Jason West Takes Second in Close Finish at IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside

OCEANSIDE, Calif. (April 1, 2023) – Oceanside, California and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton once again played host to the Athletic Brewing IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside triathlon on Saturday, April 1 to kick off the 2023 North American IRONMAN 70.3 schedule. With many of triathlon’s best on hand, the event saw 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series champion Léo Bergère (FRA) hold onto a commanding lead to capture the overall victory with a time of 3:45:25, while in the women’s race, Tamara Jewett (CAN) provided a dominate performance on the run and secured the win with a finishing with a time of 4:08:09. The race was featured live on Outside TV, and was the first in a series of 12 IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon events from across globe to broadcast exclusively on the platform. To watch a replay of the race, visit watch.outsideonline.com/live-events/ironman-70-3.

Only twelve seconds back in second place in the men’s race was Jason West (USA) who took second place with a time of 3:45:37, while defending champion Jackson Laundry (CAN) claimed third spot on the podium with a time of 3:47:38. In the professional women’s race, reigning IRONMAN World Champion, Chelsea Sodaro (USA) took second with a time of 4:09:31, while Kat Matthews (GBR) secured third place with a time of 4:12:27 making her triumphant return to racing following a long recovery from a training accident last fall.

Jason West collapses near a lying Léo Bergère after they've both crossed the finish line. — A close finish at the 2023 IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside triathlon; Jason West finished 12 seconds behind Léo Bergère (photo by Donald Miralle/IRONMAN).

Top Five Professional Men

SWIM BIKE RUN FINISH

Léo Bergère FRA 00:22:10 02:08:17 01:10:34 03:45:25
Jason West USA 00:22:44 02:11:04 01:07:40 03:45:37
Jackson Laundry CAN 00:23:47 02:06:59 01:12:37 03:47:38
Ben Kanute USA 00:22:39 02:09:47 01:12:37 03:49:38
George Goodwin GBR 00:23:22 02:07:18 01:15:26 03:50:35

Top Five Professional Women

SWIM BIKE RUN FINISH

Tamara Jewett CAN 00:25:45 02:24:38 01:12:59 04:08:09
Chelsea Sodaro USA 00:25:45 02:23:37 01:15:21 04:09:31
Kat Matthews GBR 00:25:44 02:23:10 01:18:33 04:12:27
Holly Lawrence GBR 00:24:15 02:25:09 01:22:38 04:16:32
Paula Findlay CAN 00:25:45 02:23:17 01:27:49 04:21:52

Men's podium at 2023 IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside — The men’s podium at the 2023 IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside triathlon; from left to right: Jason West (2nd), Léo Bergère (1st), Jackson Laundry (3rd) (photo by Donald Miralle/IRONMAN).

The 2023 Athletic Brewing IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside triathlon North American TriClub Championship – Southwest saw more than 2,400 athletes start the race, which included 1,303 TriClub athletes and 310 TriClub teams. The event led athletes along a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run throughout Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and the city of Oceanside. The competition began with a swim inside Oceanside Harbor before they embarked on the single-loop bike course that ventured through the rolling hills of Camp Pendleton and San Onofre Bluffs State Park. The flat and fast two-loop run course took athletes along the scenic southern California coast before an exciting finish on two iconic Oceanside landmarks including the Strand and the Oceanside Pier. The event offered 30 age group qualifying slots, and 50 extra slots for Women to the 2023 VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship taking place on August 26 and 27 in Lahti, Finland.