2013 Ironman 70.3 US Pro Championships in St. George, UT
On the men's side, Canadian Brent McMahon captured the overall win at the 2013 Ironman 70.3 US Pro Championships in St. George, UT. American Kevin Collington was the top American on the men's side in the runner-up position to the two-time Olympian from Canada and claimed the title of US Ironman 70.3 champ for 2013. US men took two of the top three spots with Andy Potts rounding out the podium.
On the women's side, Meredith Kessler bested all comers and was actually the lone American on the women's podium. But owning the top spot of the podium, Kessler emphatically staked her claim to the US Pro champ title on the women's side.
Ace photographer Larry Rosa of endurapix.com was on site to provide some great shots from the day.
The Sand Hollow Reservoir has an incredible backdrop, typical of this scenic course.
The calm before the storm as helmets lay in the ready position in T1.
Super-star swimmer Andy Potts had some company in the form of swim-stars Ivan and Dennis Vasiliev of Russia making the jump over from the ITU.
But there was a big group chasing hard. Here Brent McMahon leads the charge.
Always a strong swimmer, Kessler led the pro women out of the water, but she surrendered five minutes on the bike to eventual runner up Svenja Bazlen.
Trevor Wurtele chases current Ironman 70.3 World Champ Sebastien Kienle, who was racing his first 70.3 since taking the title in September of last year.
Ironman 70.3 and Ironman World Champ Leanda Cave also made a return to racing in St. George, finishing 10th.
Svenja Bazlen of Germany dropped the hammer on the hilly bike course, but eventually surrendered the lead for good to Kessler at the 11 mile mark of the run.
Out on the run, it was all McMahon, as he clocked a sub-1:14 run on the very hilly St. George course to take a comfortable win.
Kevin Collington leads Andy Potts, just as he would at the finish line.
Defending Ironman St. George champ Ben Hoffman was left wishing for a second loop, but still recorded a strong sub-4 hour performance on this very hard course.
The hills in the background give some hints as to just how tough this run was.
Andy Potts, seen here in the background in the black, fell back during a rough spot, but surged back past fellow Olympians Greg Bennett and Matt Reed to take 3rd. Reed held on for 6th, while Bennett faded to 15th.
The epic scenery was one of the highlights of the course, especially since most folks had a lot of time to take it all in.
There was a lot of cheering of the runners by cyclists, who crossed by on the other side of the road.
Blue skies greeted athletes all day, which made for some tough conditions under the Utah sun for later finishers.
The sunny and hot conditions help explain St. George's nickname – Dixie. It was where Mormon settlers first grew cotton as fears of a shortage due to the Civil War prompted LDS leaders to take action.
Kelly Williamson lost time on the bike, but recorded the fastest run of the day for the women to surge back into 5th.
The run course just seems to keep going up and up and up.
It was a long day out there. Longer for some than others…
