Graves, Mullan top IM 70.3 UK

Philip Graves of Great Britain and Eimear Mullan of Ireland won Ironman 70.3 UK Sunday.

Graves, the 2009 UK 70.3 champion, combined a 2nd-best 22:23 swim, a race-best 2:29:36 bike split and 5th-best 1:23:45 run to finish in 4:19:45 with a 1:19 margin of victory over runner-up Markus Thomschke of Germany and 2:29 over third place finisher and top age grouper Spencer Harris of Great Britain.

Seventh-place finisher Paul Amey had the fastest run – 1:16:46.

Mullan overcame a 4:18 deficit after the swim with a women’s race-fastest 2:53:38 bike split and 2nd-best 1:27:16 run to finish in 4:53:33 with a 2:50 margin of victory over 2012 runner-up and 2011 UK 70.3 champion Emma-Kate Lidbury of Great Britain and 3:43 over 3rd-place finisher Simone Braendli of Switzerland.

Mullan’s bike split was 3:45 faster than the 2nd-fastest, 5th-place finisher Susie Hignett’s 2:57:23. Sixth-place finisher Lucy Gossage had the fastest run – 1:26:28.

Ironman 70.3 UK
Somerset, Great Britain
June 17, 2012
S 1.2 mi. / B 576 mi. / R 13.1 mi.

Results

Men

1. Philip Graves (GBR) 4:19:45
2. Markus Thomschke (GER) 4:21:04
3. Spencer Harris (GBR) 4:22:14 * M35-39
4. Mark Threlfall (GBR) 4:23:51
5. Fraser Cartmell (GBR) 4:24:30
6. Joe Skipper (GBR) 4:27:06
7. Paul Amey (GBR) 4:27:20
8. Ben Howard (GBR) 4:28:47
9. Paul Hawkins (GBR) 4:35:46
10. Harry Wiltshire (GBR) 4:36:09

Women

1. Eimear Mullan (IRL) 4:53:33
2. Emma-Kate Lidbury (GBR) 4:56:23
3. Simone Braendli (SUI) 4:57:16
4. Holly Lawrence (GBR) 5:00:03
5. Susie Hignett (GBR) 5:01:21
6. Lucy Gossage (GBR) 5:02:59
7. Corinne Abraham (GBR) 5:05:57
8. Amy Forshaw (GBR) 5:07:11 * F30-34
9. Victoria Gill (GBR) 5:16:18 * F30-34
10. Mareen Hufe (GER) 5:18:25