IM Brazil

blueseventys Eduardo Sturla took the win at the Ironman Brazil . This is the 4th Time Sturla has won here and he continues to show his dominance in South America despite some tough competition
In the Womans race it was Amy Marsh who took the win with a impressive performance . 


Sturla had to close a gap to the VERY quick swimming Luiz Francisco de Paiva Ferreira who lead the Pro men out of the water in a time of 43:34 . Sturla and came out with the lead group in just under 50mins , Still a very quick swim. But they had to get to work and close the 6 min gap Luiz had opened up. 


Onto the bike and While early Luiz remained in front for some 90k. It was at the end of lap one when Sturla made his move riding away from his competition including 3 times Brasil IM Champion Oscar Galindez


Off the bike and Sturla had opened up a gap of 5 mins on Guilherme Manocchio who was only competing in his 2nd ever IM. 
This gap came down to 20secs at the 37K mark . But Sturla's experience and endurance was too much for the younger Manocchio and managed to pull away again  claming his fourth IM Brasil title in the process!!




In the womans race it was Lucie Zelenkova had a superb swim in her blueseventy helix to swim with the lead mens pack . This put her a good two mins in front of the other power siwmmers such as Hillary Biscay. 
Once onto the bike it was Marsh however that came storming though to take the lead and it was Zelenkova who was trying to stay in touch. 


Onto the run and Marsh further improved on her fast ride by stretching the lead out to 7mins on Zelenkova. Like Sturla , Marsh took her 4th title here in Brasil . Zelenkova pulled out a very strong performance to take 2nd and Ariane Gomes Monticeli da Silveira came in 3rd. The top three woman were separated by just under 10 min.




Ironman Brazil Florianopolis




Pro men


1. Eduardo Sturla (ARG) 8:15:03
2. Guilherme Valenza Manocchio (BRA) 8:17:20
3. Ezequiel Morales (ARG) 8:21:40
4. Santiago Alves Ascenço (BRA) 8:26:16
5. Chris McDonald (AUS) 8:26:24


Pro women


1. Amy Marsh (USA) 9:09:39
2. Lucie Zelenkova (CZE) 9:16:14
3. Ariane Gomes Monticeli da Silveira (BRA) 9:19:15
4. Hillary Biscay (USA) 9:35:05
5. Fernanda Keller (BRA) 9:49:54

Big Shout out to Amanda Balding . Our girl is back racing and we're stoked to have her back out on the IM circuit.

Swim Like A Pro

This is Dr Pete Anderson's second book , His first  book has been call the Bible of intrinsic or self motivation. If your looking for a few tips , need help or want to know anything swimming Dr Pete Anderson is your go to go. 
Check out his latest books and learn to " swim like a pro " 

 

Dr. Pete Andersen
www.SwimVideoCoach.com
www.TheBehavioristView.com

                    www.DrPeteAndersen.com

NRG 2 Perform Update From Taiwan

Hualien Cup Triathlon

Great Success

The NRG2Perform team excelled at the Hualien Cup Triathlon with some superb results. Leading the way was Tanya Lee Parker and Eneko Elosegui who won the women's and men's elite titles respectively. There were an abundance of personal bests, first time finishers and happy athletes once the 1500m Swim, 45km Cycle and 11km Run was completed.

For Tanya Lee Parker it was her 3rd overall win in her two years based in Taiwan. She took the lead from superstar swimmer Ya Hsieh at the mid-point of the ride and never looked back. She ran away with the title finishing over 6 minutes quicker than 2010. She now steps it up a gear in preparation for Ironman Austria and then a move to her new home in Saudi Arabia.

Eneko bounced back in style after losing a 16 minute lead at the Taidong 113km race 3 weeks ago to win his first ever triathlon title. Eneko showed that the close work with NRG2Perform coach Craig Johns in the pool is paying off with his best ever swim performance. He then set about reducing the 3min lead Sam and Mark Hsieh set during the swim. Eneko caught Sam with 7km to go on the bike and showed his class to run away from the competition finishing 5 minutes in front of Tom Wei, who struggled on the bike. Michael D'hulst had a sub par swim, but showed determination to finish 4th and only 10seconds off the podium. Max Wu was unable to defend his 2010 title finishing in 5th. Mark had a great ride and ran well to finish 6th, two places in front of Sam who ran on empty.

Revital Golan had a breakthrough race to finish 2nd in the F40 group. Matt Wilkinson finished his last race in Taiwan with a 3rd place in M40. Also on the podium for m40 was Max Rangel finishing 8th. Cam McLean well to finish 7th in M35 group. Julian Buckeridge (6min faster than 2010) finished 7th in the M50 category with Bill Farrell finishing 13th in M50 after a 14minute faster race than 2010. Mark Hudson also in the M50 group finished 5th.

Congratulations to Anne Bonneville, Hannah Miller, Ashleigh Osmond and Elaine McMahon for finishing their first ever triathlons.

Big Points, Big Money, Big Texas IM

On a hot, humid day in East Texas, Spain's Eneko Llanos and Scotland's Catriona Morrison traded in their 2010 Ironman Lanzarote wins for victories at the inaugural Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas 2011 at The Woodlands.

All three men's podium finishers trailed Chris Lieto's 52:56 swim and sizzling 4:15:13 bike by 7 minutes at T2. But apparently exhausted by his bike and the heat, Lieto quit soon after surrendering his lead at the 9th mile of the run.

blueseventy's Cat Morrison who earned St. Croix 70.3 and Galveston 70.3 crowns earlier this year to go with her multiple ITU duathlon world titles and her 2010 Ironman Lanzarote win, overcame a 6-minute deficit after the bike to Belgium's Tine Deckers, and ran a 3:04:14 to take the win by 10:03 over Kelly Williamson of the US, who ran a race-best 3:04:06 to advance from 9th at T2 to second place at the finish line.

Notably, Morrison broke the 9 hour barrier with an 8:57:51 on a hot, humid and mildly windy day

Belgium's Sofie Goos combined a second-best 55:19 swim and third-best but fast 4:55:19 bike with a 3rd-best 3:17:59 run for third

The women's race was also notable for many red-hot women's bike splits over the east Texas flatland plains. Tyler Stewart of the US posted a 4:42:40 bike on her way to a 4th place finish in 9:13:13. Tine Deckers of Belgium, who led by six minutes off her
58:38 swim and 4:44:46 bike, faded to 5th place at the line with a 3:32:02 marathon that brought her home in 9:19:27.


The men

Just as predicted swim ace John Flanagan emerged from Lake Woodlands with a 2 minute-plus lead on a chase pack that was led by Rene Goehler, Timothy O'Donnell and Jan Raphael. Other contenders in the chase were blueseventys Luke McKenzie and Luke Bell

Chris Lieto started the bike segment 3 minutes after the main bunch of contenders but it did not take very long for the Danville, CA resident to take back the time he had lost during the swim. Flanagan held on surprisingly long to the lead on the bike and it took the front bunch until mile 40 to catch the fast Hawaiian. But by the halfway point of the bike Lieto had taken over the lead and started to pull away, with Eneko Llanos also having a small gap. From there though Lieto really turned on the gas and recorded an amazing 4:15:13 bike split and reached T2 with a 7:30 lead over Luke Bell and Eneko Llanos.



From there Bell and Llanos quickly took back even more time and O'Donnell was not far behind either, Belltook to lead off Lieto and was now up front with Llanos in second and O'Donnell in third. When Bell fell back at the 28 kilometer mark, Llanos moved into the front.
In the end it was

1st Llanos
2nd O'Donnell
3rd Bell ( blueseventy )

The women

Dede Griesbauer held the lead for a good part of the swim but it was Kelly Williamson who managed to be first out of the water with a small lead over Dede Griesbauer

Sofie Goos though jumped into the lead early on in the bike and despite a tumble on the bike managed to set the pace.
Linsey Corbin rode well and was sitting in third position at the halfway point of the bike but behind her Catriona Morrison looked like she was ready to pounce. By the time Deckers reached T2 she had a 5:47 lead over Morrison and the fast riding Tyler Stewart was 6:11 behind in third position with her superb 4:42:40 split

Deckers was speedy in transition too and added about 30 seconds to her advantage, but Morrison looked very fluid and fast on the run and moved closer and closer to the leader eventually passing her .By the end, Morrison remained in control, finishing with second best marathon and a 10-minute lead over second.

Big congrats to Cat on an awesome year to date and yet another win..

Our lovely ladies at b70 are getting locked up for MDA

Yep , you heard right two of our amazing staff are going to get locked up!!!
Bout time... i hear you say!!

Ok i joke!!! kind of !!

Summer and Colleen are raising money for MDA " Muscular Dystrophy Association" and as such will be held in lock down for an afternoon or as long as it takes to raise the money for there bail.

Relax.................... we're not actually throwing them in maximum security prison despite my best efforts..
They'll be at the space needle in Seattle on 6/2/11

If you know of any-one with MDA you'll know having Muscular Dystrophy is like being in jail; It is a neuromuscular disease, and as the disease progresses you become a brain trapped inside a body that won't listen to what you're trying to tell it.

Summer and Colleen are doing what they can to help raise awareness for MDA sufferers .
If you can donate , it's a more than worthy cause. Just click on the link below and it'll take you to Summer and Colleens donation page...
Lets not leave these lovely ladies in lock up for too long....

Our online donation site : https://www.joinmda.org/MyLockup/MyHomepage/tabid/217188/Participant/summer/Default.aspx

Or if you want to find out a little more drop summer an email...
summer@blueseventy.com

Thanks,
The team at blueseventy

70.3 Busselton and IM ST George

70.3 Busselton, Australia

Tim Berkel took the win at 70.3 Busselton just 6 days after finishing second to Joe Gambles at 70.3 Port Macquarie. Jo Lawn had won the women's race in Port Macquarie and added another fine win to her impressive resume.

Kiwi  and blueseventy athlete/ worker Guy Crawford led the men out of the water but Bryan Rhodes and David Dellow were quite close.

Crawford then put on a show on the bike and held off all other competitors until T2. His gap of 4 minutes though would not be enough and a host of guys started to run him down.

At the end blueseventys Tim Berkel proved to be the strongest and took the win. Matty White and Tim Reed rounded out the podium.

Jo Lawn was first out of the water among the women with a 30 second lead over a small pack that included Rebekah Keat, Elly Franks and Belinda Granger.

Franks and Granger though managed to pass Lawn and at the end of the bike segment they had a 3 minute lead over Lawn and Keat.

During the run Lawn and Keat steadily took time back and with 7k to go the new leader was Lawn. Lawn then held on to take her second title in 6 days.

"I was definitely relaxed; I came to Australia to do two solid training workouts to get ready for Ironman Texas. I was looking to increase my fitness and testing my running and I raced both races on my training bike (Cervelo P3) as my goal was just to treat them as a training sessions. Once I had won 70.3 Port there was a feeling that training was going well. It was awesome to come back to Australia as the support I got in both races was amazing," said Lawn to slowtwitch.
Ironman 70.3 Busselton
Busselton, Australia / May 7, 2011
1.2m swim / 56m bike / 13.1m run
Top men

1. Tim Berkel (AUS) 3:51:27
2. Matty White (AUS) 3:52:50
3. Tim Reed (AUS) 3:53:59
4. Josh Rix (AUS) 3:56:05
5. Jamie Whyte (NZL) 3:57:10
6. Guy Crawford (NZL) 3:58:15 "fastest swim"
7. Mitchell Anderson (AUS) 3:59:55
8. Leon Griffin (AUS) 4:00:09
9. Lajos Vargas (AUS) 4:01:14 *AG
10. Paul Mackay (AUS) 4:01:28

Top women

1. Jo Lawn (NZL) 4:13:23
2. Felicity Sheedy Ryan (AUS) 4:15:21
3. Rebekah Keat (AUS) 4:15:55
4. Belinda Granger (AUS) 4:16:35
5. Elly Franks (AUS) 4:34:33
6. Christie Sym (AUS) 4:26:56
7. Madeleine Oldfield 4:29:06
8. Katrina Mercer (AUS) 4:29:26
9. Rachael Smith (AUS) 4:30:55
10. Janine Willis (AUS) 4:37:04 




Ironman St George


Mathias Hecht of Switzerland won his first Ironman and Heather Wurtele of Canada won her third Ironman and defended her title at Ford Ironman St. George Saturday.

Hecht took over from fellow Commerzbank Team member and bike leader Maik Twelsiek at Mile 15 of the run. Hecht, whose previous best finishes include a second place at Ironman Switzerland and third places at Ironman New Zealand and Ironman Lake Placid, finished off with a race-best 2:56:50 run and a final time of 8:32:03 which gave him a 1:43 margin of victory over Twelsiek and broke 2010 winner Michael Weiss’s course record by 8 minutes 5 seconds. Twelsiek’s race-best 4:36:20 ride gave him a 3-minute lead over Hecht starting the run, but his 4th-best 3:01:36 marathon left him in second place. Fearsome cyclist TJ Tollakson inexplicably fell behind with a 4:49:25 bike but charged hard with a 2nd-best 2:58:02 run to take third place in 8:40:20, 1:19 ahead of 4th place Ben Hoffman.


In the women’s race, Wurtele (55:00 swim and 5:17:00 bike) trailed swim and bike leader Jodie Swallow (49:29 swim and 5:17:44 bike) by 4:45 starting the run. But when Swallow, the 2010 Ironman 70.3 World Champion, started to fade at Mile 5 due to an injured foot, Wurtele charged and had a 2:45 lead at Mile 6.75. After Swallow pulled out on the run, Wurtele obliterated the surviving field with a race-best 3:14:50 marathon which gave her a 36:03 margin of victory over race runner-up and Jackie Arendt of Madison, Wisconsin. When Wurtele hit the line in 9:30:33, the 6-foot 2-inch Canadian broke her own course record by 4 minutes 52 seconds.
Ford Ironman St. George
St. George, Utah
May 7, 2011
S 2.4 mi. / B 112 mi. / R 26.2 mi.
Results
Men

1. Mathias Hecht (SUI) 8:32:03
2. Maik Twelsiek (GER) 8:33:46
3. TJ Tollakson (USA) 8:40:20
4. Ben Hoffman (USA) 8:41:39
5. Mike Aigroz (SUI) 8:42:06
6. Paul Ambrose (AUS) 8:51:41
7. Alejandro Santamaria (ESP) 9:04:38
8. Christian Brader (GER) 9:08:19
9. Petr Vabrousek (CZE) 9:11:11
10. Bevan McKinnon (NZL) 9:12:37
Women

1. Heather Wurtele (CAN) 9:30:33
2. Jackie Arendt (USA) 10:06:36
3. Uli Bromme (GER/USA) 10:10:48
4. Jessica Smith (USA) 10:20:45 * F30-34
5. Liis Toomingas (EST) 10:36:36
6. Tamara Kozulina (UKR) 10:43:37

Great Swim tips with blueseventy

So with the very first of the Great Swim series just a week away, we know there are a few nervous people out there, so we thought we'd offer some answers to some frequently asked questions we've spotted on the Great Swim facebook page (loving the posts by the way!)

I'm doing the London swim, can do a mile in a pool easily but only Breast stroke and will not get a chance to do an outdoor swim before the date, any advice ??? - Sarah

Sarah it's always a great idea to get some swims done in your wetsuit before the event - but don't worry - you can do this in a pool. We don't recommend doing this too often though because chlorine is not good for your wetsuit's longevity. So when you go down to the pool to train, take it with you and do a few laps (usually till you get too hot!) to make sure you are familiar with the feel of the suit, and also at putting it on comfortably. Check out our video of how to put your wetsuit on here.

Would you recommend doing the swim in front crawl or would breast stroke be O.K. Just a bit worried as it is a slower stroke and bit worried about being swam over!! - Helen.

Helen it's fine to do the swim in either front crawl or breaststroke (or a mix if you want!). Choose the stroke that you are more comfortable with. The key to not getting swum over will be making sure you start at the back of the pack, and give the field a chance to get moving before you start. Your chip won't start timing until you cross the start line so you won't affect your finish time. Try and avoid being in the middle of the swim course - if you stay towards the outside edge you'll find it less "busy" although it will be a little longer swim. But basically, find yourself some nice calm water and breaststroke away!

If you are nervous of being bumped about a bit, we recommend grabbing some mates and squeezing into a lane side by side.  Cram in together, and then practice swimming up the lane in a bunch.  Your arms will get tangled and you'll grab a bit of foot and the odd leg, but practice relaxing and focusing on your stroke - this is a great way to become desensitized to the feeling of being jostled.

Race Day Tips:

• Pack the night before and double check you have everything you need, such as:
• Race packet essentials – timing chip, timing chip band, event swim cap, and any vouchers etc
• Water/electrolyte drink for pre and post race.
• Prerace nutrition – any gels or protein bars. It can be a long wait for your race so plan out your food to ensure optimal timing.
• Swimsuit for under your wetsuit
• Wetsuit
• Body Glide
• Plastic bag to help put wettie on
• Extra latex cap and (if you have one) neoprene skull cap for cold conditions
• Earplugs/nose clip if required
• At least two pairs of goggles – preferably one with a yellow or clear lens for grey conditions, and a mirror or smoke lens for sunny conditions. Always have a spare in case of malfunction. Check them the night before and apply anti-fog solution if they need it.
• Warm clothes for after the race.
• Two towels (a spare is always handy).
• Dry bag for wet kit after the race.
• Post race fuel such as a banana. And money for that well earned beer!
• Get to the event nice and early so you can ensure you have plenty of time to get organised.  Running late does NOTHING for your nerves! (Bonus is you'll grab a great park)
• Plan a timeline working backwards from the start time.  So for example if you start at 9am, you might need to be ready in your start wave 15mins before (8.45), and you may like 15mins to warm up (8.30) and you should allow plenty of time to put your wetsuit on (8am).
• When you line up to start, think carefully about your position - if you are competitive, look for the shortest line to the first buoy, taking into account any currents at play so you can take advantage of them (not fight them).  If you are concerned about being swum over, hang back and wait for the bulk of the pack to start off and join into the back.
• Sometimes the combination of nerves, adrenaline and a raised heart rate can cause you to feel like you can't breath - it's ok - you can - just roll onto your back and take a few deep, relaxing breaths. Use positive self talk and it will pass, and you can carry on.  If its too much just raise your hand for help.
• Remember to keep sighting for the next buoy - if you are doing front crawl (freestyle) look up every five strokes.  If you find the buoy hard to see, line it up with a land mark and focus on that.  Regular sighting will keep you on course... unless you really want to swim further?  We'd understand - swimming is awesome!
• R E L A X... after the initial start, focus on your stroke and nice relaxed breathing.  You may not be the fastest but there are many more people who would never even attempt what you are doing, so relax and enjoy the experience!  Enjoy yourself (note: smiling while swimming may cause you to swallow water).

All the best with your Great Swim,  and if you have any other questions, just post them on our facebook page.

Luke Bell is swimming faster

Luke Bell exits the swim in the PZ3TX at 70.3 St. Croix

blueseventy is pleased to announce that multiple Half Ironman champion Luke Bell has joined the blueseventy team for 2011. Luke enjoyed a solid thirty second lead out of the swim at last weekend's 70.3 St. Croix and held it all the way to the 2nd lap of the run where the race came down to a very exciting give and take between Luke and Ukrainian Max Krait. From Luke's blog: "The last lap was filled with surge after surge, by the both of us trying to gain some advantage. With 2miles to go Kriat got the every small 4 second gap over the top of a hill and rolled down the other side from then on it was a race home - All I wanted to do was grap him by the scruff of the neck and bring him back however I just could not reach!" Krait pulled off the biggest win of his career by 16 seconds.

Australian made Bell spends his summers in Boulder and San Diego. Many fans of the sport will recognize him from his profile in the documentary What It Takes where he was featured alongside Ironman legends Peter Reid, Heather Fuhr and Lori Bowden following his 5th place finish at the 2003 Ironman World Championships. For 2011 Luke has joined forces with Matt Dixon of Purple Patch Fitness and says, “Working with Matt for only a few months has completely reenergized my sport. I have found new direction, improved performance and now truly feel I can move up toward the lofty goals I set for myself in the sport. I am excited to see my progress so far, but more excited for what the future holds”.

Luke will be competing in most major Ironman and 70.3 events this year so be on the look out for him in our Helix wetsuit & PZ3TX swim skin.

Follow Luke Bell on Twitter

Go The Distance w/blueseventy

Now through Wednesday, May 11th visit our Facebook page to enter our Go The Distance sweepstakes for a chance to win a set of our Distance triathlon apparel. For those of you not in the know we introduced our long course specific apparel line last summer to great success with Team TBB and many of our top athletes. In 2011 two additional lines of clothing, Performance and Elite, have been introduced to compliment the Distance line.

The Distance line has been crafted with one thing in mind: getting you to the finish line faster. Incorporating cutting edge cold black treated fabric, strategically placed seams, low water absorption and exceptional breathability make for a superior long distance racing suit or two piece option. Go The Distance in blueseventy triathlon apparel! Enter here.

We also want to share this short video Tri California produced of the Women's Elite race at last weekend's Wildflower Long Course triathlon. Our athlete Leanda Cave pulled off an impressive victory just missing the legendary course record by eight seconds. Heaps of blueseventy's professional athletes competed in the race including Sam Warriner (6th), Annie Warner (9th), Emily Cocks, Clayton Fettell (2nd), Bjorn Anderson (8th), Gavin Anderson (10th), John Dahlz, Josh Hadway, Jimmy Archer and more.

A Big Weekend of Racing

Big Update below on a huge weekend of racing. blueseventy athletes in RED..


Congrats to all our athletes who raced over the weekend .

WILDFLOWER


Jesse Thomas, a 2002 Stanford steeplechaser who is in his first year as a triathlon professional, shocked the men's field with a come-from-behind victory at the 29th Wildflower long course triathlon Saturday. After two second place Wildflower finishes, two-time ITU world champion Leanda Cave held off a strong charge by Mary Beth Ellis by 7 seconds to claim the women's crown at the challenging, classic half Ironman distance test in Monterey County, California.


Men
1. Jesse Thomas

2. Clayton Fettell

3. James Cunnama

4. Matt Lieto

5. Chris Leigh

Women

1. Leanda Cave

2. Mary Beth Ellis

3. Magali Tisseyre

4. Tenille Hoogland

5. Virginia Berasategui

ST CROIX

Catriona Morrison has evidently figured out St. Croix. The Brit has now prevailed three times, this her quickest, only the second woman to break the 4:30 barrier. In so doing, she bested her likely toughest competitor at the 70.3 distance, Mirinda Carfrae. Reigning Ironman world champ Carfrae was 3rd, behind Canadian Angela Naeth in a breakout race.

Ukrainian Maksym Kriat has found moving from short course to 70.3 racing to his liking. Last year's Mooseman and 70.3 Augusta winner nailed down his biggest career victory, besting Luke Bell who lead from the water in blueseventy helix and for the majority of the race.

Men

1. Maksym Kriat (UKR): 4:11:43

2. Luke Bell (AUS): 4:11:59

3. Richie Cunningham (AUS): 4:15:50

4. Patrick Evoe (USA): 4:15:51

5. Alessandro Degasperi (ITA): 4:16:24

6. Romain Guillaume (FRA): 4:24:31

7. Gabriel Raff (ARG) 4:29:03 (M25-29)

Women

1. Catriona Morrison (GBR): 4:29:28

2. Angela Naeth (CAN): 4:32:07

3. Mirinda Carfrae (AUS): 4:36:01

4. Leslie Patterson (GBR): 4:39:09

5. Kate Major (AUS): 4:41:33

6. Amy Marsh (USA): 4:52:31

7. Jacqui Gordon (USA): 4:59:24

IRONMAN AUSTRALIA

It's the biggest win of Pete Jacobs' career and oh how Jacobs would've liked to have it with countryman Craig Alexander in the field. But the 2-time Hawaiian Ironman champion was a late scratch due to a persistent cold, so Jacobs will have to wait another day to win an IM with Crowie trying to run him down..

But Crowie's pull-out didn't mean Jacobs could coast—New Caledonian Patrick Vernay was seeking his fourth Aus IM title here at Port Macquarie.

But Jacobs built too big a lead, outriding a very strong cyclist in Vernay on a slow and windy day. Jacobs had to survive a charging Vernay today, and his 2:58:46 marathon was just enough and a little more.

Caroline Steffen was likewise winless at this distance before this weekend. It appeared here chances were in jeopardy—twice—with flat tires, but whenever she had two tires full of air she methodically pulled away from challengers. In the end she won comfortably.

Men

1. Pete Jacobs (AUS): 8:29:28

2. Patrick Vernay (New Caledonia): 8:35:50

3. Jason Shortis (AUS): 8:46:07

4. Scott Neyedli (Scotland): 8:47:16
5. Courtey Ogden (AUS): 8:49:56

Women

1. Caroline Steffen (AUS): 9:29:54

2. Amelia Pearson (AUS): 9:38:23

3. Kirsten Molloy (AUS): 9:43:55

4. Nicole Ward (AUS): 9:49:23

5. Erin Spitler (USA): 10:08:33

70.3 PORT MACQUARIE

Athletes chasing Ironman Hawaii qualification points—most of them Australians—had to think strategically this weekend. Race the Port Macquarrie 70.3 and recover quickly, or go for the gusto at the longer race. Many chose the half-distance, no doubt in some part due to the difficulty in earning sufficient points at the full distance race.

Consequently, the 70.3 boasted a field almost as good as did the full. Early leader Bryan Rhodes lead from the water in his blueseventy helix but got caught by Joe Gambles who hammered the bike and never looked back, holding off a closing Tim Berkel to take the win. Ageless Kiwi Cam Brown came home third.

Lawn pummeled the ladies in all three legs, posting the fastest swim, bike and run splits. Aussie Madeleine Oldfield had a balanced race to finish second, near enough to taste the lead all day long but never close enough to get it.

Men

1. Joe Gambles (AUS): 3:58:15

2. Tim Berkel (AUS): 4:01:40

3. Cameron Brown (NZL): 4:03:22

4. Christian Kemp (AUS): 4:04:11

5. Tim Reed (AUS): 4:04:54

Bryan Rhodes was first from the water, finishing 7th overall.

Women

1. Joanna Lawn (NZL) 4:29:36

2. Madeleine Oldfield (AUS) 4:37:24

3. Michelle Wu (AUS) 4:41:10

4. Belinda Granger (AUS) 4:43:53

5. Elly Franks (AUS) 5:00:31

Challenge Fuerteventura

Ramus Henning proved too strong at Challenge Fuerteventura leading out of the water and then holding off a strong Martin Jensen for the win.

The women's race was also close with local athlete and Spanish Long Distance Champoin Eva Ledesma finally breaking away on the run to take first place in 4:47:14, two minutes ahead of Erika Csomor ( HUN) who came in in 4:49:19. Edith Niederfriniger (ITA) rounded out the podium in 4:53:28.

Playitas Challenge Fuertventura is the latest event in the global Challenge Family  http://www.challenge-family.com/

Men's Results

1. Rasmus Henning (DEN) 4:12:59 First from the Water

2. Martin Jensen (DEN) 4:14:01

3. Stephen Bayliss (GBR) 4:14:33

4. Jons Djurback (SWE) 4:15:59

5. Daniel Halksworth (GBR) 4:16:18

Women's Results

1. Eva Ledesma (SPA 4:47:14

2. Erika Csomor (HUN) 4:49:19

3. Edith Niederfriniger (ITA) 4:53:28

4. Emma Ruth Smith (GBR) 4:57:35

5. Sonja Jaasveld (NED) 5:05:35