Don and Fellow Boulderites Dominate the Men’s Field at IRONMAN 70.3 Brazil
Tim Don wins IRONMAN 70.3 Brazil (Photo by IRONMAN)
It doesn’t seem to matter what kind of lead another competitor might have on Tim Don when starting the run, because the chances are high that Don will run down even the best in the sport. Once again, Don laid down a blazing fast 1:13 half marathon, the fastest time of the day, to overcome one of the best in the sport, and fellow-Boulderite, Tim O’Donnell.
O’Donnell started off with the fastest swim of the day, 24:20, barely edging out Don (24:25) and fourth place finisher Igor Amorelli (24:24). Exiting over a minute later, Tyler Butterfield (25:28) and Richie Cunningham (25:59) gave chase on the bike.
However, it didn’t take long for O’Donnell to get into his groove on the bike and hammer out the fastest bike split of the day (1:50:03) to put himself at the front by a couple of minutes for the start of the run.
But thanks to Don’s solid ride of 2:01:15, he set himself up to do what he does best—run down his competition.
Rachel Joyce doing some promotional work in Brazil for Team Bravo
“Once I started the run, it was about building into it, as I did not want to blow up! I had some of my Team Bravo guys out there giving me good splits so I knew I was closing in on T.O. I kept drinking my calories with some Coke as well,” Don said of his run experience.
The Coke, helpful splits, and Don’s sheer running speed helped him catch and pass O’Donnell just before the 17 km mark. By no means did O’Donnell not run well, as he turned in the second fastest run time of the day with a 1:16 split. It was the battle of the Tims and a close one at that. Don edged out O’Donnell by less than one minute to claim the IRONMAN 70.3 Brazil title.
“Racing in Brazil is an experience for sure! The crowd loves the sport and is very knowledgeable. These guys do a great job with organizing the race and I would highly recommend it as a destination race,” Don added.
Butterfield, who turned in a solid performance in all three disciplines including a swim time of 25:28, put himself in a great spot to chase the leaders from the very beginning.
Tyler Butterfield starts the run in Brazil (Photo by IRONMAN)
Butterfield said he was surprised to exit the water as high up as he did, having a little panic at the swim start. However, he noted that his race went smoothly from there, although it was a tough race. It was his first race of the season, which you might not have noticed after he turned in the second fastest bike split of the day (1:59) followed by the third fastest run of the day (1:17).
“Strategy-wise I, decided to push on the bike and see what I had on the run. I didn’t want to wait for the run and have to race,” Butterfield added.
It looks like his strategy paid off as he was able to pass Amorelli to round out the third and final spot on the podium.
Cunningham, another Boulderite, finished 19th in the tough Brazilian field and will most certainly be out on the race course again soon to display his talents.
Although no Colorado-based women finished on the podium (Rachel Joyce made a wrong turn on the bike but still finished a solid ninth), I definitely want to say congratulations to Helle Frederiksen, Soffie Goos, and Ruth Morrey who topped the podium. Frederiksen had a stellar time in each event, including a blazing fast bike (2:10) and run (1:24) to claim victory by over 12 minutes. Way to go, ladies!
Crowie Captures Second at IRONMAN 70.3 Putrajaya
Boulderites go 1-2-3 in Brazil (Photo by IRONMAN)
Everyone wants to claim Craig “Crowie” Alexander as their own, and in Colorado we definitely do just that. Crowie, who we hear is going to be back in Boulder for part of the summer, continues to make us proud and turn in some great race performances.
With one of the fastest swim times of the day (24:02), Crowie shot himself into a solid position for the podium and continued his efforts throughout the day. Turning in a quick 2:13 on the bike and a 1:29 on the run, he was able crack the podium and take second place behind winner Domenico Passuello.
Passuello, who used to be pro cyclist, blazed through the bike course with the fastest time of the day, an impressive 2:06, and was able to lock in the win.
On the women’s side, our only Colorado representative was Bek Keat, who had a tough day, but still managed to finish eighth overall. We cannot wait to watch her bring on the heat in her next race!
When she isn’t writing about the exploits of Colorado’s pro triathletes, Megan Evoe works with student-athletes at the University of Colorado as a Learning Specialist. Before coming to Boulder, Megan spent a decade teaching in Illinois and Texas while coaching soccer and cross country. Her passion for athletics stems from her collegiate days of playing soccer at Illinois State University where she twice earned All-Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Team honors. She holds a BA in English and Kinesiology, as well as an MA in Education. She has run over 20 marathons, including the Boston Marathon six times and an ultra-marathon, and has completed five triathlons, including IRONMAN 70.3 Austin. The sport of triathlon has brought many valuable pieces to Megan’s life, such as traveling, great friends, and an appetite for competition. Megan is married to professional triathlete Patrick Evoe.
