Previewing CLASH Endurance Miami
The second edition of CLASH Endurance Miami is here, with professional athletes taking to the entirety of the speedway this Friday, March 11th. The race will be livestreamed on Facebook, with additional coverage being broadcast on FS1 come March 17th. The deep field will be competing for a $50,000 prize purse, paying from first to eighth place.
Missing from this weekend's festivities are names including defending champions Jan Frodeno and Jodie Stimpson, Lionel Sanders, and Heather Jackson. But we're still left with more than 75 athletes vying for victory along the banked turns of Homestead Miami. Let's take a look at some of the names we expect to see atop the leaderboard on Friday.
Men
Sam Long: Long has been a long-time advocate of racing with Challenge/CLASH, and has had many successes at Daytona International Speedway. He looks to translate that success here in Miami, using his new partnerships with Trek and Zoot to bring him to victory.
Ben Kanute: The highest ranking finisher returning from last year, Kanute looks to improve upon his third place performance here. Kanute tends to turn up for larger races — given the depth of field here, expect to see his name high on the leaderboard early and often.
Jackson Laundry: The Canadian, ranked 12th overall by the PTO as of this writing, finished off 2021 in strong fashion. He took victory at 70.3 Ecuador, 5th at 70.3 Worlds in St. George, and had a very strong showing at the Collins Cup. Laundry's yet to have a strong showing at a CLASH race, but his form to close 2021 would suggest a top performance is possible in Miami.
Magnus Ditlev: Ditlev comes into Miami as a bit of a dark horse, although he should becoming a bit more of a household name given the way he ended 2021. Five podiums in six races (with the exception being an 8th place finish at 70.3 Worlds) to close a year should raise your name profile a bit. Yet he flies a bit under the radar. Probably just how he likes it. Don't be surprised if he takes his maiden CLASH victory.
Other notable names include Justin Metzler, Andrew Starykowicz, occasional author at Slowtwitch Ben Deal, Tyler Butterfield, Sam Appleton, Chris Leiferman, and Andreas Dreitz.
Women
Emma Pallant-Browne: It's hard to see anyone else standing atop the top step come Friday afternoon. Pallant-Browne won nearly 50% of the races she entered in 2021, and was otherwise on the podium at the remainder with one exception: 70.3 Worlds. Still, with that staggering consistency, if you had to bet the house on one competitor, this is where the smart money goes.
Sara Perez Sala: Perez Sala's name often turns up when it comes to CLASH / Challenge events. Perez Sala had a good start to 2021, including a 4th place at Miami, but two DNF's in three races to end the year were a disappointing conclusion. We'd expect a bounce-back performance here.
Ashleigh Gentle: It's been a long-time since we've seen Gentle at a long-course race, as she focused on qualifying for the Olympics for a second time. And with the COVID-19 pandemic making travel difficult, it's the first time we'll see Gentle race in the US since 2019.
Pamella Oliveira: The Brazilian national champion twice over, Oliveira's had mixed results in recent events, with a 4th place at last year's IRONMAN Lake Placid the likely highlight. Historically, though, Oliveira's opened her season stronger than she closes it, making her a stronger podium contender than if this were a late season event.
Other names to watch include Chelsea Sodaro, Dede Greisbauer, and Sophie Watts.
For all information regarding this Friday's race, visit CLASH Endurance's pro hub.
