Erika Ackerlund

A fast learner, the 27-year-old won her first pro triathlon while still in college full time, a 2017 continental cup race in Richmond, Virgina, with more success coming the following year with two more senior victories, a mixed team relay win and taking the Under-23 North American title. 

She has twice competed in the World Under-23 Championship, finishing fifth (2018) and ninth (2019) and has achieved top 10 performances in the World Triathlon Championship Series and Word Cup circuit.

Although this will be Ackerlund’s first taste of Super League, as an allrounder who is strong over all three disciplines, she has regularly competed with – and held her own against – the best in the sport racing in the past three years,

Growing up in a family that spent a lot of time outdoors, Ackerlund still loves to hike or ski in the mountains when she can fit it in between training. Most of all, she enjoys exploring new locations.

“When I was young, I wanted to be a cowgirl and do rodeo, but as I got older I found I loved all things endurance sports and the feeling of moving across the world with my own power,” she says. “I love the opportunity to do long training and racing trips in new countries and ‘live’ in different cultures for long chunks of time.”

She says that as a “slow twitch athlete” who excels at endurance over speed, she didn’t expect to last long at short course racing before moving on to long course, non-draft events, but has surprised herself with the level she’s reached.  

“The short course racing has gotten me excited to be the best I can at this format and I’ve worked hard to develop speed, so Super League might be the ultimate test if I can pull it off!”

There will be added incentive of competing alongside US team-mates Taylor Spivey, Summer Rappaport, Katie Zaferes and Kirsten Kasper in the all Stars & Stripes line-up of Nick Chase’s RTS Warriors for this year’s series.