Gemmell, Stevens take Memphis
Kris Gemmell overcame storms and tough competition to win the 5150 Memphis in May Triathlon by a minute. Amanda Stevens' advantage was only a few seconds but that was all she needed to take the women's crown.
Memphis in May features a Time Trial start where each athlete starts 10 seconds apart, alternating male/female in alphabetical order. The Pro start was delayed by an hour as the morning was filled with rain and storms and just as the Pros were about to start lightning was lighting up the sky. Pouring rain with an inch of water on some of the road sections greeted the athletes during the bike segment and lightning wasn't far in the distance during the run.
"That is a true test of triathlon skills…. man pushing the limit all day and having no idea where or how you are going makes it hard as! I was behind the boys so at least had something to chase but it was still very hard to tell with the layout of the course and the way the race pans out in that format," said race winner Gemmell. "They did an amazing job in Memphis to get a race at all and I thank the guys at Start 2 Finish sports for putting everything into getting us on the start line and I hope we gave them something to enjoy back with the hard racing out there."
Gemmell wasn't the only one thankful that the race actually took place and featured all 3 disciplines. Runner-up Cameron Dye expressed a very similar sentiment and while he most likely would have preferred to be one step up higher on the podium after having already finished second in last weeks Rev3 Knoxville event, Dye seemed satisfied with the result.
"Start2finish did a great job making sure the race was a full triathlon and dealing with the some pretty crazy weather," said Dye to slowtwitch. "The TT start makes for a really tough race but I was very happy with my effort and excited about another consistent finish."
Women's race winner Amanda Stevens also was very happy with her day in Memphis and the rain and mud did not seem to dampen her spirit.
"I had so much fun running barefoot through the mud. I was the first girl into T2 but there were some athletes hot on my heels," said Stevens. "The run course was even better and my legs were in shock at the speed I was trying to produce since my last race was an Ironman! They finally somewhat woke up around mile 5, but by then the finish line was not far away."
5150 Memphis in May Triathlon
Memphis, TN / May 22, 2011
1.5k swim / 40k bike / 10k run
Top men
1. Kris Gemmell (NZL) 1:46:35
2. Cameron Dye (USA) 1:47:36
3. Brian Fleischmann (USA) 1:47:36
4. David Thompson (USA) 1:47:58
5. Kaleb Vanort (USA) 1:48:08
6. Csaba Kuttor (HUN) 1:49:40
7. Kyle Leto (USA) 1:51:30
8. Andrew Starykowicz (USA) 1:51:39
9. Tom Francis (USA) 1:51:42
10. Sean Bechtel (USA) 1:52:16
Top women
1. Amanda Stevens (USA) 2:00:28
2. Annie Warner (USA) 2:00:33
3. Amanda Felder (USA) 2:01:07
4. Margaret Shapiro (USA) 2:01:09
5. D'Ann Arthur (USA) 2:01:31
6. Evelyne Blouin (CAN) 2:03:18
7. Pip Taylor (AUS) 2:03:41
8. Angela Axmann (GER) 2:04:55
9. Missy Kuck (USA) 2:04:55
10. Misato Takagi (JAP) 2:05:46
