Hoffman, Meyers win Branson 70.3
Ben Hoffman did it on the run and Jessica Meyers found her edge on the bike to win the Branson Ironman 70.3 Sunday.
Boulder, Colorado’s Hoffman combined a 2nd-best 25:18 swim and race-bests 2:24:03 bike and 1:17:31 run to finish in 4:09:02 with a winning margin of 4:49 over runner-up Matt Lieto of Bend, Oregon. Lieto matched Hoffman’s swim and bike but gave back 3:52 on the run. Karl Bordine of Carlsbad, California finished 3rd, 9:13 behind Lieto.
Meyers. 33, of Tulsa Oklahoma came out of the water 4th in 28:07, but seized control of the race with a race-best 2:48:39 bike on the demanding Branson course, then held on for the win with a 2nd-best 1:26:27 run to hit the finish in 4:45:14 with a 6:41 margin over runner-up Nina Kraft. Meyers gave up 1:39 to Kraft on the swim, took back 6:13 from Kraft on the bike, and added another 1:55 to her lead over Kraft on the run.
Mackenzie Madison placed 3rd, 1:28 behind Kraft and two time ITU Under 23 World silver medalist Jasmine Oeinck was 5th, 4:33 behind Madison.
Branson Ironman 70.3
Branson, Missouri
September 18, 2011
S 1.2 mi. / B 56 mi. / R 13.1 mi.
Results
Men
1. Ben Hoffman (Boulder CO) 4:09:02
2. Matt Lieto (Bend OR) 4:13:51
3. Karl Bordine (Carlsbad CA) 4:23:04
4. Ian Mikelson (Torrance CA) 4:23:25
5. Guy Crawford (NZL) 4:28:25
6. Brandon Jessop (Lakewood CO) 4:45:17
Women
1. Jessica Meyers (Tulsa OK) 4:45:14
2. Nina Kraft (GER) 4:51:59
3. Mackenzie Madison (Eugene OR) 4:53:27
4, Jasmine Oeinck (Boulder CO) 4:58:00
5. Caroline Gregory (Del Mar CA) 4:58:39
