Alistair Brownlee, Nikki Bartlett win Dun Laoghaire 70.3
Alistair Brownlee looked sharp in a tune up for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship two weeks hence and Nikki Bartlett defended her title in a United Kingdom sweep of the top titles at Ironman 70.3 Dun Laoghaire.
Men
Alistair Brownlee led the men’s swim wave by 1 second over Chris Mintern of Ireland, 4 seconds ahead of Adam Bowden of the UK, 1:31 ahead of Tim Don of the UK and 5 minutes ahead of Bryan McCrystal of Ireland.
Brownlee finished the hilly bike leg 6 minutes ahead of McCrystal, 6:44 ahead of 2006 ITU Olympic distance World Champion Tim Don of the UK, 7:40 ahead of Chris Mintern of Ireland, 8:30 ahead of Adam Bowden, 8:45 ahead of defending champ Elliot Smales and 8:50 ahead of Matt Burton of Australia.
By 7.3 km of the run, defending champion Elliot Smales of the UK ran into second place just ahead of Mintern – but both trailed Brownlee by 10 minutes. At the 10.5km mark, Brownlee settled into cruise mode, 10:22 clear of Smales and Mintern. At 14.5 km, Brownlee remained 10:33 ahead of Smales and 11:33 ahead of Mintern.
Brownlee finished in 4:00:34 with a 10:24 margin of victory over Smales and 13:13 ahead of 3rd place finisher Adam Bowden for a 1-2-3 sweep of the men’s podium by United Kingdom athletes.
Brownlee's 2019 season has been highlighted by wins at the Cagliardi World Cup and Ironman Ireland. Last year he placed 2nd at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship.
Brownlee has qualified for and plans to compete at the 70.3 and Ironman World Championships.
Women
WTS veteran swim star and strong biker Lucy Hall led the pro women’s swim wave with a 24:51 split that gave her a 1:21 lead on Rebecca Clarke of New Zealand, 4:43 ahead of Nikki Bartlett of Great Britain, 5:08 ahead of Magda Nieuwoudt of South Africa, 6:52 ahead of Tessa Kortekaas of Netherlands, 6:55 ahead of Laura Siddall of Great Britain and 6:57 ahead of Lisa Roberts of the U.S.
After 53 km of the bike leg, Hall led Bartlett by 6:50, Nieuwoudt by 10 minutes, Nieuwoudt by 11 minutes, Roberts by 12 minutes, Kortekaas by 12:13 and Siddall by 15:23.
At T2, Hall led Bartlett by 5 minutes, Kortekaas by 12:13, Nieuwoudt by 12:34 and Roberts by 12:43.
Despite her strong lead, Hall would be running for her life as Bartlett’s 70.3 half marathon splits range from 1:25 to 1:30 while Hall’s prior best was 1:38.
After 12 kilometers of the run, Hall’s lead fell to a minute over Bartlett. Soon, Hall faded 5 minutes behind Bartlett. After a 4:34:42 finish, Bartlett had a 19:42 margin of victory over Hall.
Due to technical issues, Ironman.com could not provide a record of any splits and did not record the finish time of women’s 3rd place finisher Lisa Roberts of the U.S.
Ironman 70.3 Dun Laoghaire
Dun Laoghaire, Co, Dublin, Ireland
August 25, 2019
S 1.2 mi. / B 56 mi. / R 13.1
Results
Men
1. Alistair Brownlee (GBR) 4:00:34
2. Elliot Smales (GBR) 4:10:58
3. Adam Bowden (GBR) 4:13:47
4. Chris Mintern (IRL) 4:17:26
5. Matt Burton (AUS) 4:18:04
Women
1. Nikki Bartlett (GBR) 4:34:42
2. Lucy Hall (GBR) 4:54:24
3. Lisa Roberts (USA)
