Potts, Samuels win Alcatraz
American Andy Potts won his 4th Escape From Alcatraz victory by 34 seconds over New Zealand’s Bevan Docherty and Kiwi Nicky Samuels blew away 3-time Escape champion Leanda Cave by 4 minutes 21 seconds with an excellent all-around 2:13:13 performance on the classic, rugged 1.5 mile swim, 18-mile bike and 8-mile run course.
Potts earned a 1:16 advantage on Docherty with a race-best 22:31 swim from the notorious former Federal prison in San Francisco Bay to the beach at Marina Green. Potts added 1:01 to that lead with a race-best 46:35 bike over the hilly course which runs from the Marina past Crissy Field, under the Golden Gate Bridge, through Golden Gate Park, and back again. Potts, who earlier this year won Oceanside 70.3 and also took the Capitol of Texas Triathlon crown last Monday, gave back 91 seconds to Docherty’s race-best 44:14 run and still had enough left to cross the line in 1:59:45 with a 34-seconds margin of victory over the 2004 ITU World Champion, 2004 Olympic silver medalist and 2008 Olympic bronze medalist currently living and training in Santa Cruz.
American Matt Chrabot dueled virtually elbow to elbow with Docherty through the swim, bike and much of the run before succumbing by 6 seconds at the finish to take 3rd place in 2:00:25. The remarkable rookie Jesse Thomas, who won a surprise victory at the Wildflower long course a month ago, took 4th overall in 2:03:34.
In the women’s race, Kiwi Nicky Samuels, coming off her first ITU World Cup victory in Mooloolaba earlier in the year, emerged from the swim 1:35 behind super swimmer and 2010 Toyota Cup series champion Sara McLarty, just 1 second behind 3-time Escape champion Leanda Cave’s 2nd-best 25:21 swim and put 6 seconds on 2006 Escape champion Becky Lavelle.
Samuels then turned on the jets on the hilly, twisty 18-mile bike, posting a race-best 51:25 bike that rocketed her past McLarty midway through the leg and put 64 seconds on Lavelle and 2 minutes 2 seconds on Cave.
Samuels put an indelible stamp on the race with her race-best 50:52 run which added 2:15 to her margin over Cave, 4:07 on Lavelle. Samuels crossed the finish line in 2:13:134 with 4:21 in hand over runner-up Cave and 6:08 on third-place finisher Lavelle.
Escape From Alcatraz
San Francisco, California
June 5, 2011
S 1.5 mi. / B 18 mi. / R 8 mi.
Results
Men
1. Andy Potts (USA) 1:59:45
2. Bevan Docherty (NZL) 2:00:19
3. Matt Chrabot (USA) 2:00:25
4. Jesse Thomas (USA) 2:03:34
5. Brian Fleischmann (USA) 2:06:12
6. John Dahlz (USA) 2:06:57
7. Kenneth Rakestraw (USA) 2:07:02
8. Andrew McCartney ( ) 2:07:06
9. Chris Stehula (USA) 2:07:25
10. Kyle Leto (USA) 2:07:33
13. Craig Alexander (AUS) 2:09:28
Women
1. Nicky Samuels (NZL) 2:13:13
2. Leanda Cave (GBR) 2:17:34
3. Becky Lavelle (USA) 2:19:21
4. Lindsey Jerdonek (USA) 2:22:20
5. Jenna Parker (USA) 2:25:39
6. Charisa Wernick (USA) 2:25:45
7. Amanda Felder Derkacs (USA) 2:27:06
8. Emily Cocks (USA) 2:27:37
9. Alexis Smith (USA) 2:27:51
10. Sara McLarty (USA) 2:28:23
