Courtesy: USAT

Are the drivers who competed in May's Indianapolis 500 really athletes? What kind of conditioning does it take to drive an IndyCar Series car at the Indianapolis 500 at speeds over 230 mph?

Top triathletes will find out June 11 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs when several IndyCar Series drivers will train with them and even offer some friendly competition at the IndyCar Series/Triathlon Challenge.

The drivers will be in town for the Honda Indy 225 on June 14-15 at Pikes Peak International Raceway.

The schedule of events for June 11 consists of swimming at the Olympic Training Center pool from 8-10 a.m.; strength and agility training at the OTC weight room from 10:30 a.m.-noon and running in Monument Valley Park at 3:30 p.m.

Among the drivers who have accepted the challenge are South Africa's Tomas Scheckter, co-rookie of the year at the 2002 Indy 500, fourth at the 2003 Indy 500 and runner-up in last month's MET-RX SuperStar Challenge on CBS, Brazil's Vitor Meira, who competed earlier in the month in the Indianapolis mini-marathon and was 12th a the Indy 500, and Buddy Rice of Phoenix, Ariz., who was 11th at this year's Indy 500.

The resident team triathletes include U.S. men's national champion Seth Wealing of Remington, Ind., U.S. world team member Kelly Handel of Zionsville, Ind., and Susie Gallucci, ranked seventh in the United States and 65th in the world. Some "special-guest" triathletes from around Colorado are also expected to participate.

"I know our triathletes are looking forward to this," said B.J. Hoeptner Evans, USA Triathlon's communications and media relations director. "Not only will it break up the training routine, but they are also excited to meet the drivers and see what they are like."