The Weekend Box Nov 16 2014
There were quite a few races this weekend, and we covered most of them individually – the stunning performances of Brent McMahon and Meredith Kessler at Ironman Arizona, the excellent wins of Josh Amberger and Annabel Luxford at Challenge Shepparton, and the fine victories of Michael Raelert and Melanie McQuaid at Ironman 70.3 Ballarat. But there was more and a beautiful race on Hamilton Island, a muddy affair in Belgium, the NBC Kona broadcast and a very talented artistic Pro triathlete filled our Weekend Box.
Fujifilm Hamilton Island Triathlon
Courtney Atkinson and Grace Musgrove were the champions of the 2014 Hamilton Island Triathlon, and Musgrove actually dominated her race. She also did the Hamilton Island 2k swim a day later, and she finished 3rd in that event. Men's runner-up Sam Betten also did the swim and he finished second behind the legendary Ky Hurst. The images I have seen from the various events there are absolutely stunning and this race maybe ought to go on the bucket list of folks. It certainly has caught my attention – if it only was not so far away.
Fujifilm Hamilton Island Triathlon
Hamilton Island, Queensland, Australia
750m swim /20km bike / 5km run
Top men
1. Courtney Atkinson (AUS) 1:01:12
2. Sam Betten (AUS) 1:02:13
3. Adam Gordon (AUS) 1:04:41
4. Ryan Palazzi (AUS) 1:06:31 * AG
5. Connor McKay (AUS) 1:08:46 * AG
Top women
1. Grace Musgrove (AUS) 1:10:17
2. Elyse Foster (AUS) 1:18:56
3. Chelsea Gerrard (AUS) 1:20:48
4. Ebony Banes (AUS) 1:22:18 * AG
5. Cassy Cason (AUS) 1:24:52 * AG
2014 Superprestige Gavere
Mud, mud and more mud dominated the 2014 Superprestige Gavere race, but that is what makes cyclocross so popular in Europe. The nastier the conditions the better for the fans. This weekend Sanne Cant and Nikki Harris dominated the women's race and Klaas Vantornaut ran away with the men's title. In the pic below, eventual 5th place getter Sophie De Boer ate some mud when she collided with American Elle Anderson who finished 8th.
2014 Superprestige Gavere
Gavere, East Flanders, Belgium
Top men
1. Klaas Vantornaut (BEL)
2. Kevin Pauwels (BEL)
3. Sven Nys (BEL)
4. Tom Meeusen (BEL)
5. Lars van der Haar (NED)
Top women
1. Sanne Cant (BEL)
2. Nikki Harris (GBR)
3. Ellen Van Loy (BEL)
4. Jolien Verschueren (BEL)
5. Sophie De Boer (NED)
The NBC Kona broadcast
I sat down at 1:30pm EST to watch the 2014 GoPro Ironman World Championships on NBC and actually enjoyed the whole show. There was enough of the Pro race to keep me entertained, but in all reality we all know how that played out and thus do not need too much along those lines, because the show is not catered to us to begin with.
Ben Hoffman did not only surprise himself and us, but he also surprised the NBC crew. But they recovered nicely. I very much enjoyed the feature about race car driver Alex Zanardi and this man has a a very positive outlook and there are great lessons to be learned here – about overcoming obstacles and not quitting. He is certainly someone I would love to get to know better. The feature about Lisa Hallett was also well done and when her story was introduced I suspect even the most hardened folks felt a little verklemmt. Could it be done better? Sure, but it is always easy to complain, and as I said before, the NBC show is not really made for the folks who spent 17 hours online on the 2014 October 11 weekend.
The Art of Jodie Stimpson
Jodie Stimpson is the 2014 Commonwealth Games triathlon champion and has many other fine results on her resume, but we discovered that the fast Brit apparently has some other talents. Her instagram account has recently been filled with various doodles, and she calls it a relaxing way to pass time. I however find it impressive and would like to see more.
You can follow Jodie Stimpson on Instagram
