The Toshiba Windsor Triathlon took place this weekend as many lined the streets to support the wide range of triathlon talent on display. The event which is organised by Human Race, the UKs largest and most diverse mass participation events company, has been running since 1990.

Mild conditions were the order of the day for competitors racing in the 23^rd year of the Windsor Triathlon. The fact that the event is part of the British Triathlon Federation Super Series only added to the excitement of the occasion and attracted a lot of spectators who were eager to enjoy the action.

The race attracted a strong elite field for 2013. The Elite men and women raced over distances of a 1.5k swim, 42km bike course and 10km run to put on a fine display as supporters made the most of opportunities to witness some of the country’s top triathlon talent including 2012 Olympian Stuart Hayes.

The atmosphere was electric at the finish line and just a minute separated the Men’s Elite winner Tom Bishop (1:49:47) from second place Stuart Hayes (1:50:47). With Bishop first out of the water followed very closely by Richard Stannard, Tom got his race of to a swift start.

The front pack exiting the water included  Bishop, Stanner, Shaw, Halksworth and Hayes who were leading the way as the elite men moved into transition. Bishop and Hayes remained neck-and-neck throughout the bike course, but it was Daniel Halksworth who completed in the quickest time, closely followed by eventual third place Ben Shaw (1:52:13).

The run was where Tom Bishop eventually broke away, completing almost a minute quicker than second place Hayes. Fourth place went to Daniel Halksworth (1:53:18) with Tom’s twin brother David taking fifth in 1:53:43. “It was a great race,” Tom commented. “The course is absolutely brilliant, the crowd really got behind us and the setting of Windsor is just amazing.”

The Women’s Elite race was equally thrilling with Emma Pallant crossing the line in 2:09:09. The talented young athlete who is coached by former Olympian Michelle Dillon completed a strong run as expected, to be crowned eventual winner.

Second place was awarded to India Lee (2:10:15) who played to her strengths finishing the bike course first before eventually being chased down by Emma Pallant on the run. Emma Holt took third place in a time of 2:12:12, with Emily McLoughlin (2:12:24) and Hannah Drewett (2:12:43) following.

The Toshiba Windsor Triathlon is not just known for its elites, the age-group races proved thrilling and spectators were delighted to see former French rugby player and Team Carbon Bikes ambassador Thomas Castaignède taking to the field, finishing in a time of 2:55:29.

Mark Yeoman was crowned overall fastest in the Olympic distance, winning in a time of 2:07:19 and Nicola Best took the place of best female in a time of 2:22:00. Also husband and wife duo Jodie and Paul Perry both took to the podium as they finished third and sixth overall respectively in their Olympic distance races.

Taking Sprint honours for the men overall was Christopher Symonds who finished in a time of 1:24:21 and the fastest woman over this distance was Susanne Hedges who completed in 1:30:28.

The amateur race had some interesting spectacles including that of David Lightbourne who designed and built a wooden framed bike to take part on.

2013 also saw the introduction of a relay option. One group who took advantage of this were the Andall clan who made it a family affair, with mum Natasha and her daughters taking part in the sprint relay while dad did the Olympic distance. “We have entered as a family Team effort to prove that teamwork really does work. It’s great to take part as a family. The girls had never taken part in a triathlon before but they relay loved it,” Natasha said.

All athletes crossing the line were given a refreshing Vita Coco coconut water and some Powerbar as they recovered from the race.

Nick Rusling, CEO of Human Race said: “Well done to everyone who competed today. The caliber of athletes in both the elite and age group race was just fantastic and Windsor is a stunning location for the race.”

Next year’s Windsor Triathlon will take place on 15 June 2014. Entries in the priority window will open on 21^st July 2013 for those who purchased two Human Race triathlons at Dorney Lake by 1 July 2013 and also those who have entered for 5 years or more. General entries will open on 1 August 2013. Check out: www.humanrace.co.uk for more.

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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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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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Ask Italian – the UK’s leading casual dining restaurant has opened registrations for the Ask Italian Grand Tour – a nationwide fundraising initiative aiming to raise £250,000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital, taking place between 9 – 27 September.

Among a number of different fundraising activities taking place throughout the tour, the Ask Italian Grand Tour will be hosting a Triathlon in Chichester on Wednesday 25th September, which will consist of a 400m swim, 32k bike ride and 8k run – fundraisers can enter individually or as a team. Please click on the following link for further details: http://www.askitaliangrandtour.co.uk/get-involved/triathlon

Registrations for the Tour are open until June 28th and those willing to take part can register here: www.askitaliangrandtour.co.uk

Starting in Aberdeen on 9 September and finishing at Great Ormond Street Hospital on 27 September, the ASK Italian Grand Tour will visit every ASK Italian restaurant in the country, collecting funds raised for the charity and giving the whole ASK Italian community the chance to get involved.

Fundraisers will be joined by celebrities and VIPs on different legs of the Grand Tour, with the overall aim being to raise as much money as possible for the charity while having fun along the way.

There will also be opportunities to sponsor the teams and individuals taking part.

Steve Holmes, Managing Director of ASK Italian, said: “The ASK Italian Grand Tour is a great opportunity for our customers, friends and families to get involved and together do something very special that will make a difference to so many children at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

“We hope the Grand Tour will capture the spirit of ASK Italian; raise a huge sum of money for a charity close to our hearts, celebrate our passion for real Italian food and culture and of course, have some fun along the way.

“If anyone is interested in joining us on the tour please get involved now and help to create a truly memorable three weeks.”

The Grand Tour will also incorporate three Food Nights in ASK Italian’s York, Exeter and Chichester restaurants, where members of the public will get the opportunity to join Grand Tour participants and local VIPs and sample a range of ASK Italian food.

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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This Saturday (8th June 2013) saw the 8th edition of the Beaver Triathlon, a 1.9km swim, an extended 80km undulating bike, and 20km hilly run around the scenic, rolling Leicestershire countryside. Nestled within the grounds of the historic and picturesque Belvoir Castle, the event attracted a strong field of female athletes, including 2013 European Middle Distance 25-29 Age Group Bronze Medalist Polly Linskill and IRONMAN 70.3 Pro Georgie Rutherford. It was clear from the outset that it was going to be a competitive race for the ladies, with a battle for the coveted National Middle Distance Championship podium.

Rutherford was first out of the swim, blasting through the two-lap course and 400m run to transition in an impressive 29:49min. She was closely followed by Linskill, who exited the water in 30:54min and Team Milton Keynes/7Hundred’s Jenny Hewitt in 32:22min.

The windy conditions on the rolling bike course meant that it was an especially challenging course, and that competitors were to prepare themselves tactfully for this in order to finish strong. Unfortunately, Rutherford experienced a double puncture on the 9th mile, which lost her the lead and left her on the side of the road for ten minutes. Hewitt had a superb bike, finishing the 50-mile course in an impressive 2:22:04, followed by Team Cherwell’s Kate McNeill who pulled herself up through the field, finishing in 2:24:14.

The Beaver run encompasses four laps of ‘USN Hill’ a challenging ‘out and back’ hilly route. Hewitt held an early lead, but Linskill was flying and overtook her as they fly down the 3rd hill descent. Rutherford made up a lot of time and ran well, overtaking Hewitt and closing in on Linskill over every mile.

Linskill finished first in 4:32:01, followed a minute and a half later by Rutherford in 4:33:31. Hewitt finished strong in 4:34:39 to make up the final ladies podium.

Polly Linskill, spoke to British Triathlon at the race finish,

‘It was a massive surprise to win, I have been battling a bit of plantar fasciitis so was really worried about racing, but really happy with my result. For me, the hilly run was the best bit; I come from a fell running background and so was in my element. Instead of getting daunted by the distance, I treated it as four separate hill reps which really worked well for me. I am delighted with my result.’

2nd place Georgie Rutherford said,

‘Experiencing a double puncture nine miles into the bike course was incredibly frustrating. It felt like I was on the side of the road for ages getting them fixed, watching everyone come speeding past me. I didn’t spend much time checking my inners, so it is a relief that I didn’t experience any other issues, especially as I was only carrying two canisters and two inners with me. As soon as I got back out there, I had the advantage of passing lots of people which is a great feeling. Playing catch up is always the best place to be – I always enjoy a little bit of cat and mouse! I was pleased with my run, the girls were really quick and were good competition- it’s a pity I couldn’t quite close in the gap all the way.
I raced the Little Beaver as a qualifier back in 2010, and thoroughly enjoyed returning this year. The event is very well organised and I would recommend it to anyone.’

Ladies Results

1) Polly Linskill: 4:32:01

2) Georgie Rutherford (Team Ichiban): 4:33:31

3) Jenny Hewitt (Team Milton Keynes/7Hundred): 4:34:39

4) Lucy Custance (Clapham Chasers): 4:42:40

5) Kate McNeill (Team Cherwell): 4:51:54

For a full range of race results visit  www.justracinguk.com/raceresults

For more information about the full range of Just Racing UK Events, visit www.justracinguk.com. Up to date news can also be found by following the Just Racing team on Twitter (@JustRacingUK).

Well done to everyone that raced this weekend!

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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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