O’Donnell Dominates IRONMAN Boulder

O’Donnell Dominates IRONMAN Boulder

Soon-to-be dad, Tim O’Donnell, left no doubt this past Sunday that he will, once again, be a top contender in Kona in October. A hometown favorite at this year’s IRONMAN Boulder, O’Donnell was on fire from start to finish. He turned in the fastest swim, 49:20, fastest bike, 4:24:25, and fastest run, 2:53:55, to put together a magnificent winning time of 8:13:30.

Tim O'Donnell
Tim O’Donnell wins IRONMAN Boulder (Megan Evoe)

Hanging tough all day was Colorado’s Matt Chrabot, who was out for redemption after IRONMAN Brazil did not go his way a couple of weeks ago. Chrabot wisely pulled himself out of the Brazil race very early on the bike and returned his focus to showing up strong for IRONMAN Boulder. The plan definitely paid off.

Chrabot challenged O’Donnell early on the bike, staying close for quite some time and turned in the second fastest bike split of the day in 4:30:33. Chrabot’s strong biking set him up to stay in second or third for the entire marathon. His run time of 3:07:42 helped him to a second place finish in a time of 8:34:36.

The dark horse of IRONMAN Boulder, Patrick McKeon, showed up big time for his first IRONMAN race as a professional, grabbing the final podium spot of the day in 8:42:24. McKeon’s day started off with a swim of 57:08, which put him in the middle of the men’s pro race. But he didn’t stay there for long. Thanks to a strong bike, 4:35:15, McKeon made his way up to sixth place by the start of the third bike loop. His efforts continued as he ran a steady 3:03:40 marathon, the third fastest run split of the day. I think it’s safe to say this was a breakthrough race for the young McKeon. His enormous, emotional smile as he crossed the finish line was a good indicator he was pleased with his day!

The rest of the Colorado pro men were nothing short of spectacular as they grinded out gutsy performances. In fourth was Jarrod Shoemaker, 8:45:38, in sixth was Tripp Hipple, 8:55:03, in seventh was Sam Long, 8:57:16, and in eighth was Colin Laughery, 8:58:45. Congrats to all of the Colorado pro men and everyone else who battled hard on Sunday!

Megan Evoe

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.