The Weekend Box Aug 25 2013
The August 25 Weekend Box brings you race reports from Ironman Louisville and Ironman Canada, Ironman 70.3 Brazil, Challenge Penticton, Rev3 Maine, The Chicago Triathlon, and XTERRA Japan. Plus some late Kona qualifying drama at Ironman Canada.
Trevor Wurtele and Uli Bromme win Ironman Canada
Trevor Wurtele and Uli Bromme won Ironman Canada. In equally dramatic fashion, Paul Amey and Dominik Berger scored enough KPR points to edge into the Kona pro field while Mike Schifferle earned insurance points to stay in the Big Show.
Wurtele, a home country Canadian favorite, earned his first Ironman victory with a 54:27 swim, a 4:46:51 bike split and a 2nd-fastest 2:54:31 run to finish in 8:39:33 with a 5:42 margin of victory over runner-up Matthew Russell of the U.S. and 13:54 over Paul Amey of Great Britain.
Bromme too fulfilled a dream by winning her first Ironman with a characteristically tardy 1:03:02 swim redeemed by a race-fastest 5:13:51 bike split and a women’s best 3:06:53 marathon that brought her to the finish in 9:28:13, which was 10:21 faster than runner-up and fellow U.S. competitor Lisa Ribes and 20:56 faster than 3rd place finisher Gillian Moody of Canada.
"The win feels great. I made this race my biggest goal of 2013 back in November 2012. Since that time I've been thinking about it non-stop. To make that goal a reality feels really good," said Wurtele to slowtwitch. "The new Ironman Canada venue up in Whistler is just awesome. For me, that run course, though hard, has got to be the most beautiful course I've ever raced on. It really broke it up and made those final miles a little less painful."
Desperate last minute Kona qualifying
At least four men and one woman were so desperate to make the Ironman World Championship pro field that they raced at Ironman Mt. Tremblant last weekend and, after falling a few points short, teed it up again Sunday at Whistler.
First, the bad news. Bruno Clerbout of Belgium pulled out of the race when it became clear that he was having an off day and had no chance to make the points. Oleysa Prystayko of the Ukraine slogged all the way through her second 140.6-mile race in 8 days but her 7th place finish at Whistler also fell short.
Now the good news for the Can’t Get Enough Ironman crowd. Two-time ITU Duathlon World Champion Paul Amey of Great Britain finished 3rd and earned 1,560 KPR points, which gave him a total of 5,075 points and vaulted him into the Kona pro field. Dominik Berger of Austria, whose 8th place at Ironman Mt. Tremblant last week left him 40 points short, sucked it up and finished 6th at Ironman Canada. That gave him 920 more points — 1,120 points for the finish minus the 200 points he had to drop as they once counted as his KPR-allowed maximum 5th race. His new KPR total is 5,200 points. Mike Schifferle of Switzerland, as it turns out, was correct to feel paranoid about sitting on the bubble as the last man provisionally in the Kona pro field with a KPR total of 4,320 points. He, too, sucked it up and completed 281.2 miles of racing in eight days. His 4th place finish at Ironman Canada, topped off with a stylish 2:52 marathon, earned him 1,400 points — minus the 400 points that once constituted his 5th allowable race finish. And so he added 1,000 points and his KPR total is now a Kona-safe 5,320.
Alas, two men were bumped to make way for these three Ironman Canada last minute point- getters. They are Jozsef Major of Hungary (4,390 points) and the heroic Pedro Gomes of Portugal, whose win at Ironman Sweden brought him provisionally into the Kona pro field with a now-insufficient 4,620 points.
Subaru Ironman Canada
Whistler, B.C. Canada
August 25, 2013
S 2.4 mi. / B 112 mi. / R 26.2 mi.
Results
Pro Men
1. Trevor Wurtele (CAN) 8:39:33
2. Matthew Russell (USA) 8:45:15
3. Paul Amey (GBR) 8:53:27
4. Mike Schifferle (SUI) 8:53:58
5. Andrew Russell (CAN) 8:58:23
6. Dominik Berger (AUT) 9:00:24
Pro Women
1. Uli Bromme (USA) 9:28:13
2. Lisa Ribes (USA) 9:38:34
3. Gillian Moody (CAN) 9:49:09
4. Christine Fletcher (CAN) 9:56:45
5. Christine Anderson (USA) 10:01:59
7. Oleysa Prystayko (UKR) 10:11:36
Leon Griffin, Katie Hursey win Rev3 Maine
Australian veteran Leon Griffin won a fierce duel with U.S. pro David Thompson and new U.S. star Katie Hursey outpaced the women’s field at the Olympic distance Rev3 Maine Sunday.
While Chris Braden, Brian Fleischmann and Eric Limkemann came out of the swim 1-2-3, all under 20 minutes, ultimate duelists Thompson (20:17) and Griffin (20:21) emerged just 4 seconds apart. Thompson, famous for his brilliant bike skills, added 5 more second to his lead over Griffin with a race-fastest 55:26 bike split as the two left everyone behind but Eric Limkemann (55:48) and Kyle Leto (55:53), who hung close. The hot duel continued on the half marathon as the 2006 ITU Duathlon World Champion from Rabbit Flats, Australia caught his St. Paul, Minnesota rival after a mile and they ran together until 500 meters to go, when Griffin threw in a surge and Thompson responded.
Regrettably, a police officer monitoring the course moved into their path and they both ran into the officer. Griffin was the first to recover his stride and hit the tape first after a 33:27 10k that was 22 seconds faster than Thompson’s run. Griffin finished in 1:53:06 with a 5 seconds margin of victory over Thompson, while Limkemann finished 3rd, 1:01 in arrears of the winner.
Hursey, the young rookie from Maryland who recently won her first two ITU World Cups, took well to the non-drafting format to take her third straight win by a 2 minutes, 6 seconds margin over Czech Republic Olympian Radka Vodickova and 1:43 over U.S. pro Lauren Goss. Hursey combined a 2nd-best 21:09 swim, 5th-fastest 1:02:49 bike split and a dominating, race-best 34:46 run that was 1:11 faster than 7th place finisher and famed runner Caitlin Snow to finish in 2:02:32.
Rev3 Maine
Old Orchard Beach, Maine
August 25, 2013
S 1.5k / B 40k / R 10k
Results
Men
1. Leon Griffin (AUS) 1:53:06
2. David Thompson (USA) 1:53:11
3. Eric Limkemann (USA) 1:54:07
4. Kyle Leto (USA) 1:54:17
5. Chris Foster (USA) 1:55:55
Women
1. Katie Hursey (USA) 2:02:32
2. Radka Vodickova (CZE) 2:04:38
3. Lauren Goss (USA) 2:05:11
4. Lindsey Jerdonek (USA) 2:05:27
5. Laurel Wassner (USA) 2:09:30
Chris McDonald, aka The Big Sexy, and Kate Bevilaqua win IM Louisville
Chris McDonald dominated the men’s field and Kate Bevilaqua won the women’s title to make Ironman Louisville an All-Australian affair.
McDonald combined a 3rd-best 48:56 swim, a superior 4:29:14 bike split and a race-fastest 2:57:56 marathon to finish in 8:21:34 with a 12:42 margin of victory over Patrick Evoe and 19:37 advantage over 3rd-place finisher (and Kona pro qualifier) Thomas Gerlach. Australian Kate Bevilaqua posted a 3rd-best 49:03 swim, 3rd-fastest 5:13:32 bike split and 2nd-best 3:20:29 to finish in 9:29:02 with a 4:44 margin over runner-up Brooke Brown of Canada and 5:39 over 3rd-place Whitney Garcia of the U.S.
"Winning Ironman Louisville is 2 years in the making. So trying to express the emotions is a hard one," said Bevilaqua to slowtwitch. "(It is) A new start to the distance I love the most! It means happiness and rainbows, it means I wont have to eat bread and water for the next month. It means more Ironmans to follow, it means my supporters were and are amazing, it means our sport loves me after all. It means its time to celebrate."
Ironman Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
August 25, 2013
S 2.4 mi. / B 112 mi. / R 26.2 mi.
Results
Men
1. Chris McDonald (AUS) 8:21:34
2. Patrick Evoe (USA) 8:34:16
3. Thomas Gerlach (USA) 8:41:11
4. Jonathan Shearon (USA) 8:43:24
5. Ryan Bates (USA) 8:57:38
Women
1. Kate Bevilaqua (AUS) 9:29:02
2. Brooke Brown (CAN) 9:33:46
3. Whitney Garcia (USA) 9:34:21
4. Nina Kraft (GER) 9:38:45
5. April Gellatly (USA) 9:39:40
Kemper, Kaye prevail at Chicago
Hunter Kemper won his third Chicago Triathlon pro title by 41 seconds over Ben Collins and Alicia Kaye topped Helle Frederiksen of Denmark by 1 minute 1 second to win her first triathlon victory in the City of Big Shoulders.
Collins and Kemper emerged from a close pack of eight men who trailed leader Dustin McLarty’s 19:45 swim by about 45 seconds. Collins, Kemper, Kevin Everett and Stuart Hayes biked to the lead and arrived in close formation at T2. At that point, Kemper’s classic run skills took control as he posted a race-best 33:56 to finish in 1:50:30, with Collins in the runner-up spot in 1:51:11 and Hayes earned the final spot on the podium in 1:51:41.
Kemper successfully defended his 2012 Chicago title and also won this race in 1999.
Kaye and Frederiksen came out of Monroe Harbor in equal 22:06 splits, then Kaye charged away with a dominating, race-best 57:55 bike split that earned her a 2:39 edge on Frederiksen. Frederiksen took back a minute and 33 seconds with a 39:22 run but it left her 1:01 behind Kaye’s winning 2:01:54 time at the finish. Daniela Ryf of Switzerland came third in 2:06:52.
Life Time Fitness Chicago Triathlon
Chicago, Illinois
August 25, 2013
S 1.5k / B 40k / R 10k
Results
Men
1. Hunter Kemper (USA) 1:50:30
2. Ben Collins (USA) 1:51:11
3. Stuart Hayes (GBR) 1:51:41
4. Matt Chrabot (USA) 1:52:11
5. Jarrod Shoemaker (USA) 1:55:08
Women
1. Alicia Kaye (USA) 2:01:54
2. Helle Frederiksen (DEN) 2:02:55
3. Daniela Ryf (SUI) 2:06:52
4. Lauren Barnett (USA) 2:08:20
5. Jillian Peterson (USA) 2:10:20
Jurkiewicz, Stevens take Brazil 70.3
Frenchman Jérémy Jurkiewicz and U.S. star Amanda Stevens won Ironman 70.3 Brazil. Jurkiewicz finished in 3:52:40, edging Igor Amorelli of Brazil by 2 seconds in a soaking–the-crowd-premature-finish-line-celebration that turned into a frantic, and not very sportsmanlike, finish line clash.
A contributor to Deadspin – a general sports news website — was inspired to comment with sarcastic disapproval on a Ironman 70.3 Brazil finish line video from 3zone.com: “At the end of the line of the Ironman 70.3 Brazil, Jurkiewicz looks behind him and decides to pull a DeSean Jackson, celebrating way too early. He becomes a human airplane, slaps a high-five and pumps his fists in triumph. That's when the music hits an ominous note and we see Brazilian Igor Amorelli…in an all-out sprint… Unfortunately, the man who traveled 70 miles only to chill out before the finish line notices the sprinting go-getter and decides it's finally time to finish that race….In one last act of brilliant idiocy, [Jurkiewicz] actually holds his hand out to block his opponent.”
According to reports on the scene, Amorelli saw Jurkiewicz and pulled up to allow the Frenchman to win. The drama of the moment was magnified because Jurkiewicz needed to win to gain the 750 points to have a theoretical chance to edge past Mike Schifferle’s on-the-bubble 4,320 total before the final KPR points accrual weekend was over. For a brief moment, Jurkiewicz was in the Kona pro field. But after Ironman Canada was over, Schifferle and two other men had outpointed the Frenchman and left Jurkiewicz on the outside looking in.
Stevens finished in 4:20:54 with a far more comfortable margin of victory, 8:58 over runner-up Carolina Pereira of Brazil.
Ironman 70.3 Brazil
Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil
August 25, 2010
S 1.2 mi. / B 56 mi. / R 13.1 mi.
Results
Men
1. Jérémy Jurkiewicz (FRA) 3:52:40
2. Igor Amorelli (BRA) 3:52:42
3. Lucas Cocha (ARG) 3:58:35
4. Luiz Ferreira (BRA) 3:59:44
5. Santiago Ascenco (BRA) 4:00:42
Women
1. Amanda Stevens (USA) 4:20:54
2. Carolina Pereira (BRA) 4:29:52
3. Vanessa Giannini (BRA) 4:35:59
4. Bruna Saglietti Mahn (BRA) 4:38:12
Symonds, Lester win inaugural Challenge Penticton
Hometown favorite Jeffrey Symonds and Carrie Lester of Australia won the men’s and women’s overall titles at the inaugural Challenge Penticton.
Symonds survived a painful crash on the bike to pass two-time Ironman World Champion Chris McCormack and lead the field into T2. Despite the obvious pain, Symonds then unleashed a 2nd-best 2:47:31 marathon to finish in 8:29:57 with a 14:49 margin of victory over runner-up Scott DeFillipis of the U.S. and 26 minutes over 3rd place Jamie Whyte of New Zealand. DeFillipis posted the day's fastest marathon, 2:45:54, on his way to a runner-up finish.
Lester finished 8th overall in a time of 9:27:26 with a 14:16 margin of victory over over runner-up Karen Thibodeau of Canada and a 30:57 margin over 3rd place Jen Annett of Canada.
With Penticton community and political leadership expressing disappointment with the city’s long term relationship with Ironman organization, The Challenge Family made a successful bid to step in when the city’s contract for the race went up for renewal last year.
“This day has just been incredible. We could not have asked for a better race to welcome the Challenge Family to North America,” said Paulette Rennie, President of Challenge Penticton Canada. One of the innovations introduced by the Challenge organization was a team relay category.
Challenge Penticton
Penticton, B.C. Canada
August 25, 2013
S 2.4 mi. / B 112 mi. / R 26.2 mi.
Results
Men
1. Jeffrey Symonds (CAN) 8:29:57
2. Scott DeFillippis (USA) 8:44:48
3. Jamie Whyte (NZL) 8:55:57
4. Adam O’Meara (CAN) 9:08:34
5. Anthony Toth (CAN) 9:10:14
Women
1. Carrie Lester (AUS) 9:27:26
2. Karen Thibodeau (CAN) 9:41:42
3. Jen Annett (CAN) 9:58:23
4. Jennifer Luebke (USA) 10:13:34
5. Erin Furness (NZL) 10:13:57
Hugo and Carey take XTERRA Japan
XTERRA East Champion Dan Hugo from South Africa led from start to finish and captured the win at XTERRA Japan on a course that was made very tough be a deluge of rain the day before. Mieko Carey also did not seem to mind the conditions and captured her fourth title in 5 years in 2:56:11.
"Crazy day and crazy fun in the best sense. It’s the adventure mentality," said Hugo. "We had a torrential downpour yesterday which made for an extreme course, just off the charts, riding with one foot clipped in and one foot clipped out, some places sliding next to the bike, it was mad fun."
XTERRA Japan
Kan Ko So Resort, Marunuma, Japan / August 24, 2013
Pro Men
1. Dan Hugo (RSA) 2:12:16
2. Takahiro Ogasawara (JAP) 2:19:53
3. Jarad Kohlar (AUS) 2:24:19
Pro Women
1. Mieko Carey (JAP) 2:56:11
2. Yasuko Miyazaki (JAP) 3:11:05
3. Emma Francis (AUS)
