Mooloolaba ITU Triathlon World Cup
U.S. athletes showed up in top form at the Mooloolaba ITU World Cup in Australia on Saturday, led by Renée Tomlin (Ocean City, N.J.) with a silver-medal performance in the women’s race. Tomlin covered the 750-meter ocean swim, 20-kilometer bike and 5-kilometer run in 58 minutes, 21 seconds, just a few steps behind Australia’s hometown champion Ashleigh Gentle (58:15). Italy’s Angelica Olmo rounded out the podium in 58:25.
Tamara Gorman (Rapid City, S.D.) also raced well, taking seventh in 58:44. Second-year pro Sophie Chase (Carlsbad, Calif.) earned her third top-15 finish on the ITU World Cup circuit with a time of 59:20.
Tony Smoragiewicz (Rapid City, S.D.) and Matt McElroy (Huntington Beach, Calif.) narrowly missed the podium in the men’s race with fourth- and fifth-place finishes, respectively. Canada’s Tyler Mislawchuk broke the tape with a time of 52:14, followed by silver medalist Brandon Copeland of Australia in 52:19. Germany’s Valentin Wernz earned the bronze in 52:22.
Smoragiewicz and McElroy crossed the line four seconds later in a sprint finish, each recording official times of 52:26 as Smoragiewicz narrowly edged his teammate at the line. Second-year pro Morgan Pearson (Boulder, Colo.) also had a strong race, placing seventh in 52:28.
For complete results from the Mooloolaba ITU Triathlon World Cup, visit triathlon.org.
USA Triathlon Winter Triathlon National Championships
Twenty athletes earned age-group national titles Sunday at the USA Triathlon Winter Triathlon National Championships, held as part of the Loppet Foundation’s Winter Triathlon at Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis. Competitors covered a 6-kilometer ski, 18-kilometer mountain bike and 5-kilometer trail run, enjoying temperatures in the upper 20s with light snow.
Sixty-year-old Jan Guenther (Long Lake, Minn.) was the first woman across the line in 1:45:38, grabbing her third career Winter Triathlon Nationals overall title. Minneapolis native Andrea Tremaine, 32, took second place in 1:57:28, and 40-year-old Tara Makinen (Grand Rapids, Minn.) was third overall in 2:00:05.
In the men’s race, 39-year-old Joel LaFrance (Plymouth, Minn.) returned to the top of the men’s overall podium after winning in 2016 and taking the runner-up spot in 2017. LaFrance crossed the line in 1:21:22, followed by 31-year-old Jacob Keehan (Maple Grove, Minn.) in 1:24:40. Somer Schrock (Cohasset, Minn.), 23, completed the men’s overall podium in 1:27:55.
For complete results from the USA Triathlon Winter Triathlon National Championships, including national champions in all age groups, click here.
IRONMAN 70.3 Campeche
Four U.S. athletes earned top-five finishes in the pro field at IRONMAN 70.3 Campeche in Mexico on Sunday. Jackie Hering (Cottage Grove, Wis.) placed second in the women’s race, covering the 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run in 4:16:16. She was less than a minute back from the race champion, Canada’s Heather Wurtele, who broke the tape with a time of 4:15:23. Lauren Brandon (Fort Worth, Texas) took third place, crossing the line in 4:27:17.
Ben Hoffman (Boulder, Colo.) was the top American in the men’s race, taking third in 3:52:48. Austria’s Michael Weiss was the champion with a time of 3:50:02, followed by runner-up Pieter Heemeryck of Belgium in 3:51:29. Matt Hanson (Storm Lake, Iowa) also raced well, taking fourth in 3:55:28.
For complete results from IRONMAN 70.3 Campeche, visit IRONMAN.com.
