2012 Madrid Elite Men
Great Britain's Jonathan Brownlee continued his incredible start to the Olympic year in Madrid, with another all-round dominant display to claim his second consecutive ITU Word Triathlon Series win in 2012.
Brownlee was part of a nine-man breakaway on Madrid's tough bike course that built a lead of over two minutes on the field coming out of T2, before he put the hammer down in the first lap of the run. He surged ahead to win by a comfortable 38-second margin over Russians Alexander Bryukhankov and Dmitry Polyanskiy, in a time of 1 hour 51 minutes and 49 seconds.
2012 Madrid Elite Women
Switzerland's Nicola Spirig (SUI) powered away to her her second ITU World Triathlon Madrid title after showing incredible strength in the final metres of the run. Spirig pulled away to a sprint finish for gold ahead of Aileen Morrison (IRL) and Barbara Riveros Diaz (CHI) who took silver and bronze respectively. The day also saw Olympic dreams realised and shattered as final London 2012 spots were decided in this, the final race in Olympic qualification.
1 Jonathan Brownlee GBR 01:51:49 00:17:49 00:01:04 01:01:39 00:00:20 00:30:57
2 Alexander Bryukhankov RUS 01:52:28 00:17:55 00:01:00 01:01:38 00:00:23 00:31:35
3 Dmitry Polyanskiy RUS 01:52:54 00:17:51 00:01:00 01:01:43 00:00:20 00:32:01
4 Ivan Vasiliev RUS 01:53:17 00:17:57 00:01:04 01:01:31 00:00:20 00:32:25
5 Alessandro Fabian ITA 01:53:24 00:17:56 00:01:00 01:01:36 00:01:09 00:31:43
6 Maik Petzold GER 01:53:33 00:17:48 00:01:03 01:01:43 00:00:20 00:32:39
7 Hirokatsu Tayama JPN 01:53:35 00:17:52 00:01:02 01:01:40 00:00:23 00:32:39
8 Aurélien Raphael FRA 01:53:53 00:17:46 00:01:04 01:01:44 00:00:21 00:32:59
9 Mario Mola ESP 01:54:23 00:19:23 00:00:58 01:02:46 00:00:20 00:30:55
10 Carlos Javier Quinchara Forero COL 01:54:34 00:18:31 00:01:08 01:03:27 00:00:23 00:31:06
11 Laurent Vidal FRA 01:54:35 00:18:34 00:01:03 01:03:23 00:00:20 00:31:17
12 Jonathan Zipf GER 01:54:44 00:18:40 00:01:03 01:03:20 00:00:21 00:31:22
13 Sven Riederer SUI 01:54:49 00:18:24 00:00:58 01:03:39 00:00:23 00:31:25
14 Christian Prochnow GER 01:54:50 00:18:00 00:01:03 01:04:00 00:00:21 00:31:27
15 Franz Loeschke GER 01:54:50 00:18:27 00:01:02 01:03:34 00:00:20 00:31:29
16 Gonzalo Raul Tellechea ARG 01:55:11 00:19:28 00:01:02 01:02:32 00:00:20 00:31:51
17 David McNamee GBR 01:55:15 00:18:34 00:01:04 01:03:21 00:00:20 00:31:53
18 Jarrod Shoemaker USA 01:55:20 00:18:04 00:01:04 01:03:56 00:00:26 00:31:51
19 Davide Uccellari ITA 01:55:20 00:19:01 00:01:10 01:02:57 00:00:26 00:31:49
20 Reto Hug SUI 01:55:23 00:19:13 00:01:00 01:02:50 00:00:21 00:31:59
21 Fernando Alarza ESP 01:55:25 00:18:00 00:01:02 01:04:02 00:00:21 00:31:58
22 Richard Varga SVK 01:55:27 00:17:45 00:01:06 01:01:43 00:00:20 00:34:36
23 Aaron Harris GBR 01:55:29 00:18:31 00:01:04 01:03:09 00:00:21 00:32:24
24 Brent McMahon CAN 01:55:39 00:18:37 00:00:58 01:03:25 00:00:21 00:32:19
25 Tyler Butterfield BER 01:55:40 00:19:28 00:01:04 01:02:30 00:00:20 00:32:20
26 Jose Miguel Perez ESP 01:55:44 00:18:22 00:01:04 01:03:38 00:00:23 00:32:19
27 Ruedi Wild SUI 01:55:49 00:19:29 00:01:04 01:02:32 00:00:21 00:32:24
28 Joao Pereira POR 01:56:05 00:18:51 00:00:57 01:03:12 00:00:20 00:32:45
29 Ryosuke Yamamoto JPN 01:56:12 00:18:52 00:01:07 01:03:01 00:00:27 00:32:46
30 Premysl Svarc CZE 01:56:20 00:18:21 00:01:07 01:03:37 00:00:21 00:32:56
31 Brendan Sexton AUS 01:56:25 00:19:26 00:01:03 01:02:35 00:00:20 00:33:02
32 Valentin Meshcheryakov RUS 01:56:28 00:18:03 00:01:02 01:03:57 00:00:26 00:33:00
33 Aaron Royle AUS 01:56:30 00:17:53 00:01:09 01:03:58 00:00:20 00:33:09
34 Bruno Matheus BRA 01:56:31 00:18:36 00:01:02 01:03:26 00:00:21 00:33:07
35 Jan Celustka CZE 01:56:34 00:18:28 00:01:03 01:03:32 00:00:23 00:33:09
36 Drew Box AUS 01:56:37 00:18:33 00:01:04 01:03:28 00:00:20 00:33:12
37 Tony Moulai FRA 01:56:50 00:18:19 00:01:04 01:03:37 00:00:21 00:33:30
38 Ryan Bailie AUS 01:57:12 00:19:23 00:01:06 01:02:35 00:00:20 00:33:47
39 Faquan Bai CHN 01:57:19 00:18:53 00:01:04 01:03:12 00:00:25 00:33:47
40 Dmitriy Gaag KAZ 01:57:25 00:18:55 00:01:08 01:03:01 00:00:21 00:33:59
41 Gregor Buchholz GER 01:57:38 00:19:26 00:01:04 01:03:01 00:00:21 00:33:47
42 Tommy Zaferes USA 01:57:43 00:17:49 00:01:03 01:04:15 00:00:18 00:34:20
43 Peter Croes BEL 01:57:47 00:18:38 00:01:02 01:03:24 00:00:21 00:34:23
44 Ivan Rana ESP 01:57:56 00:18:02 00:01:00 01:03:57 00:00:18 00:34:39
45 Daniel Hofer ITA 01:58:02 00:19:23 00:01:02 01:02:42 00:00:20 00:34:37
46 Mehdi Essadiq MAR 01:58:09 00:18:05 00:01:04 01:03:56 00:00:20 00:34:44
47 Stuart Hayes GBR 01:58:13 00:17:57 00:01:03 01:03:43 00:00:20 00:35:07
48 Csaba Rendes HUN 01:58:29 00:19:26 00:01:00 01:02:36 00:00:20 00:35:06
49 Jason Wilson BAR 01:58:34 00:18:38 00:01:02 01:03:26 00:00:21 00:35:09
50 Dan Alterman ISR 01:58:41 00:18:36 00:01:04 01:03:25 00:00:24 00:35:12
51 Felipe Van de Wyngard CHI 01:59:15 00:18:55 00:01:07 01:03:27 00:00:24 00:35:24
52 Luciano Taccone ARG 02:00:05 00:19:29 00:01:03 01:03:19 00:00:36 00:35:40
53 Min Ho Heo KOR 02:00:57 00:18:48 00:01:02 01:03:15 00:00:20 00:37:32
54 Kohei Shimomura JPN 02:02:18 00:19:23 00:01:08 01:02:36 00:00:23 00:38:51
1 Nicola Spirig SUI 02:06:35 00:20:00 00:01:09 01:10:00 00:00:25 00:35:01
2 Aileen Morrison IRL 02:06:38 00:19:59 00:01:10 01:10:05 00:00:26 00:34:58
3 Barbara Riveros Diaz CHI 02:06:40 00:20:13 00:01:10 01:09:48 00:00:20 00:35:12
4 Anne Haug GER 02:06:43 00:21:09 00:01:04 01:08:57 00:00:21 00:35:13
5 Rachel Klamer NED 02:07:05 00:19:40 00:01:10 01:10:21 00:00:20 00:35:36
6 Ainhoa Murua ESP 02:07:18 00:19:42 00:01:10 01:10:19 00:00:21 00:35:47
7 Vicky Holland GBR 02:07:20 00:19:36 00:01:10 01:10:24 00:00:20 00:35:49
8 Alexandra Razarenova RUS 02:07:32 00:20:02 00:01:10 01:10:04 00:00:25 00:35:54
9 Andrea Hewitt NZL 02:07:38 00:20:04 00:01:10 01:09:58 00:00:21 00:36:05
10 Liz Blatchford GBR 02:07:43 00:19:38 00:01:13 01:10:18 00:00:21 00:36:13
11 Jessica Harrison FRA 02:07:52 00:19:46 00:01:09 01:10:20 00:00:20 00:36:18
12 Svenja Bazlen GER 02:07:53 00:19:45 00:01:10 01:10:14 00:00:23 00:36:22
13 Jodie Stimpson GBR 02:07:57 00:19:45 00:01:08 01:10:18 00:00:24 00:36:24
14 Carole Peon FRA 02:08:08 00:20:07 00:01:07 01:10:00 00:00:21 00:36:35
15 Nicky Samuels NZL 02:08:22 00:19:48 00:01:09 01:10:18 00:00:24 00:36:46
16 Juri Ide JPN 02:08:29 00:19:41 00:01:07 01:10:26 00:00:21 00:36:55
17 Emmie Charayron FRA 02:08:36 00:19:47 00:01:06 01:10:21 00:00:26 00:36:57
18 Irina Abysova RUS 02:08:38 00:19:43 00:01:10 01:10:21 00:00:25 00:37:02
19 Lisa Perterer AUT 02:08:41 00:20:35 00:01:08 01:09:30 00:00:24 00:37:05
20 Mariko Adachi JPN 02:08:44 00:19:43 00:01:12 01:10:20 00:00:20 00:37:09
21 Vanessa Raw GBR 02:08:54 00:20:04 00:01:10 01:10:03 00:00:27 00:37:10
22 Melanie Annaheim SUI 02:09:06 00:19:45 00:01:13 01:10:17 00:00:25 00:37:27
23 Hideko Kikuchi JPN 02:09:16 00:20:04 00:01:06 01:10:02 00:00:23 00:37:43
24 Katrien Verstuyft BEL 02:09:26 00:20:16 00:01:12 01:09:49 00:00:25 00:37:46
25 Mariya Shorets RUS 02:09:28 00:20:12 00:01:12 01:09:52 00:00:23 00:37:51
26 Ricarda Lisk GER 02:09:44 00:20:12 00:01:12 01:09:48 00:00:21 00:38:12
27 Natalie Van Coevorden AUS 02:09:48 00:19:40 00:01:09 01:10:24 00:00:24 00:38:14
28 Felicity Abram AUS 02:09:55 00:20:32 00:01:10 01:09:35 00:00:28 00:38:10
29 Tomoko Sakimoto JPN 02:09:58 00:19:40 00:01:10 01:10:22 00:00:25 00:38:21
30 Yuka Sato JPN 02:10:14 00:19:43 00:01:08 01:10:23 00:00:24 00:38:38
31 Zurine Rodriguez ESP 02:10:21 00:20:18 00:01:08 01:09:48 00:00:27 00:38:42
32 Danne Boterenbrood NED 02:10:26 00:20:12 00:01:12 01:09:51 00:00:27 00:38:45
33 Kathrin Muller GER 02:10:30 00:19:43 00:01:10 01:10:20 00:00:25 00:38:54
34 Radka Vodickova CZE 02:10:39 00:20:42 00:01:10 01:09:24 00:00:28 00:38:58
35 Alice Betto ITA 02:10:58 00:19:44 00:01:10 01:10:23 00:00:24 00:39:19
36 Mateja Simic SLO 02:11:30 00:20:44 00:01:13 01:09:21 00:00:21 00:39:53
37 Felicity Sheedy-Ryan AUS 02:11:52 00:22:08 00:01:12 01:12:11 00:00:24 00:35:58
38 Gillian Sanders RSA 02:11:58 00:20:45 00:01:13 01:13:36 00:00:25 00:36:01
39 Daniela Ryf SUI 02:12:01 00:20:04 00:01:09 01:09:59 00:00:24 00:40:29
40 Zsofia Kovacs HUN 02:12:25 00:20:38 00:01:09 01:11:52 00:00:26 00:38:22
41 Chantell Widney CAN 02:13:02 00:22:08 00:01:09 01:12:12 00:00:24 00:37:09
42 Carlyn Fischer RSA 02:13:28 00:20:38 00:01:04 01:13:05 00:00:21 00:38:20
43 Sarah-Anne Brault CAN 02:13:36 00:21:27 00:01:10 01:12:53 00:00:23 00:37:43
44 Kaisa Lehtonen FIN 02:13:41 00:21:57 00:01:10 01:12:24 00:00:25 00:37:47
45 Kiyomi Niwata JPN 02:13:57 00:21:29 00:01:16 01:12:46 00:00:25 00:38:02
46 Sarah Fladung GER 02:14:03 00:20:41 00:01:09 01:13:44 00:00:21 00:38:10
47 Marta Jimenez ESP 02:14:12 00:20:31 00:01:14 01:13:48 00:00:28 00:38:14
48 Vendula Frintova CZE 02:14:19 00:21:27 00:01:12 01:12:53 00:00:21 00:38:27
49 Anna Burova RUS 02:14:22 00:20:40 00:01:17 01:13:35 00:00:26 00:38:26
50 Romina Palacio Balena ARG 02:15:41 00:21:50 00:01:13 01:12:29 00:00:24 00:39:47
51 Fabienne St Louis MRI 02:16:00 00:21:56 00:01:10 01:12:27 00:00:20 00:40:07
52 Carolina Routier ESP 02:16:06 00:19:36 00:01:10 01:14:47 00:00:24 00:40:11
53 Yi Wang CHN 02:16:36 00:20:42 00:01:10 01:13:41 00:00:24 00:40:41
54 Maaike Caelers NED 02:17:12 00:21:30 00:01:12 01:12:49 00:00:24 00:41:19
55 Anna Godoy Contreras ESP 02:17:16 00:19:36 00:01:13 01:14:43 00:00:28 00:41:16
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Lance Armstrong Wins Ironman 70.3 Hawaii
Lance Armstrong Wins Ironman 70.3 Hawaii
Armstrong, Corbin win Honu 70.3
Written by: Timothy Carlson
Jun 02 2012
Lance Armstrong’s blazing 2:01:46 bike split keyed his second Ironman 70.3 victory and Linsey Corbin’s 2:25:02 bike highlighted her win at the 9th annual Rohto Ironman 70.3 Honu Saturday in Hawaii.
Armstrong emerged from the swim in 3rd, just a few seconds behind Timothy Marr, then poured on the jets with a blazing bike that put 3:19 on key rival Chris Lieto and 6:55 on reigning Hy-Vee champion Greg Bennett. With Lieto fading due to a lingering foot injury, Bennett took up the chase and cut the margin to 3 minutes with two miles to go. But at the end, Armstrong’s swift bike allowed him to cruise to the finish with a 1:22:29 run that brought him to the line in 3:50:55. Bennett’s race-fastest 1:18:21 run in the Kona wind and heat brought him home second, 2:46 behind the seven-time Tour de France champion.
http://easss.com/sports/triathlon
Both Armstrong and Bennett topped Chris McCormack’s 2007 course record.
Greg Bennett shook Armstrong’s hand at the finish and said the wind and heat were among the worst held ever seen in a 20-plus year career; "There were times when you were running in place, the winds were so strong," he told Ironman.com. "I make my living doing this, I can't imagine how tough it is for the age group competitors out there."
After his second-fastest 2:04:46 bike split, Lieto struggled through to a 1:33:41 run to hit the finish third in 4:05:55 and hold off 4th place Maik Twelsiek by 21 seconds.
At this point in his campaign to contest the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii this October, Armstrong looks very much for real in the 70.3 arenas with a 2nd at Panama, 7th at Galveston, 3rd at St. Croix, and wins at Florida and Honu. Next is a step up in distance at Ironman France.
Linsey Corbin emerged from the swim 1:40 back of Hilary Biscay and right in the middle of a pack of nine women around the 27 minute mark. Corbin than charged to the lead with a race-best 2:25:02 bike split that was 3 and a half minutes faster than her closest pursuer. Corbin’s 4:26:09 finish erased Michellie Jones’ 2005 course record and held off runner-up Julia Grant by 4:08 and the fast closing run of Beth Walsh by 5:38.
The Men
On the swim, Chris Lieto, stronger on the swim due to nursing a foot injury that kept him from run training and gave him more time in the pool, broke into a 10 seconds lead. But after 500 yards, Bennett, Armstrong and Maik Twelsiek joined the lead pack. Near the end of the swim, Marr, Bennett and Armstrong sprinted to lead a large pack to the finish.
Eight men finished within 16 seconds on the swim with Timothy Marr leading out with 23:16, Greg Bennett next in 23:17, Lance Armstrong third in 23:22, Maik Twelsi4k next in 23:25, Guy Crawford next in 23:26, Chris Lieto tied with Ollie Whistler in 23:31 and Mark Bowstead next in 23:32.
Greg Bennett, still current with ITU-style transitions, emerged first on the bike – 20 seconds ahead of Armstrong with a pack of five men chasing. Driving like an arrow through the sidewinds, Armstrong rode hard up the climb to Hawi and arrived at the turnaround with a 1:55 advantage on Chris Lieto, 2:40 on Greg Bennett, 5:07 on Maik Twelsiek, 8:58 on Guy Crawford and 9:49 on Ollie Whistler.
Spotters noted that Armstrong was riding at his signature swift cadence of 100 pedal strokes per minute.
Once headed downhill, Armstrong started to open up his lead like the 7-Time Tour de France champion he is. By 48 miles , Armstrong had a 2:56 lead on Lieto, 5:43 on Bennett and 6:57 on Twelsiek. By the finish of the bike, Armstrong had cranked out a dominating 2:01:46 split, and had a 3:29 lead on Lieto, 6:50 on Bennett, and 7:29 on Twelsiek.
At this point, Lieto was fading back given his foot injury and lack of recent run training. Bennett knew he was on the outer edge of possibility for the win, and manfully started to cut back on Armstrong’s lead. After 3.7 miles, Bennett cut the lead to 5:27 with Twelsiek 8:38 back and Lieto 10:26 in arrears.
Armstrong then held serve, maintaining a margin on Bennett of 5:20 at 4.5 miles, and 4:58 at Mile 7. From Mile 7.5 to 8.5, Armstrong kept the same pace as Bennett and the race appeared to be over. Bennett then made a final surge and reduced the lead to 3:41 with two miles to go. But Armstrong never relinquished control and hit the line in 3:50:58 with a 2:46 margin of victory.
The Women
Hilary Biscay was two minutes behind the fastest men but topped the next best woman by 1:41 with a 25:21 clocking. In Biscay’s wake were Julia Grant., Bree Wee and Karen Thibodeau in 27:01, Linsey Corbin in 27:10, Melanie McQuaid in 27:16, Tatiana Vertiz in 27:20, Angela Axmann in 27:26, and Beth Walsh in 27:44. Rachel Ross (31:53) and Adrienne Hengels (32:28) brought up the last of the contenders of the top 10.
Corbin, who had spent the past two weeks on the Big Island training on the bike course, put her local knowledge to work with a race-best 2:25:02 bike split that was 3:35 better than Grant, 7:23 better than Beth Walsh, 4:08 better than last year’s champ Bree Wee, 3:45 better than McQuaid, and 12:37 better than Karen Thibodeau.
Starting the run, Corbin had a 3:26 advantage on Grant, 3:51 on Melanie McQuaid, 3:59 on Bree Wee and 7:57 on Beth Walsh. On her way to a 2nd-fastest 1:29:58 half marathon, Corbin held firm to her lead. Grant held 2nd with a 3rd-best 1:30:49 run, Wee held 4th (and topped her 2011 race-winning overall time by nearly 10 minutes) with a 5th-best 1:32:51 run while McQuaid fell to 5th with a 1:39:17 run.
Rohto Ironman 70.3 Honu
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
June 2, 2012
S 1.2 mi. / B 56 mi. / R 13.1 mi.
Results
Men
1. Lance Armstrong (USA) 3:50:55
2. Greg Bennett (USA) 3:53:41
3. Chris Lieto (USA) 4:05:55
4. Maik Twelsiek (GER) 4:06:16
5. Guy Crawford (AUS) 4:06:59
6. Jose Jeuland (FRA) 4:12:24
7. James Bowstead (NZL) 4:13:45
8. Chris Hauth (USA) 4:16:54 * M40-44
9. Mark Bowstead (NZL) 4:18:05
10. Timothy Marr (USA) 4:18:58
Women
1. Linsey Corbin (USA) 4:26:09
2. Julia Grant (NZL) 4:30:17
3. Beth Walsh (USA) 4:31:47
4. Bree Wee (USA) 4:32:45
5. Melanie McQuaid (CAN) 4:38:57
6. Karen Thibodeau (CAN) 4:44:12
7. Adrienne Hengels (USA) 4:50:29 * F30-34
8. Rachel Ross (USA) 4:51:08 * F35-39
9. Hilary Biscay (USA) 4:53:50
10. Angela Axmann (USA) 4:55:16
Armstrong, Corbin win Honu 70.3
Written by: Timothy Carlson
Jun 02 2012
Lance Armstrong’s blazing 2:01:46 bike split keyed his second Ironman 70.3 victory and Linsey Corbin’s 2:25:02 bike highlighted her win at the 9th annual Rohto Ironman 70.3 Honu Saturday in Hawaii.
Armstrong emerged from the swim in 3rd, just a few seconds behind Timothy Marr, then poured on the jets with a blazing bike that put 3:19 on key rival Chris Lieto and 6:55 on reigning Hy-Vee champion Greg Bennett. With Lieto fading due to a lingering foot injury, Bennett took up the chase and cut the margin to 3 minutes with two miles to go. But at the end, Armstrong’s swift bike allowed him to cruise to the finish with a 1:22:29 run that brought him to the line in 3:50:55. Bennett’s race-fastest 1:18:21 run in the Kona wind and heat brought him home second, 2:46 behind the seven-time Tour de France champion.
http://easss.com/sports/triathlon
Both Armstrong and Bennett topped Chris McCormack’s 2007 course record.
Greg Bennett shook Armstrong’s hand at the finish and said the wind and heat were among the worst held ever seen in a 20-plus year career; "There were times when you were running in place, the winds were so strong," he told Ironman.com. "I make my living doing this, I can't imagine how tough it is for the age group competitors out there."
After his second-fastest 2:04:46 bike split, Lieto struggled through to a 1:33:41 run to hit the finish third in 4:05:55 and hold off 4th place Maik Twelsiek by 21 seconds.
At this point in his campaign to contest the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii this October, Armstrong looks very much for real in the 70.3 arenas with a 2nd at Panama, 7th at Galveston, 3rd at St. Croix, and wins at Florida and Honu. Next is a step up in distance at Ironman France.
Linsey Corbin emerged from the swim 1:40 back of Hilary Biscay and right in the middle of a pack of nine women around the 27 minute mark. Corbin than charged to the lead with a race-best 2:25:02 bike split that was 3 and a half minutes faster than her closest pursuer. Corbin’s 4:26:09 finish erased Michellie Jones’ 2005 course record and held off runner-up Julia Grant by 4:08 and the fast closing run of Beth Walsh by 5:38.
The Men
On the swim, Chris Lieto, stronger on the swim due to nursing a foot injury that kept him from run training and gave him more time in the pool, broke into a 10 seconds lead. But after 500 yards, Bennett, Armstrong and Maik Twelsiek joined the lead pack. Near the end of the swim, Marr, Bennett and Armstrong sprinted to lead a large pack to the finish.
Eight men finished within 16 seconds on the swim with Timothy Marr leading out with 23:16, Greg Bennett next in 23:17, Lance Armstrong third in 23:22, Maik Twelsi4k next in 23:25, Guy Crawford next in 23:26, Chris Lieto tied with Ollie Whistler in 23:31 and Mark Bowstead next in 23:32.
Greg Bennett, still current with ITU-style transitions, emerged first on the bike – 20 seconds ahead of Armstrong with a pack of five men chasing. Driving like an arrow through the sidewinds, Armstrong rode hard up the climb to Hawi and arrived at the turnaround with a 1:55 advantage on Chris Lieto, 2:40 on Greg Bennett, 5:07 on Maik Twelsiek, 8:58 on Guy Crawford and 9:49 on Ollie Whistler.
Spotters noted that Armstrong was riding at his signature swift cadence of 100 pedal strokes per minute.
Once headed downhill, Armstrong started to open up his lead like the 7-Time Tour de France champion he is. By 48 miles , Armstrong had a 2:56 lead on Lieto, 5:43 on Bennett and 6:57 on Twelsiek. By the finish of the bike, Armstrong had cranked out a dominating 2:01:46 split, and had a 3:29 lead on Lieto, 6:50 on Bennett, and 7:29 on Twelsiek.
At this point, Lieto was fading back given his foot injury and lack of recent run training. Bennett knew he was on the outer edge of possibility for the win, and manfully started to cut back on Armstrong’s lead. After 3.7 miles, Bennett cut the lead to 5:27 with Twelsiek 8:38 back and Lieto 10:26 in arrears.
Armstrong then held serve, maintaining a margin on Bennett of 5:20 at 4.5 miles, and 4:58 at Mile 7. From Mile 7.5 to 8.5, Armstrong kept the same pace as Bennett and the race appeared to be over. Bennett then made a final surge and reduced the lead to 3:41 with two miles to go. But Armstrong never relinquished control and hit the line in 3:50:58 with a 2:46 margin of victory.
The Women
Hilary Biscay was two minutes behind the fastest men but topped the next best woman by 1:41 with a 25:21 clocking. In Biscay’s wake were Julia Grant., Bree Wee and Karen Thibodeau in 27:01, Linsey Corbin in 27:10, Melanie McQuaid in 27:16, Tatiana Vertiz in 27:20, Angela Axmann in 27:26, and Beth Walsh in 27:44. Rachel Ross (31:53) and Adrienne Hengels (32:28) brought up the last of the contenders of the top 10.
Corbin, who had spent the past two weeks on the Big Island training on the bike course, put her local knowledge to work with a race-best 2:25:02 bike split that was 3:35 better than Grant, 7:23 better than Beth Walsh, 4:08 better than last year’s champ Bree Wee, 3:45 better than McQuaid, and 12:37 better than Karen Thibodeau.
Starting the run, Corbin had a 3:26 advantage on Grant, 3:51 on Melanie McQuaid, 3:59 on Bree Wee and 7:57 on Beth Walsh. On her way to a 2nd-fastest 1:29:58 half marathon, Corbin held firm to her lead. Grant held 2nd with a 3rd-best 1:30:49 run, Wee held 4th (and topped her 2011 race-winning overall time by nearly 10 minutes) with a 5th-best 1:32:51 run while McQuaid fell to 5th with a 1:39:17 run.
Rohto Ironman 70.3 Honu
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
June 2, 2012
S 1.2 mi. / B 56 mi. / R 13.1 mi.
Results
Men
1. Lance Armstrong (USA) 3:50:55
2. Greg Bennett (USA) 3:53:41
3. Chris Lieto (USA) 4:05:55
4. Maik Twelsiek (GER) 4:06:16
5. Guy Crawford (AUS) 4:06:59
6. Jose Jeuland (FRA) 4:12:24
7. James Bowstead (NZL) 4:13:45
8. Chris Hauth (USA) 4:16:54 * M40-44
9. Mark Bowstead (NZL) 4:18:05
10. Timothy Marr (USA) 4:18:58
Women
1. Linsey Corbin (USA) 4:26:09
2. Julia Grant (NZL) 4:30:17
3. Beth Walsh (USA) 4:31:47
4. Bree Wee (USA) 4:32:45
5. Melanie McQuaid (CAN) 4:38:57
6. Karen Thibodeau (CAN) 4:44:12
7. Adrienne Hengels (USA) 4:50:29 * F30-34
8. Rachel Ross (USA) 4:51:08 * F35-39
9. Hilary Biscay (USA) 4:53:50
10. Angela Axmann (USA) 4:55:16
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