Kansas 70.3 Race Report

Ironman 70.3 debuted in Kansas today, featuring both some outstanding racing but also the difficulties of dealing with unsettled weather. Safety concerns due to severe weather conditions forced race organizers to shorten the run course for about a third of the field.

Both athletes and volunteers were forced to leave the race site, which meant that there was no awards ceremony held for the event. Athletes who qualified for the Foster Grant World Championship Ironman 70.3 in Clearwater will be contacted this week to organize their qualifying spots.

The unsettled weather didn't affect the pro races, which featured some very exciting racing. In the men’s race, Craig Alexander and Terrenzo Bozzone exited the water together, both swimming a 27:21 1.2-mile split. Bozzone was able to put a few seconds on Alexander on the bike, but then made his winning play on the run, where he put almost three minutes between himself and Alexander. His scorching 1:15:49 run split put him across the finish line in 3:56:06, with Alexander finishing second in 3:59:59. Leon Griffin, a pro from Australia, raced close behind Bozzone and Alexander through the swim and bike, but just as Alexander fell victim to Bozzone’s foot speed, so too did Griffin. Griffin finished third in 4:00:37. Daniel Bretscher and Kirk Nelson rounded out the top five.

Although Bozzone’s performance was impressive, no one was prepared, least of all Joanna Lawn, for what would transpire in the women’s race. Samantha McGlone and Lawn exited the water behind super-swimmer and Texan pro Andrea Fisher. McGlone and Lawn quickly took over Fisher’s lead, and the race soon became a duel. Lawn showed her strength on the bike, leaving McGlone almost five minutes behind her by T2. Lawn set out on the run, but McGlone, undeterred by the amount of time she needed to make up, took on the 13.1-mile course with blazing speed, ever chipping-away at that five-minutes Lawn had built on the bike. McGlone eventually passed Lawn in the last mile of the run, finishing only 29 seconds ahead of Lawn. McGlone had run five minutes, five seconds faster than Lawn, giving her just enough room to enjoy the last few steps of the race. McGlone finished in 4:19:03, Lawn in 4:19:32.

To put their efforts in perspective, Linsey Corbin, the third-place finisher, crossed the line almost 15 minutes behind Lawn in 4:36:11. Teri Albertazzi finished fourth, while Fisher finished fifth.

Story published on ironman.com