XTERRA World Championship
2015 champion Josiah Middaugh (Vail, Colo.) had another impressive performance at the XTERRA World Championship in Maui over the weekend. Middaugh placed 5th in the 1.5-kilometer rough water swim, 32-kilometer mountain bike and 10.5-kilometer trail run course on Sunday, finishing with a time of 2 hours, 56 minutes, 33 seconds to just miss out on the podium by about two minutes. Rom Akerson of Costa Rica won the title with a time of 2:52:41, while South Africa’s Bradley Weiss (2:53:16) and New Zealand’s Sam Osborne (2:54:37) rounded out the top three. Ryan Petry (Boulder, Colo.) was the next-highest U.S. finisher after Middaugh, finishing in 17th with a time of 3:15:12.
Three Americans finished in the top 10 of the women’s race. Suzie Snyder (Reno, Nev.; 3:44:28) barely missed out on the podium with a fourth-place finish. Julie Baker (Sonora, Calif.; 3:59:26) and Allison Baca (Boulder, Colo.; 4:06:34) took 7th and 10th place, respectively. Lesley Paterson of Great Britain (3:29:07) claimed the third XTERRA World title of her career, crossing the finish line more than 10 minutes ahead of the next closest competitor. Mexico’s Michelle Flipo (3:39:55) and New Zealand’s Lizzie Orchard (3:40:53) rounded out the podium.
For complete results from the XTERRA World Championship, click here.
Tongyeong ITU Triathlon World Cup
Americans Eli Hemming (Kiowa, Colo.) and Renée Tomlin (Ocean City, N.J.) each picked up bronze medals Saturday at the Tongyeong ITU Triathlon World Cup. The bronze is Hemming’s first medal on the ITU World Cup circuit, while Tomlin earned her second medal of the season and eighth of her career to mark a successful comeback from an early-season injury. The course featured a 750-meter swim off the southern coast in South Korea, followed by a hilly 20k bike and 5k run on the streets of the port city.
In the men’s race, Switzerland’s Max Struder broke the tape with a winning time of 53:56. France’s Felix Duchampt (53:57) and Hemming (54:01) weren’t too far behind in second and third. Seth Rider (Germantown, Tenn.) was the next-highest U.S. finisher, placing 11th in 54:26.
Ai Ueda of Japan won gold in the women’s division with a time of 59:39, while France’s Sandra Dodet finished 10 seconds behind for the silver. Tomlin’s time of 1:00:01 was good for third on the day. Fellow American Erika Ackerlund (Missoula, Mont.; 1:00:48) also cracked the top 15 by finishing 14th.
For complete results from the Tongyeong ITU Triathlon World Cup, head to triathlon.org.
Super League Triathlon Malta
It was an American sweep in the women’s division at Super League Malta on Sunday. Katie Zaferes (Santa Cruz, Calif.), Kirsten Kasper (North Andover, Mass.) and Summer Cook (Thornton, Colo.) shared the podium after finishing first, second and third, respectively, in Sunday’s Equalizer race format. With two consecutive wins on the weekend, Zaferes took the overall women’s title, while Kasper came in third overall.
Zaferes started off the weekend strong by winning the eliminator-style race on Saturday, which featured three stages of swim-bike-run (300 meter swim, 5k bike, 2k run). Taylor Spivey (Redondo Beach, Calif.) placed 4th, Kasper finished 7th and Cook crossed the finish line in 8th.
Day two featured the Equalizer format, where the athletes start with a time trial for stage one and then head to stage two for a swim-bike-run-swim-bike-run format (two continuous loops of 300-meter swims, 5k bikes and 2k runs). Once again, Zaferes was the first one across the finish line, while Kasper and Cook both finished within the next five seconds to complete the American sweep.
France’s Vincent Luis was the overall winner on the weekend in the men’s division, while South Africa’s Henri Schoeman and Richard Murray rounded out the podium.
For complete results from Super League Triathlon Malta, click here.
IRONMAN 70.3 Waco
Meanwhile, athletes from around the world came to Waco, Texas over the weekend for the first ever IRONMAN 70.3 Waco on Sunday. The race had to be switched to a duathlon — as the swim was canceled due to the flooded condition of the Brazos River. Americans swept the podium in the women’s race on the 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run course. Haley Chura (Bozeman, Mont.) broke the tape with a winning time of 3:45:48, while Alicia Kaye (Clermont, Fla.; 3:50:11) and Chelsea Sodaro (Poway, Calif.; 3:53:25) rounded out the podium with silver and bronze-medal performances.
Americans also claimed the top two spots in the men’s race. Andrew Starykowicz (Wauconda, Ill.) raced his way to a gold medal with a time of 3:21:40, while T.J. Tollakson (Des Moines, Iowa) came in 2nd in 3:21:51. Australia’s Joe Gambles earned the bronze with a time of 3:22:29.
For complete results from IRONMAN 70.3 Waco, head to ironman.com.