Don Does It Again
Coming in as the two-time defending champ can’t be easy; but for Great Britain’s Tim Don, it always seems like an effortless job. Despite the sweltering heat and humidity, Don was able to three-peat this past weekend at the IRONMAN 70.3 South American Championships Palmas.
Boulderite, and Don’s mate, Leon Griffin challenged Don all day and turned in a spectacular race of his own. Exiting the water was Don in 26 minutes flat, with Griffin right on his heels in 26:03. As a few guys entered T1 together, Don, Griffin, and Nils Frommhold would work together on the bike and keep a three-minute lead on the chasing pack as they headed into T2.
As the story often goes, Don would literally “run away” with the race. His 1:18:49 run split was the fastest on the day, helping him cross the finish line uncontested in a winning time of 3:53:10. Griffin would pull away from Frommhold thanks to his solid run split, 1:22:33, and capture second place on the day in 3:56:49. Frommhold finished third in 3:59:12. Congrats to our Colorado guys, Don and Griffin, who continue to top the podium in their 70.3 races. Nice job, guys!
Hoffman Rallies for the Win
In baseball, you can sometimes see the players in the dugout with their caps turned inside out. This is what is called a “rally cap.” When a team is ready to turn things around, you can usually see the epic rally cap come alive.
On Sunday at the IRONMAN African Championships, Boulder’s Ben Hoffman found his own version of a rally cap and turned on the jets, churning out the fastest marathon time of the day, 2:45:50, and claiming the hard-earned win.
“I am very pleased with my early season form and to take the win at a championship event. I executed a very solid race against a tough field and on a challenging course. If anyone is thinking of making the trip to South Africa, don’t hesitate! This place is amazing!” Hoffman said.
Hoffman’s run wasn’t all that helped him seal the win. He also swam a zippy 52:58 and turned in the second fastest bike split of the day, 4:29:36. He would need those solid efforts to hold off Aussie, and part-time Boulder-trainee, Tim Van Berkel who had an amazing race.
Van Berkel set himself up as a contender from the get-go thanks to his swim of 50:00 and a strong bike, 4:32:33. The real fun came when Van Berkel and Hoffman ran shoulder to shoulder for the first 13.1 miles of the run. Hoffman eventually made a move, which paid off as he would finish in 8:12:37, barely edging out Van Berkel who, thanks to his 2:48:18 marathon, finished second in 8:14:51.
Hoffman added, “Now that my Kona ticket is punched, I can settle into a season-long focus on IRONMAN Hawaii.”
We’re excited to see what these two guys continue to do all season after this triathlon saga. October should bring another exciting race for these guys. Great job, gentleman!
Griesbauer Grabs Top 10 Finish
Boulderite Dede Griesbauer also competed in the IRONMAN African Championships this past weekend and finished a solid 10th on the day. Her 58:16 swim kept her in the lead pack as she jumped on her bike for 5:13:11, keeping her in the top 10 all day. Griesbauer had a solid run, 3:43:14, allowing her to round out the 10th spot in a tough women’s field. Way to go, Dede!
Seymour Slays Texas
If you haven’t heard of Jeanni Seymour by now, you need to get off the slopes and pay attention! This young pro is continuing to make waves after her season-ending win last year at IRONMAN 70.3 Austin. It seems as though her winter training in Clermont, Florida did her some good as she came out of the gates on fire this past weekend at IRONMAN 70.3 Texas.
Seymour came out of the water with the second fastest time in the women’s field, 25:54, which she followed with a 2:20:22 bike split, and capped off her day with a 1:25:02 half marathon. Her efforts helped her grab second on the day, 4:13:54, behind winner Sarah Haskins. Rounding out the podium was Jodie Robertson in third.
Colorado’s Lesley Smith finished the day in seventh place, 4:20:26, and Katie Blakemore grabbed 12th place, 4:25:44. Congrats, ladies!
Pro Men Take on Texas
The IRONMAN 70.3 Texas men’s field was one the toughest so far this season, but our pros showed no mercy and left it all out on the course. Taking the title was Lionel Sanders in 3:40:30 after a comeback effort on the bike and swim.
Leading the Colorado men was Richie Cunningham in sixth place, 3:49:23, and turning in a speedy run time of 1:15:27. In 11th was Boulder’s James Hadley who also turned in an impressive run split in 1:15:35. Behind Hadley in 12th was Chris “Big Sexy” McDonald in 3:53:23, who is gearing up for IRONMAN Texas next month. In 17th place was Irishman Robbie Wade who was also superb on the run, 1:15:35. Justin Metzler turned in a solid overall performance, grabbing 22nd place in a time of 4:01:37. Well done, men!
