The Weekend Box Aug 4 2013
Courtney Atkinson topped Pete Jacobs in Philippines 70.3, Melissa Hauschildt set a race record at Boulder 70.3, Rapid City's two young stars won the USA Triathlon junior elite national titles — plus race updates from Ironman UK, Steelhead 70.3, Frankfurt City Triathlon, and the XTERRA Mexico Championship. On a slightly different note Michellie Jones got married this weekend, and you can still add your signature to the petition Chrissie Wellington, Kathryn Bertine, Emma Pooley and Marianne Vos set up to convince Tour de France organizers ASO to add a women's tour alongside the men's event and at this point over 88,000 signatures have been collected.
Atkinson bikes faster than Jacobs, Steffen dominates at Ironman 70.3 Philippines
Australian 2008 and 2012 Olympian Courtney Atkinson outpaced a talented men's field and Swiss long course star Caroline Steffen dominated the women for the second straight year at Ironman 70.3 Philippines.
Atkinson combined a race-best 23:50 swim, the day’s fastest 2:12:38 bike split and a 2nd-best 1:18:40 run to hold off 2012 Ironman World Champion Pete Jacobs' race-fastest 1:15:37 half marathon. Atkinson finished in 3:58:07 with a 1:02 margin of victory over Jacobs and 4:15 over 3rd-place finisher David Dellow. Two-time Ironman World Champion Chris McCormack trailed Dellow by 53 seconds to make the men's race a 1-2-3-4 Australian sweep.
Atkinson is thrilled with his switch to the longer races in 2013 after a long, successful Olympic distance career. "I have been unbeaten in all the races I have taken part in since I stepped up to the longer stuff and I keep having to pinch myself as I cannot believe it," said Atkinson. "I keep thinking the cards are gonna fall down."
Steffen posted women’s race-best swim (26:31), bike (2:18:15) and run (1:27:29) splits on a rainy day to finish in a race course record 4:16:12 with an 11:37 margin of victory over runner-up Bree Wee of Hawaii and 17:38 over 3rd place finisher Belinda Granger of Australia. Last year Steffen went 4:20:48. This year she finished 9th overall. "I just got my new bike last week and now I need a new one!" said Steffen. "It looks like I have done an XTERRA race — there was a lot of sand and grit out there after all the rain."
Ironman 70.3 Philippines
Lapu Lapu City, Cebu, Philippines
August 4, 2013
S 1.2 mi. / B 56 mi. / R 13.1 mi.
Results
Top Men
1. Courtney Atkinson (AUS) 3:58:07
2. Pete Jacobs (AUS) 3:59:09
3. David Dellow (AUS) 4:02:22
4. Chris McCormack (AUS) 4:03:15
5. Brent McMahon (CAN) 4:04:05
6. Cameron Brown (NZL) 4:06:32
Top Women
1. Caroline Steffen (SUI) 4:16:12
2. Bree Wee (USA) 4:27:49
3. Belinda Granger (AUS) 4:33:50
4. Jacqui Slack (GBR) 4:39:31
5. Vikki D’Arcy (HKG) 4:49:36
Gambles three-peats, Hauschildt smashes women’s race record at Boulder 70.3
Joe Gambles said before the race that he was tired of leaving his best performances at Boulder 70.3 and disappointing himself with off-the podium efforts a month later at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship. In a Boulder Daily Camera pre-race interview, the Tasmanian vowed to save his best for Las Vegas and not worry about going for a three-peat.
When the dust settled on Boulder’s new, one-loop 70.3 bike course and the usual twice-around-the-Reservoir run, Gambles failed to keep his vow, posting a fast 3:44:41 finish which topped by 1:42 an excellent effort by runner-up Greg Bennett and left 3rd-place finisher Callum Millward of New Zealand 3:12 in arrears. On his way to a Boulder 70.3 hat trick, Gambles’ 2nd-fastest 2:03:25 bike split was 3:04 slower that his mark last year, but his race-best 1:14:30 run was 1:47 faster than Bennett and 3:03 faster than his 2012 run. Gambles’ finish was 37 seconds slower than his 2012 time on the old two-loop bike course. Bennett was running right behind Gambles when he had to stop for a minute to work out leg cramps.
Before this race, anticipation of a preview of the Ironman 70.3 World Championship was high with several top contenders living and training in Boulder. But Lisa Norden, peaking for a Stockholm WTS appearance-Hy-Vee title defense and Las Vegas triple, stayed away. Mirinda Carfrae also decided Boulder would not be her best Las Vegas prep. And Angela Naeth was a last minute no-show. Still, 2011 Ironman 70.3 World Champion Hauschildt, defending Ironman and Ironman 70.3 World Champion Leanda Cave, fellow Siri Lindley-coached athlete Amanda Stevens and Amy Marsh made a decent field. Unfortunately, only Hauschildt brought her A-plus game. After emerging from Boulder Reservoir 2:34 back of Cave and Stevens, Hauschildt smashed the bike race record with a 2:12:16 split that was 5 minutes better than Stevens, 6 minutes faster than Uli Bromme and 8 minutes better than Cave. Hauschildt then posted a race-best 1:22:38 run that brought her to the finish in 4:04:36 – 3:12 faster than Liz Blatchford’s 2012 race record, 12:50 quicker than Cave’s runner-up effort and 13:23 better than Stevens’ 3rd-place time.
Congratulations are also due marathon legend Colleen De Reuck, who won F45-49, placed 15th overall woman in 4:36:23 and outran all the pros with the fastest women's run of the day — 1:21:48.
Ironman 70.3 Boulder
Boulder, Colorado
August 4, 2013
S 1.2 mi. / B 56 mi. / R 13.1 mi.
Results
Top Men
1. Joe Gambles (AUS) 3:44:41
2. Greg Bennett (AUS) 3:46:23
3. Callum Millward (NZL) 3:47:53
4. Paul Ambrose (AUS) 3:51:40
5. Jordan Jones (USA) 3:53:20
Top Women
1. Melissa Hauschildt (AUS) 4:04:36
2. Leanda Cave (GBR) 4:17:26
3. Amanda Stevens (USA) 4:17:59
4. Uli Bromme (USA) 4:19:53
5. Jeanni Seymour (RSA) 4:21:54
Halksworth tops Bayliss and Lucy Gossage smashes women’s field at Ironman UK
Daniel Halksworth and Stephen Bayliss posted virtually equal race-best swims (43:59 and 44:03) and bike splits (4:56:45 and 4:56:50) before they settled things on the marathon. When their duel was over, Halksworth’s 3:01:20 run was 3:37 better than Bayliss’s marathon and provided all of his 3:37 margin of victory at the legendarily tough Ironman UK layout. After giving away 5 minutes the swim and 4 minutes on the bike leg, Joe Skipper unleashed a race-best 2:57:11 run that left him in 3rd place, 2:24 behind Bayliss.
Lucy Gossage left no doubt who would win the UK Ironman women’s crown, posting women’s race-best splits for the swim (52:30) bike (5:22:13) and run (3:10:22) to finish in 9:29:12, 36:05 ahead of runner-up Joanna Carritt and 59:15 ahead of 3rd-place finisher Amy Forshaw. The win follows Gossage’s 6th at St. Polten 70.3 and a 3rd place finish at Mallorca 70.3.
Ironman UK
Bolton, England
August 4, 2013
S 2.4 mi. / B 112 mi. / R 26.2 mi.
Results
Men
1. Daniel Halksworth (GBR) 8:45:48
2. Stephen Bayliss (GBR) 8:49:25
3. Joe Skipper (GBR) 8:51:49
4. Scott Neyedli (GBR) 8:53:15
5. Joel Jameson (GBR) 8:59:36
Women
1. Lucy Gossage (GBR) 9:29:12
2. Joanna Carritt (GBR) 10:05:17
3. Amy Forshaw (GBR) 10:28:27
4. Bella Bayliss (GBR) 10:34:34
5. Sarah Morwood (GBR) 10:56:03
David Kahn, Caitlin Snow win Ironman 70.3 Steelhead
Davis Kahn’s race-best 26:20 swim and 2:05:41 bike split gave the Port Jefferson, New York pro enough of a cushion to withstand Daniel Bretscher’s race-best 1:16:21 run. Kahn, who ran 1:20:42, finished in 3:55:57 with a 1:31 margin of victory over runner-up Bretscher and 2:42 over 3rd-place overall Daniel Stubelski, a 35-39 amateur.
Brockton, Massachusetts’ swift-footed Caitlin Snow overcame a 3:31 deficit to multiple XTERRA World Champion Melanie McQuaid of Canada and a 2:16 gap to Czech Republic Olympian Radka Vodickova after the bike leg with a sizzling fast 1:19:36 run. At the finish, Snow’s 4:13:53 overall time was 2:51 better than runner-up Vodickova and 12:15 better than McQuaid, who placed 3rd.
Ironman 70.3 Steelhead
Benton Harbor, Michigan
August 4, 2013
S 1.2 mi. / B 56 mi. / R 13.1 mi.
Results
Men
1. David Kahn (USA) 3:55:57
2. Daniel Bretscher (USA) 3:57:28
3. Daniel Stubleski (USA) 3:58:39 * M35-39
4. James Hadley (GBR) 3:59:35
5. Paul Eicher (USA) 4:00:15
Women
1. Caitlin Snow (USA) 4:13:53
2. Radka Vodickova (CZE) 4:16:44
3. Melanie McQuaid (CAN) 4:26:08
4. Miranda Tormenson (CAN) 4:27:39
5. Beth Shutt (USA) 4:28:06
6. Jessica Jacobs (USA) 4:33:07
Kienle and Schmitt prevail in Frankfurt City Triathlon
Just 3 weeks after the Ironman European Championships, the city of Frankfurt attracted a stellar field of long course athletes to an Olympic distance event. Sebastian Kienle moved into second position with a strong bike effort and then took charge on the run to take the win. The women’s race was dominated by local favorite Natascha Schmitt, who finished second in this race in 2012.
Frankfurt City Triathlon
Frankfurt, Germany / August 4, 2013
1.5k swim / 40k bike / 10k run
Top men
1. Sebastian Kienle (GER) 1:54:31
2. Christian Prochnow (GER) 1:56:04
3. Florian Angert (GER) 1:56:15
4. Horst Reichel (GER) 1:57:53
5. Timo Bracht (GER) 1:58:49
6. Jan Raphael (GER) 1:58:50
7. Faris Al-Sultan (GER) 2:00:43
8. Andreas Niedrig (GER) 2:04:49
Top women
1. Natascha Schmitt (GER) 2:09:45
2. Carina Brechters (GER) 2:15:23
3. Renate Forstner (GER) 2:16:35
4. Ricarda Lisk (GER) 2:17:47
5. Rebekka Essmüller (GER) 2:19:23
Rapid City duo win USA Triathlon Junior Elite National Championships
Rapid City, South Dakota young stars Tony Smoragiewicz and Tamara Gorman reprised their double win at the Pan American Championships in Brazil this June with wins Saturday at the USA Triathlon Junior Elite National Championship in West Chester, Ohio.
Smoragiewicz finished the 750 meter swim, 20 kilometer bike split and 5k run in 57:15 with an 11-seconds margin of victory over runner-up Brent Demarest of Charleston, South Carolina and was 17 seconds better than 3rd place finisher Hunter Honeycutt of Tifton, Georgia. Gorman finished in 1:02:31 with a 1:11 margin over runner-up Devon Dabney of Atlanta, Georgia and 1:38 over 3rd place finisher Stephanie Jenks of Aurora, Iowa.
2013 USA Triathlon Junior and Youth National Championships
West Chester, Ohio
August 3, 2013
Junior Elites: S 750m / B 20k / R 5k
Youth Elites: S 375m / B 10k / R 2.5k
Junior Elite Women
1. Tamara Gorman (Rapid City, SD) 1:02:31
2. Devon Dabney (Atlanta, GA) 1:03:42
3. Stephanie Jenks (Aurora, IO) 1:04:09
Junior Elite Men
1. Tony Smoragiewicz (Rapid City, SD) 57:15
2. Brent Demarest (Charleston, SC) 57:26
3. Hunter Honeycutt (Tifton, GA) 57:32
Youth Elite Women
1. Audrey Ernst (South Elgin, IL) 33:45
2. Kyleigh Spearing (Frankfort, IL) 33:51
3. Grace Obando (Herndon, VA) 33:55
Youth Elite Men
1. Darr Smith (Atlanta, GA) 29:57
2. Austin Hindman (Wildwood, MO) 29:57
3. Benjamin Dingman (Colorado Springs, CO) 30:32
Leonardo Chacon and Fabiola Corona win XTERRA Mexico Championship
Olympic triathletes Leonardo Chacon of Costa Rica and Fabiola Corona of Mexico won the men’s and women’s titles at the 6th XTERRA Mexico Championship in Jalisco, Mexico.
Chacon fought a back and forth duel with Dan Hugo of South Africa throughout the challenging, hilly bike before Chacon ran away to a 1 minute 8 seconds margin of victory.
Vanlandingham, just two weeks after her win at the XTERRA Mountain Championship in Beaver Creek, Colorado, had a bad swim, stopped to refill a leaky tire and lost several seconds when she went off course on the run. Corona sealed the win with a race-best run and crossed the line with a 4:23 margin of victory.
XTERRA Mexico Championship
Tapalpa, Jalisco, Mexico
August 3, 2013
Top Men
1. Leonardo Chacon (CRA) 2:12:31
2. Dan Hugo (RSA) 2:13:39
3. Pablo Roberto Voight (MEX) 2:17:17
4. Francisco Serrano (MEX) 2:18:37
5. Will Kelsay (USA) 2:21:54
Top Women
1. Fabiola Corona (MEX) 2:36:52
2. Shonny Vanlandingham (USA) 2:41:15
3. Dunia Gomez (MEX) 2:51:04
4. Ana Paula Guerrero (MEX) 2:58:49
5. Jessica Mora (MEX) 3:11:51
Michellie Jones gets married
2006 Ironman World Champion Michellie Jones got married this weekend to Robin Barsantee in Escondido, CA and the equine loving Jones arrived on the back of a horse to the ceremony. The wedding was "giddy up" themed and Bob Babbitt was the master of ceremonies. Everyone in attendance seemed to have had a great time and we are very happy for the couple. Congrats Michellie and Robin.
