious Tri-California Pro Series. In 2008, Jeff battled injuries for much of the season, but still managed to finish 4th in the Tri-California Pro Series final rankings. His best series finish was an 8th at the Pacific Grove International Tri, where he clocked 1:54:46 over the tough Olympic-distance course.
Brad Seng 39, Boulder, CO
2009 will be Brad’s third year with Team Sport Beans/NTTC. He is a long- and ultra-distance specialist and one of the top runners in the sport. In 2006, he placed 5th pro at Ironman Wisconsin and took 3rd place at the USAT Long Course National Championships in Racine, WI. In 2008, Brad placed 11th pro at both Ironman Arizona (April) and Ironman USA at Lake Placid, NY. He also had two top-10 finishes on the Ironman 70.3 circuit – 9th at Florida IM 70.3 and 8th at Buffalo Springs IM 70.3 – and finished 4th at the Harvest Moon Half Iron. He capped his season with a 9:12:02 clocking at the Ironman World Championship in Kona, HI, where he recorded the 5th fastest marathon split of the day (2:49:17), and a 29th place finish at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Clearwater, FL (3:59:29).
Alexis Smith 34, Monterey, CA
Alexis Smith (formerly Waddel) completed her first triathlon at age 9. A pro since 2001, she races well at all distances. She placed 13th in the 2004 Olympic Trials and took 5th at the Ironman USA National Championship in Lake Placid, NY in 2005. In 2007, her first year with Team Sport Beans/NTTC, Alexis won the prestigious Tri-California Pro Series (she also won the series in 2004). In 2008, Alexis repeated as Tri-California Pro Series Champion on the strength of an 8th at the Wildflower Long Course Tri, 2nd at Pacific Grove Olympic, 2nd at Tinley’s International, and a 5th at the San Francisco Tri and ITU Pan American Cup. Her 2008 season also included a win at Danskin Disneyland, a 6th at Escape from Alcatraz, and a 5th at the Vineman Ironman 70.3.
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