Having come to paratriathlon from other sports, new team members Lauren Steadman, Phil Hogg and Dave Ellis all claimed gold over the 750 metre swim, 20 kilometre bike and 5 kilometre run. Sarah Pearson was another new team member to cross the line first, winning the Tri3 category.

Steadman was part of a British 1-2 with Clare Cunningham in the Tri4 category. Both have represented ParalympicsGB at swimming. Also a former ParalympicsGB swimmer, David Ellis struck gold on his debut, having used his swimming background to exit the ocean first following the 750m swim.

Steadman said: “I definitely had to work hard for this. The swim is my strength and I had a good, smooth transition. On the bike I just wanted to keep distance between myself and everyone else. On the run I had jelly legs but I gave it my all.”

Phil Hogg was delighted with Tri1 gold in his first international Paratriathlon. Team mate Joe Townsend was third.

Hogg said: “It’s emotional, I can only thank my coaches and my family and I can’t thank them enough for getting me here. I was thinking on the third or fourth bike lap that I had a chance but I knew I had to keep on the gas and keep racing.”

Experienced team members, Jane Egan and Melissa Reid added to their international medal tallies with gold in the Tri1 and Tri6 categories respectively.

Egan, 42 from Scotland, won the title for the fourth time in a row and said: “I’m really pleased, it’s nice to keep the title, I think I’ve had it since 2010. For the first time ever I think I had a really good swim!”

Results: 6 Gold, 4 Silver, 2 Bronze

Tri1
1. Jane Egan, GBR, 1:30:53
Tri3
1. Sarah Pearson, GBR, 1:28:51
Tri4
1. Lauren Steadman, GBR, 1:09:25
2. Clare Cunningham, GBR, 1:11:46
Tri6b
1. Melissa Reid, GBR, 1:07:37
2. Charlotte Ellis, GBR, 1:08:36

Tri1
1. Phil    Hogg, GBR, 1:05:55
3. Joe Townsend, GBR, 1:12:34
Tri3
2. Steven Judge, GBR, 1:10:18
Tri6a
3. Haseeb Ahmad, GBR, 1:05:47
Tri6b
1. David Ellis, GBR, 1:00:04
2. Iain Dawson, GBR, 1:01:33

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Sian Rainsley, Gordon Benson, Georgia Taylor-Brown and Marc Austin won Britain’s second Junior title in two years and for Taylor-Brown and Austin, they were able to add to their own individual medal haul from the weekend’s completion.

Jeanne Lehair, Leo Bergere, Cassandra Beaugrand and Maxime Hueber-Moosbrugger won the silver medal for the French and the German team of Laura Lindemann, Jonas Breinlinger, Laura Sprissler and Lasse Preister claimed the bronze medal.

It was another beautiful morning in Alanya for the Junior Mixed relay, a super sprint distance of 300m swim, 6.3km bike and 2km run for each athlete.

19 teams entered with 14 countries represented with almost all of the Junior athletes who had competed on Friday and Saturday taking part.

Laura Lindemann showed no ill effects from her silver medal on Friday as she stormed into an early lead with Lotte Miller (NOR) hot on her tail.

This allowed Breinlinger and Blummenfelt to explode into the water on the 2nd leg but Jeanne Lehair did well for France and Bergere quickly followed.

Blummenfelt enjoyed a great spell out on the course and he built a solid lead from the pack as he passed onto Ingborg Pedersen.

Breinlinger and Bergere followed suit and passed onto Sprissler and Beaugrand respectively. These two had an incredible swim, not only eating into Pedersen’s lead but passing the Norwegian on their way out of T1.

Behind them, Junior European Champion Georgia Taylor-Brown was making fantastic progress and moving up through the field. By the end of the bike she had pulled the British team up into 5th place alongside Sforza (ITA) and Pedersen and after the run she was up into second, twenty seconds behind Beaugrand.

This gave Marc Austin the perfect platform to go and win the race and by the end of the swim he was tied with Hueber-Moosbrugger for the lead.

Austin, the sole survivor from Britain’s victorious Junior relay team at Pontevedra in 2011, pulled away on the bike and built up a comfortable lead over the Frenchman.

Austin was never in danger but behind him Hueber-Moosbrugger and Germany’s Preister were hanging on under attack from Junior Champion Dorian Coninx, who was having a strong final leg for the second French team.

But after a pulsating finish to his individual race on Saturday, Coninx just didn’t have the legs in this race and Hueber-Moosbrugger and Preister crossed the line for silver and bronze respectively.

Victory for the British team and anchor man Marc Austin, who was third in the Junior race yesterday, paid tribute to his team: “It wasn’t easy but after the effort the other guys put in meant I had to go and win it. I was definitely feeling yesterday’s effects and it was hard. I could relax over the last 500m but up until then it was hard.

“I was set up in a perfect position and all I had to do was ride it out but it was the other guys who put me there. Georgia had the leg of the day and if it wasn’t for her we might not have made the podium.”

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The Russian looked comfortable throughout the race but he needed every second of his lead after a remarkable charge from Mario Mola. Alessandro Fabian (ITA) raced superbly to win his first Elite European medal and Mola was simply sensational, making up a deficit of 1 minute 44 seconds to climb from the chase pack to third over the 10km run.

After a clean start it was no surprise to see Richard Varga emerge from the water after the two lap swim course in front. Varga is a superb swimmer but he was followed by Vincent Luis (FRA) and Maximilian Schwetz (GER) out of the water just a few seconds behind.

Alessandro Fabian and Pierre Le Corre (FRA) followed with Vasiliev amongst the front runners to exit the water.

A group of 14 exited T1 together but ten made an immediate breakaway and set a thrilling pace around the six lap bike course.

Polyanskiy (RUS) was the first to fall from the lead group and after four laps Richard Varga unfortunately suffered a puncture. The lead group was therefore down to eight but Vasiliev, Luis and Fabian continued to push the pace alongside Marco Van der Stel and Schwetz who were riding superbly.

The lead over the chase group increased lap by lap and was 1 minute and 44 seconds by the time the leaders turned in for T2. But Mario Mola (ESP) was part of the chasing pack and it soon became clear that no lead is too big for Mario as he hunted down and caught those in front of him.

Vasiliev had broke away on the first lap on the run and Fabian, Luis and Schwetz were isolated and battling it out for the remaining podium spots. But behind them, Mola was relentless. He was up to 7th after two laps and with a lap to go he was 5th.

It meant the front runners couldn’t afford to relax but both Vasiliev and Fabian continued to run well and Vasiliev crossed the line to become the first Russian European Champion. It’s also his third podium in Alanya in two years after a third place in 2011 and a win in last year’s European Cup.

He said: “I am very pleased, I knew I needed a big lead because of Mario. I had to be strong and keep going.”

Alessandro Fabian was delighted to claim his first European medal. He said: “What an incredible race, it’s my first medal and I’m very happy to finish in second place.

“At the beginning of the run I said keep calm and run. I ran as fast as I could.”

The incredible Mario Mola wowed the crowd with his pace, recording a 29.05 10k split, but he paid tribute to Ivan Vasiliev: “The winner today is Ivan and Alessandro. We worked hard on the bike but they also worked hard and we couldn’t catch up. The first group worked very well and I have to congratulate them.

“I just had to give 100% on the run which is what I did. I tried my best and today, my best was third.”

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The Frenchman surprisingly out-ran teammate and pre-race favourite Raphael Montoya in the closing stages of the 5km run. Montoya, whose running prowess is well documented following two sprint finish wins in 2013, claimed the silver medal ahead of Britain’s Marc Austin.

A capacity field dived into the clear blue water to get the Junior Men’s European Championship underway.

The Czech duo of Lukas Kocar and Lukas Cervenka blazed a trail out the water in just over eight minutes and they had a five second lead over the chasers who filtered out of the water.

Coninx and Montoya were amongst the top eight alongside Austin, Gordon Benson (GBR), Jørgen Gundersen (NOR) and Dalien Stateff (ITA).

These athletes formed the front group on the bikes where this race really came to life. The lead group of ten athletes set a phenomenal pace as they ate up the course. By the end of the first lap they had a lead of twenty seconds. Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) was working hard at the front of the chase pack of seven athletes with the rest of the field a further ten seconds behind.

After two laps, the lead group had maintained their lead with Stateff, Montoya, Austin and Coninx working hard and taking turns at the front.

The chase group had become one, with Jorik Van Egdom (NED) leading the charge but they remained over twenty seconds behind.

It was Dalien Stateff who emerged out of T2 first in a group of five with Coninx, Montoya, Austin and Ilya Prasolov.

Montoya was already motoring and had caught Stateff by the first bend. As the athletes approached the last lap it was down to a four way battle as Montoya and Coninx ran side by side with Austin and Benson.

Surprisingly, it was Coninx who made the move and he finished the stronger runner to become European Champion.

“I’m very happy because I really worked hard for this win,” said Coninx. “ I had hoped to win but it is a very competitive field. Staying ahead of Raphael is always hard as he is a very good sprinter.”

Montoya didn’t have the legs to catch Coninx but he did enough to finish in second place. “I had a very good swim and I gave everything on the bike. We pushed hard.

“Dorian was too far away at the end, he was a lot stronger today. But it’s the best moment of my life, it’s just unbelievable.”

Marc Austin admitted that he had tired in the heat on the final lap but he was delighted to take the bronze medal.

“It was a hard race, I wanted to get first so over the hill I just pushed too hard. The whole way back was just horrible and I was just hanging on,” said the Brit.

“It was pretty hot out there and I have ran with all of those guys before so I wasn’t sure how the different people would be affected by the heat. I wanted to win but I guess bronze is still pretty good so I’m happy with that.”

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Klamer wins in Alanya

Vicky Holland returned to form with an impressive silver medal at the ETU Triathlon European Championships in Alanya, Turkey. Rachel Klamer (NED) claimed gold and a feisty run from Frintova, secured the bronze medal.

Holland, who missed the whole of April’s training through illness, had a good swim. She cruised her way into the lead pack of eighteen athletes on the bike, which ultimately proved vital in claiming her silver medal.

Holland and team mate, Vanessa Raw, worked well together as the lead group pulled further away from the chasing pack. Raw was particularly strong on the last lap, ensuring Holland’s smooth passage into the second transition.

After a relatively slow transition Holland came out onto the run course behind the leaders, but caught the chasing group by lap three of four.

Holland said: “I had a great swim and felt in control. I didn’t have the best of transitions. Unfortunately, I gave away a bit of time.  On the final lap, I didn’t know how I was going to feel.  I couldn’t give anything more, I am really pleased. On the final hill, Rachel (Klamer) dug in and then it was on from there. We dropped the others and then Rachel broke away.”

She added: “I’m over the moon.  I don’t think I could have asked for more, especially not a medal. It’s a championship medal and it’s a medal for Great Britain, so it’s right up there.”

Vanessa Raw finished 13th after a typically good swim and great bike ride. Lois Rosindale secured a top twenty finish with 17th place with an excellent run split.

Holland’s silver medal adds to Georgia Taylor Brown’s junior success earlier today. The 19 year old retained the title that she won last year in Eilat.

Tomorrow sees the men’s junior and senior events, preceded by Age Group sprint races in the morning. Britain’s largest ever Paratriathlon team races on Sunday.

Results:
1. Rachel Klamer, NED, 1:55:43
2. Vicky Holland, GBR, 1:55:45
3. Vendula Frintova, CZE, 1:55:53
13. Vanessa Raw, GBR, 1:57:40
17. Lois Rosindale, GBR, 1:58:08

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After a couple of months out due to injury, Taylor-Brown showed no ill effects in what was her first European race this year. As part of a lead group of three entering T2, she left her rivals in her wake to cruise home.

Germany’s Laura Lindemann finished second in her first ever European Championships and Italy’s Angelica Olmo secured the final podium place, also in her first ever European Championships.

58 athletes dived into the sea to get the Junior Women’s European Championship underway. After 750m, Russia’s Anastasia Gorbunova emerged from the water closely pursued by Laura Lindemann (GER), Maya Kingma (NED) and Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA).

One by one they trickled out of the sea and only a minute separated the entire field as they headed into T1 and onto the bikes.

After the first bike lap, Lindemann had kept the pace at the front as a lead pack of 13 athletes, including Lotte Miller (NOR), Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR) and Jeanne Lehair (FRA) held a 15 second advantage over the second group, headed up by Leonie Periault (FRA)

By the end of the second lap, the two packs had formed one –with 24 athletes riding together with Ireland’s Emma Sharkey leading the way.

An unfortunate crash on lap 3, allowed Sharkey, Taylor-Brown and Lindemann to seize the initiative and they broke away to head into T2 some fifteen seconds ahead. The advantage was to prove crucial as once on the run, Taylor-Brown clicked through the gears and was never going to be caught.

“I didn’t think at all that I was going to win as I’ve had two months out from injury and have only just started back running,” said Taylor-Brown. “But I didn’t put any pressure on myself, just told myself to do what I do and it worked out.

“We got a break on the last bike lap, a couple of girls went down, and after that it was just a case of head down and go for it and luckily, I felt alright on the run.”

Lindemann performed magnificently, having been in the lead group at every stage of the race, and she was comfortably in second place.

Lindemann said: “It feels really good, I had to work really hard. I am so pleased as it is my first ever Championship.”

Behind her the battle was for third place. Sharkey had tired and been caught but Periault (FRA), Miller (NOR) and Olmo (ITA) were fighting for third place.

A sprint finish by Olmo gave her the win and it’s only her second ever International podium.

She said: “I am very happy it feels amazing. I could never think that I could get a podium. But I had to work hard, I had to sprint at the end and now I’m really tired but it feels great.”

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Emma-Kate is a six-time Ironman 70.3 champion who recently won Ironman 70.3 Kansas, just a few miles from Anthem’s headquarters in Kansas City.
Emma-Kate will be working closely with two companies within the Anthem Media Group – Allied Media and Anthem Media – and is particularly excited to be involved with the new employee wellness program which AMG is launching.
Elizabeth Harvill, Director of Marketing at AMG, said: “We are proud to be partnering with Emma-Kate and look forward to working with her and seeing her triathlon career go from strength to strength. We are excited to have an athlete of her caliber assisting us with our innovative employee wellness program which is going to have a huge impact on the health, fitness and wellbeing of our staff.”
Emma-Kate said: “I am thrilled to be teaming up with AMG and believe together we can achieve great things. I am obviously excited to have their support and it will play a pivotal role in helping me achieve my goal of winning the Ironman 70.3 World Championships. Equally, I look forward to my involvement with the employee wellness program and working with all the team at AMG.”
Emma-Kate has had a stellar 2013 season so far: aside from her win at Ironman 70.3 Kansas, she has also won Ironman 70.3 Texas and placed second at Ironman 70.3 Raleigh just a week before racing in Kansas. She is next due to race at Ironman 70.3 Vineman on July 14 before her major race of the year, the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas on September 9.

About Emma-Kate and Ironman 70.3

Emma-Kate specializes in racing Ironman 70.3 triathlon, the name coming from the total number of miles covered across all three disciplines (swim, bike and run) at every race (1.2- mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run). A former newspaper journalist, Emma-Kate first discovered triathlon when writing a feature about it in 2005. After a few years of racing as an amateur and winning World and European Age Group medals, she began racing professionally in 2009. She has since won Ironman 70.3 Kansas and Ironman 70.3 Texas (2013), Ironman 70.3 Mallorca (2012, 2011), Ironman Augusta (2011) and Ironman 70.3 UK (2011). She is a British athlete who now lives and trains in Santa Monica, CA.

For more information visit her website at www.eklidbury.co.uk and follow her on Twitter @eklidbury
About Anthem Media Group
Anthem Media Group is a portfolio of diverse media brands and service companies. Each company within the AMG portfolio has honed valuable skills over many years of working closely with loyal customers including: message creation and channel distribution, experiential marketing, online interactive media, event marketing and community engagement, website design/development, high-definition digital video production,

To learn more about Anthem Media Group, please visit our website thisisamg.com/

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Mako Sport is proud to announce that Olympian, World Championship medalist and rookie long distance racer Will Clarke will be joining their team of athletes for 2013 season.

“I love the wetsuit, probably the best I’ve ever felt in a suit” said Will, who is based in Loughborough, after trying the top of the range Mako Extreme model for the first time. “It’s really nice and free around the shoulders and it’s not tiring me out trying to move my arms around! Nice and floaty but not too tight around the body. Perfect.”

“I’ve known Will since he was a Junior, we were both on the British team together, and not only is he one of the most talented triathletes of his generation , but he also has the perhaps the biggest personality ! He was definitely on my wish-list of athletes to work with, so I’m delighted to welcome him to the Team » said Mako co-founder Jessica Harrison. « He will be racing in Ironman UK 70.3 on the 17th of June and we wish him the very best of luck with the race ”

With an extensive line of wetsuits and swim apparel, Mako is now available in nine countries and is distributed in the UK and Ireland by Zamie Williamson and her husband Mick, a former Olympic swimmer.

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Craig Alexander (AUS) and Emma-Kate Lidbury (GBR) dominated the sixth running of The Oread IRONMAN 70.3 Kansas today, with winning times of 3:51:26 and 4:15:49, respectively, while former Super Bowl MVP wide receiver Hines Ward showcased his transition from gridiron legend to first-time IRONMAN.

Since he embarked on his quest to add an IRONMAN to his already impressive list of athletic and other accomplishments (Ward won „Dancing with the Stars‰ last year), Ward has lost 40 pounds as he converts a body once famous for bruising opponents into a slimmed-down one capable of finishing an IRONMAN.

Coached by eight-time IRONMAN World Champion Paula Newby-Fraser, Ward and his three teammates from Got Chocolate Milk | Team Refuel (Eric McElvenny, Chrisann Dalton and Josh Kalb) were all competing in Kansas today as part of their preparation for the IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i this October. McElvenny, who lost his right leg below the knee while serving in the United States Marine Corps in 2011, finished the race in an impressive 5:18:26. Kalb, a first-year medical student competing in his very first triathlon, managed a 4:46:07, despite the fact that he can fit only an hour of training into his typical day. Dalton, a mother of two who has managed to overcome chronic asthma as she embarks on her IRONMAN challenge, finished the day in 6:20:36.

Ward exceeded both his and Newby-Fraser‚s expectations with his 5:53:18 finish. That shouldn‚t imply that the effort was, in any way, an easy one.

„That was the hardest thing I have ever done,” Ward said after the race. „There was a lot of soul searching towards the end. I dug deep down and just wanted to get to the finish line.”

In the men‚s race, someone forgot to tell last year’s IRONMAN 70.3 Steelhead Champion, Daniel Bretscher, that no one was supposed to be able to compete with three-time Kona champ Craig Alexander. Alexander, who arrived in Kansas fresh off an impressive win in Hawaii last week, was third out of the water but quickly gained the lead once the bike ride had started and seemed to be in control of the race for much of the ride. Into T2, though, Alexander‚s lead was only 45 seconds on Bretscher.

Using the multiple out-and-back sections of the course in Clinton State Park, Alexander controlled the pace and made sure he was a solid minute ahead of the American through the first eight miles of the run. He then picked up the pace and quickly moved the gap to 1:30, where things stayed to the finish line. After the race Alexander said he wasn’t at all surprised with Bretscher’s performance, siting a number of races where the American has pushed him in the past.

Rounding out the top five, Great Britain’s James Hadley held off the challenge from Jozsef Major to hold on for third, while the leader out of the swim, Gavin Anderson (USA), finished fifth.

Top five professional men’s results are below:

1.     Craig Alexander                    AUS                   3:51:26
2.     Daniel Bretscher                   USA                   3:52:54
3.     James Hadley                       GBR                   3:59:07
4.     Jozsef Major                        HUN                   3:59:41
5.     Gavin Anderson                    USA                   4:01:29

On the women‚s side, Great Britain‚s Emma-Kate Lidbury followed in Chrissie Wellington and Rachel Joyce’s footsteps, leading the race from start to finish to earn her sixth IRONMAN 70.3 race.

After leading off the bike by two minutes last week in Raleigh, only to be caught by Laura Bennett on the run, Lidbury was thrilled to come off the bike and open up more of a gap on the women chasing behind her in Kansas. Second off the bike was Mandy McLane, who found herself over five-minutes back. Fifth off the bike, just over seven-minutes down, was Danielle Kehoe, who quickly set her sights on the podium. While she wasn‚t ever in a position to challenge Lidbury, Kehoe did run her way to second, with McLane hanging on to round out the podium.

Top five professional women’s results are below:

1.     Emma-Kate Lidbury              GBR                   4:15:49
2.     Danielle Kehoe                     USA                   4:21:47
3.     Mandy McLane                     USA                   4:23:46
4.     Whitney Garcia                     USA                   4:25:16
5.     Lesley Smith                         USA                   4:29:30

One of nearly 60 events in the global IRONMAN 70.3 Series, The Oread IRONMAN 70.3 Kansas led athletes along a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run on a course that utilized a variety of Clinton State Park and surrounding scenic areas. The one-loop swim took place at Clinton Lake followed by a 56-mile bike course that ventured through the rolling terrain of Southwest Douglas County and featured winding, flat stretches of road, as well as steep pitches and challenging hills. Athletes concluded with a two-loop, 13.1-mile run through the Clinton State Park Campgrounds. The event offered a total professional prize purse of $15,000 and 50 coveted age-group slots to the 2013 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, taking place on Sept. 8 at Lake Las Vegas in Henderson, Nev..

Visit www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/ironman-70.3/kansas/results  for event information and official results. All media inquiries should be directed tomedia@ironman.com.

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Photo Credit: Eyes Wide Open Images

Queensland triathletes Luke McKenzie and Liz Blatchford scored career defining victories in the Cairns Airport IRONMAN Cairns today.

Born in Britain, but raised in Perth, Blatchford enjoyed a successful move from the Olympic distance ranks to earn a hard-fought debut win while McKenzie scored by far the most credentialed of his six Ironman victories.

McKenzie has earned five previous Ironman wins around the globe, but his last came three years ago, and today he stamped his class on a top-notch field including two-time Ironman World Champion Chris McCormack, 10-time Ironman New Zealand champion Cameron Brown and a host of quality Australians.

Blatchford has earned plaudits with her successful introduction to the endurance ranks but today’s first venture into an Ironman was a step into the unknown.

“It was every world of hurt, it was also amazing I had so many ups and downs and I can’t believe I’ve won,” Blatchford said.

For McKenzie getting back on the top spot of the podium provided a little validation that he was again heading in the right direction.

“Three years ago I won my last Ironman and it’s been a fairly rocky road since.

“This win signals that I am still on the right path and I do have that ability in me and it gives me that confidence leading into the rest of the year and in the future,” said McKenzie.

McKenzie started his career with a bang winning five Ironman races from 2008 to 2010. His strength in those races, his bike, had slowly over the last three years become something of a weakness.

But all week long he had been talking about how happy he was to have his bike back at the level he expects.

And when McKenzie rides well he wins Ironman titles, which is what he did today at the Cairns Airport IRONMAN Cairns.

He tore the legs off the rest of the field with a superb 4:21:52 bike leg, and left just enough in the tank to hold on during the run and notch up his sixth Ironman title.

“I felt really bad in the swim, but got on the bike and felt amazing, after Clayton Fettell got his penalty I had to go solo, and coming off the bike with a lead of over ten minutes I thought I could win if I raced smart,” he said.

McKenzie paid tribute to his parents, who today saw him win an Ironman for the first time.

“It’s the first time my parents have ever seen me win an Ironman, I am so thankful to them, they have supported me throughout my career and I’m so happy they could be here to see me win today,” he said.

Tim Berkel ran his way into second and Chris McCormack hung on for a gutsy third place.

“Full credit to Luke today he smashed that bike, I just needed to run as fast as I could and I did. I was really happy with that performance,” Berkel said.

McCormack showed just how tough he is, a third place finish was a herculean effort after the spent last Sunday in Cairns International Hospital.

Diagnosed with a virus that attacked his kidney, his doctors gave him the green light to race advising that by racing he couldn’t make the situation worse. They did however tell him he would be unlikely to make it to the finish.

Not only did he defy medical opinion and finish, he held on to a podium spot.

“You play the cards you’re dealt and full credit to the two boys in front of me they were in a different zip code to me today. There were so many moments that I wanted to quit, but I hung tough,” McCormack said.

The women’s race was always going to be a battle of two, but no one expected the battle to be as hard fought as it was.

Up until the 32km mark of the run five-time Ironman champion and Kiwi Gina Crawford and Ironman rookie Aussie/Brit Liz Blatchford spent almost the entire day shoulder to shoulder.

In her first attempt at the distance Blatchford held a small lead out of the water, but it was a gap Crawford bridged quickly on the bike.

The two then proceeded to ride together throughout the remaining kilometres of the bike.

Neither would back down on the run with Crawford managing to build a lead of 250m on two occasions, but Blatchford refused to go away staying close enough to make a move for the lead.

After staying close to Crawford the pair ran shoulder to shoulder until the 32km mark when Blatchford made her move and went for the win.

From there Blatchford powered her way into a very exclusive club by winning her first attempt at an Ironman.

“The support is unbelievable, running down the highway I wasn’t sure I could finish, but as soon as I made it to town the crowd lifted me,” said Blatchford.

Crawford held onto second with the USA’s Stephanie Jones in third.

“Full credit to Liz today, I did everything I could and I’m not too disappointed with second. I tried to focus on my own race but she was there all day. She raced a smart race today,” said Crawford.

Crawford was valiant in second place pushing Blatchford all the way to the finish.

The USA’s Stephanie Jones finished in third.

Results

Male

1.     Luke McKenzie           8:17:42
2.     Tim Van Berkel           8:22:15
3.     Chris McCormack       8:32:49
4.     Jason Shortis              8:38:20
5.     Clayton Fettell             8:41:41

Female
1.    Liz Blatchford           9:19:50
2.    Gina Crawford          9:23:13
3.    Stefanie Jones         9:31:45
4.    Anna Ross               9:46:27
5.    Beth Walsh               9:55:22

The Cairns Airport Adventure Festival is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism & Events Queensland as part of a growing calendar of sporting, cultural and regional events across the State

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