Miyazaki ITU Triathlon World Cup

Matt McElroy (Huntington Beach, Calif.) earned his second straight ITU Triathlon World Cup victory Saturday in Miyazaki, Japan, breaking the tape just a week after his winning performance in Tongyeong, South Korea.

The back-to-back gold medals are the first of McElroy’s career on the ITU World Cup circuit. He was joined on the podium by U.S. teammate and training partner Eli Hemming (Kiowa, Colo.), who took silver in Miyazaki for the second consecutive year.

McElroy covered the 10k course in 30:05, the fastest run split of the field by nearly 40 seconds. He broke the tape with a time of 1:47:13, earning his eighth career ITU World Cup medal and second victory. Hemming crossed the line 27 seconds after McElroy for silver, a repeat of his 2018 performance here in Miyazaki. Geens of Belgium rounded out the podium in 1:47:58.

Kirsten Kasper (North Andover, Mass.) was the sole U.S. competitor in the women’s race, taking 11th with a time of 2:01:39. Japan’s Ai Ueda took the win in 1:59:32, followed by Belgians Claire Michel (1:59:39) and Valerie Barthelemy (2:00:09) in the silver- and bronze-medal positions, respectively.

Distance: 1,500m swim, 39.9k bike, 10k run

Elite Men's Podium

1. Matt McElroy (Huntington Beach, Calif.), 1:47:13
2. Eli Hemming (Kiowa, Colo.), 1:47:40
3. Jelle Geens (BEL), 1:47:58

Elite Women’s Podium

1. Ai Ueda (JPN), 1:59:32
2. Claire Michel (BEL), 1:59:39
3. Valerie Barthelemy (BEL), 2:00:09

View this post on Instagram

Back to back World Cup wins! Made the front pack on the swim and dropped my chain coming out of T2. Shout-out to all the guys pulling through in the chase pack and doing #whateverittakes My coach @originperformancegroup , @carolinelorenerodriguez , and my team back at home GF Lindsay Riley, @bajashaw and all the @river_boyzzz for believing in me. So proud to stand on the podium with my training partner @eli_hemming we grind everyday together. To round off the podium with the legendary @jellegeens who kept the pressure on the bike. I had a lot of fun today, this photo is just an expression of all the hard work and dedication. Thank you japan 🇯🇵 I’ll be back next year! #FindAWay #theclaim Photo @tzaferes

A post shared by Matt Mcelroy (@mat_mac) on Oct 26, 2019 at 12:37am PDT

View this post on Instagram

Any weekend that ends with a champagne shower is a good one. Stoked to have @originperformancegroup on the top two steps of the podium. Congrats to @mat_mac on another solid win. . . . 📸: @tzaferes

A post shared by Eli Hemming (@eli_hemming) on Oct 26, 2019 at 5:36am PDT

View this post on Instagram

▪️RELENTLESS▪️ Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind - Be relentless in your pursuit of excellence #RelentlessMindset #TheClaim @mat_mac #IanOBrienCoaching #ORIGINtrainingGroup

A post shared by ★ ‏Ian OBrien Coaching ★ (@originperformancegroup) on Oct 26, 2019 at 6:01pm PDT

View this post on Instagram

#MiyazakiWC 11th place not the result I came to Japan for. Happy with my swim and bike, but my run let me down today. If I’m being honest, my year has been tough. The Tokyo test event bike crash has continued to haunt me. Dealing with repercussions of the crash resulted in not the perfect preparation and that showed today. Keeping my head up and banking today’s work as more fitness. Already excited for the next race in two weeks! 📸: @tzaferes

A post shared by Kirsten Kasper (@kirstenkasper) on Oct 26, 2019 at 5:13am PDT

For complete results from the Miyazaki ITU Triathlon World Cup, click here.

XTERRA World Championship

Flora Duffy of Bermuda became the first athlete to win five XTERRA World Championship titles as she stormed to victory Sunday in Maui, Hawaii. Duffy broke the tape in 2:49:24, more than 13 minutes ahead of her closest competitor. Lesley Paterson of Great Britain was the runner-up in 3:03:36, followed by the Czech Republic’s Helene Erbenova in 3:04:38. Suzie Snyder (Averill Park, N.Y.) was the top U.S. finisher in the women’s elite race, covering the course in 3:06:01.

Bradley Weiss of South Africa took the men’s victory with a time of 2:33:42. Just over a minute behind him was silver medalist Arthur Serrieres of France, who crossed the line in 2:34:56. Rounding out the podium was Spain’s Ruben Ruzafa in 2:35:26. Leading the U.S. men was Josiah Middaugh (Vail, Colo.), who posted a sixth-place finish in 2:40:38.

Distance: 1-mile swim, 20-mile mountain bike, 5.5-mile trail run

Elite Women’s Podium

1. Flora Duffy (BER), 2:49:24
2. Lesley Paterson (GBR), 3:03:36
3. Helene Erbenova (CZE), 3:04:38

Elite Men’s Podium

1. Bradley Weiss (RSA), 2:33:42
2. Arthur Serrieres (FRA), 2:34:56
3. Ruben Ruzafa (ESP), 2:35:26

RACE REPORT: @BSWeiss_Tri from South Africa and @floraduffy from Bermuda captured the 24th XTERRA World Championship off-road triathlon elite titles on a beautiful day at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua on Maui’s northwest coast this morning. #xterraplanethttps://t.co/3U99Hs99Gm

— XTERRA (@XTERRAplanet) October 28, 2019

IRONMAN 70.3 Waco

Five American pros grabbed top-five finishes at IRONMAN 70.3 Waco in Texas on Sunday, led by women’s champion Jackie Hering (Cottage Grove, Wis.). Hering broke the tape with a time of 4:18:29, exactly two minutes ahead of runner-up Jeanni Seymour of South Africa. Alissa Doehla (Fort Wayne, Ind.) took third in 4:21:04. Canada’s Melanie McQuaid was fourth across the line in 4:28:51, and Jessica Jones (Tulsa, Okla.) rounded out the top-five in 4:39:08.

Australia’s Sam Appleton captured the win on the men’s side, breaking the tape in 3:47:15. Andrew Starykowicz (Wauconda, Ill.) was close behind him for second in 3:51:44, and another Australian, Joe Gambles, took third in 3:54:25. Canada’s Stephen Kilshaw was fourth in 3:58:26. Benjamin Deal (Albuquerque, N.M.) narrowly snuck into the top-five in 4:00:10, edging fellow American Elliot Bach (Marshall, Texas) by 12 seconds.

Distance: 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run

Elite Women’s Podium

1. Jackie Hering (Cottage Grove, Wis.), 4:18:29
2. Jeanni Seymour (RSA), 4:20:29
3. Alissa Doehla (Fort Wayne, Ind.), 4:21:04

Elite Men’s Podium

1. Sam Appleton (AUS), 3:47:15
2. Andrew Starykowicz (Wauconda, Ill.), 3:51:44
3. Joe Gambles (AUS), 3:54:25

View this post on Instagram

And that’s a wrap on the 2019 tri season (for real this time 😆)!! I’m thrilled to end it with a big win in Waco @visitbicycleworld 70.3 to make it 3 wins this season!! 🏃‍♀️ I took over the lead 7ish miles into the run and was pushed till the end by hard charging @littlemetztri and @alissadoehla 😅 Thanks to @natashavdm81 for the on-course encouragement- it helped a ton! Full report coming soon! Thanks to my sponsors for the support- @neffcycleservice @blueseventy @rudyprojectna @altredbysur @newtonrunning @rideshimano @borahteamwear #imwaco703 📸 @lisabecharas #phytorebel #blueseventy #rudyproject #triathlete #podium #momswhotri

A post shared by Jackie Hering (@jackiemhering) on Oct 28, 2019 at 7:36am PDT

View this post on Instagram

The good news...I got third and had a pretty good bike. The almost bad news...I came super close to taking out my husband's eye with the champagne cork!! (Watch the video closely and you can see it sail past the frame) All in all, steps in the right direction for sure!! Great job to @jackiemhering and @littlemetztri for some great racing!! And thank you to @mallorynwaokai and Mel for the great work afterwards...I really appreciated that!! And as always thank you to @zippspeed and @altrarunning for their great products and fantastic support!! • • • • • #im703waco #fortwayne #swimbikerun #triathlon #trilife #triathlete #ironmantraining #ironmantri #triathlontraining #tri365 #tri #running #tritraining #runner #triatlon #ironman703 #3athlonlife #triatleta #swim #bike #run #triathlonlife #endurance #spALTRA

A post shared by Alissa Doehla (@alissadoehla) on Oct 27, 2019 at 1:20pm PDT

2nd place today at #IMWaco703 today for @starykowicz! pic.twitter.com/QP4oxtQ3co

— NormaTec (@NTRecovery) October 27, 2019