RunTex - Heard Around The Lake: News, Notes and Idle Gossip

Natasha van der Merwe and Karen Burks are heading up to Tuscaloosa, Alabama for the USAT National Age Group Triathlon Championships on Saturday. A former professional tennis player from South Africa, van der Merwe has been on a roll, winning her last five tri’s. Her last victory was the IRP Wool Capital Triathlon in San Angelo (the regional championship) and she PR’ed in the Oly Distance by a whopping 10 minutes. A member of the PureSport team, van der Merwe is leading the Texas Tri series standings, put on by Jack & Adam’s. Burks is the top-ranked woman in the regional masters rankings and has already posted a win at Marble Walls. Even though she crashed in San Angelo, Burks still finished fourth.