Major League Triathlon Atlantic City
The offseason is over for Major League Triathlon! The league — now in its third season — made its 2018 debut over the weekend in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Nine mixed relay teams competed on Saturday, as the two men and two women from every group each took on the 300-meter swim, 3.2-mile bike, 1-mile run course.
The Carolina Gliders — comprised of the talented Ben Kanute (Phoenix, Ariz.), Tommy Zaferes (Santa Cruz, Calif.), Chelsea Burns (Seattle, Wash.) and Lindsey Jerdonek (Cleveland, Ohio) – crossed the tape first in 1 hour, 23 minutes, 22 seconds on their way to the top of the season standings and a $7,000 prize. The Gold Coast Tritons (Emma Jeffcoat, Ryan Fisher, Brandon Copeland and Jaz Hedgeland) and San Diego Stingrays (Taylor Spivey, Matt McElroy, Chelsea Sodaro and Seth Rider) rounded out the podium in second and third place, respectively.
For complete results from the Major League Triathlon Atlantic City, click here.
XTERRA Beaver Creek
XTERRA was back in Beaver Creek, Colorado Saturday for a 2018 XTERRA World Championship qualifying event. The men’s race brought the same people to the podium as last year, just in different spots. Mauricio Mendez Cruz of Mexico (last year’s runner-up) dethroned Josiah Middaugh (Vail, Colo.) with a time of 2:07:35 on the 1-mile swim, 15.5-mile mountain bike and 5.8-mile trail run course. Middaugh — who had won the previous five titles at Beaver Creek — placed second in 2:08:31, while fellow Coloradan Sam Long (Boulder, Colo.) finished with a time of 2:09:22 to get bronze for the second consecutive year.
Scotland’s Lesley Paterson is now a back-to-back champion in the event in the women’s division, crossing the finish line in 2:34:21. 2016 XTERRA Beaver Creek champion Julie Baker (Sonora, Calif.) took silver with a finishing time of 2:38:16, while Kara LaPoint (Truckee, Calif.) joined them on the podium in third place (2:42:12).
The race had special meaning for a couple of the pro athletes on the podium, as Josiah Middaugh and Sam Long both got to see some of their family members race in the amateur division.
For complete results from XTERRA Beaver Creek, click here.
IRONMAN Lake Placid
A dominating performance from start to finish helped Heather Jackson (Bend, Oregon) win the women’s race at the 20th anniversary of IRONMAN Lake Placid on Sunday. Her time of 9:18:49 on the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run course helped Jackson cross the finish line a full 15 minutes ahead of Canada’s Jen Annett (9:33:48), who took second place. Sarah Piampiano (San Francisco, Calif.) was the other U.S. finisher on the podium, taking third with a time of 9:43:24.
Jackson’s blazing performance nearly won her the overall title, as she finished just 21 seconds behind men’s champion Ed Baker (Cambridge, Mass.; 9:18:28). It was the first IRONMAN race for Baker— a former cross country and track runner at Harvard who just started competing in triathlon this year. Gregory Binns (Woodbrige, Conn.; 9:29:39) and Reid Foster (Oklahoma City, Okla.; 9:34:38) rounded out the podium in the Olympic Village.
For complete results from IRONMAN Lake Placid, visit ironman.com.