AJ Bell World Triathlon Leeds
Matt McElroy (Huntington Beach, Calif.) made history Sunday in the fourth stop of the ITU World Triathlon Series in Leeds, England, winning the first WTS medal for a U.S. man since 2009.
McElroy won a silver medal against one of the deepest fields in WTS history, which featured the “Magnificent Seven”: two-time Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee and two-time Olympic medalist Jonny Brownlee of Great Britain; five-time world champion Javier Gomez Noya and three-time world champion Mario Mola of Spain; current WTS leader Vincent Luis of France; and WTS powerhouses Henri Schoeman and Richard Murray of South Africa.
The only other U.S. man to medal in a WTS race was Jarrod Shoemaker, who won gold in Hamburg, Germany, in 2009.
Australia’s Jacob Birtwhistle got the win in the men’s race, while five-time world champion Javier Gomez Noya of Spain took the bronze.
In the women’s race, Katie Zaferes (Santa Cruz, Calif.) celebrated her 30th birthday by earning silver — ending her three-race win streak on the 2019 WTS circuit, but extending her overall series lead. Zaferes was joined on the podium by two British athletes, race winner Georgia Taylor-Brown and bronze medalist Jessica Learmonth.
Taylor Spivey (Redondo Beach, Calif.) also raced well, placing fourth, while Tamara Gorman (Rapid City, S.D.) earned her second consecutive WTS top-10 finish.
Distance: 1,500-meter swim, 40-kilometer bike, 10-kilometer run
Elite Men’s Podium
1. Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS), 1:45:12
2. Matt McElroy (Huntington Beach, Calif.), 1:45:19
3. Javier Gomez Noya (ESP), 1:45:21
Elite Women’s Podium
1. Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR),1:55:46
2. Katie Zaferes (Santa Cruz, Calif.), 1:55:57
3. Jessica Learmonth (GBR), 1:57:22
For complete results from ITU World Triathlon Leeds, visit triathlon.org.
Huatulco ITU Triathlon World Cup
Summer Rappaport (Thornton, Colo.) raced to her eighth career ITU World Cup victory Sunday in Huatulco, Mexico, posting the fastest swim and run times of the field. Rappaport finished nine seconds ahead of the runner-up, Russia’s Alexandra Razarenova, while Austria’s Lisa Perterer rounded out the podium. Kirsten Kasper (North Andover, Mass.) returned to racing after taking the early season off due to injury, finishing seventh.
Morgan Pearson (Boulder, Colo.) earned a silver medal in the men’s race, his first career ITU World Cup podium. Pearson was just seven seconds back from race winner Tyler Mislawchuk of Canada, and eight seconds ahead of bronze medalist Manoel Messias of Brazil. Kevin McDowell (Phoenix, Ariz.) also had a strong race, placing 10th.
Distance: 750m swim, 20k bike, 5k run
Elite Women’s Podium
1. Summer Rappaport (Thornton, Colo.), 1:00:56
2. Alexandra Razarenova (RUS), 1:01:05
3. Lisa Perterer (AUT), 1:01:18
Elite Men’s Podium
1. Tyler Mislawchuk (CAN), 55:04
2. Morgan Pearson (Boulder, Colo.), 55:11
3. Manoel Messias (BRA), 55:19
For complete results from the Huatulco ITU Triathlon World Cup, visit triathlon.org.
Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon
Rio 2016 U.S. Olympians Ben Kanute (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Joe Maloy (Wildwood Crest, N.J.) went 1-2 in the men’s pro race at the 39th Annual Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon in San Francisco on Sunday. It was Kanute’s third consecutive victory in Alcatraz. The American duo shared the podium with Australia’s Josh Amberger, who took third.
Australia’s Ashleigh Gentle was victorious in the women’s race, while Lauren Goss (Boulder, Colo.) and Sarah Haskins (Eureka, Mo.) took second and third, respectively.
Distance: 1.5-mile swim, 18-mile bike, 8-mile run
Elite Men’s Podium
1. Ben Kanute (Phoenix, Ariz.), 1:59:22
2. Joe Maloy (Wildwood Crest, N.J.), 2:00:17
3. Josh Amberger (AUS), 2:02:15
Elite Women’s Podium
1. Ashleigh Gentle (AUS), 2:13:29
2. Lauren Goss (Boulder, Colo.), 2:14:29
3. Sarah Haskins (Eureka, Mo.), 2:17:59
For complete results from Escape from Alcatraz, visit escapealcatraztri.com.
IRONMAN Boulder
Matt Hanson (Storm Lake, Iowa) was victorious at IRONMAN Boulder on Sunday, recording the only sub-8-hour time on the challenging course (7:57:03). Two local Boulder athletes — Kennett Peterson and Timothy O’Donnell — also earned podium spots on their hometown course, finishing second and third, respectively. Rounding out the men’s top-five were Tripp Hipple (Denver, Colo.) and yet another Boulder local, Sam Long.
The women’s race saw a dominant victory by Lauren Brandon (Fort Worth, Texas), who broke the tape with a gap of more than 17 minutes on runner-up Lesley Smith (Boulder, Colo.). Danielle Mack (Boulder, Colo.) took the third step on the podium, while two other Americans — Uli Bromme (Boulder, Colo.) and Erin Green (Boise, Idaho) — finished out the top-five.
Distance: 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run
Men’s Elite Podium
1. Matt Hanson (Storm Lake, Iowa), 7:57:03
2. Kennett Peterson (Boulder, Colo.), 8:01:35
3. Timothy O’Donnell (Boulder, Colo.), 8:09:37
Women’s Elite Podium
1. Lauren Brandon (Fort Worth, Texas), 9:09:09
2. Lesley Smith (Boulder, Colo.), 9:26:12
3. Danielle Mack (Boulder, Colo.), 9:32:08
For complete results from IRONMAN Boulder, visit IRONMAN.com.
IRONMAN 70.3 Japan
Kevin Collington (Boulder, Colo.) took the top step of the podium at IRONMAN 70.3 Japan on Sunday. New Zealand’s Jack Moody was the runner-up, and Australia’s Sam Betten was third across the line. The only other American in the top-10 was TJ Tollakson (Des Moines, Iowa) in eighth — less than eight minutes off the podium.
Brittany Higgins (Clearwater, Fla.) and Mary Robbins (San Francisco, Calif.) represented the U.S. in the women’s pro race, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively. The podium included race winner Courtney Gilgillan of Australia, Mariella Sawyer of South Africa and Rebecca Clarke of New Zealand.
Distance: 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run
Men’s Elite Podium
1. Kevin Collington (Boulder, Colo.), 4:00:29
2. Jack Moody (NZL), 4:02:36
3. Sam Betten (AUS), 4:03:12
Women’s Elite Podium
1. Courtney Gilfillian (AUS), 4:30:53
2. Mariella Sawyer (ZAF), 4:39:01
3. Rebecca Clarke (NZL), 4:42:02
For complete results from IRONMAN 70.3 Japan, visit IRONMAN.com.
