Great Britain’s Paul Amey and Rachel Joyce earned victories at today’s Ironman Texas.

Check back for complete results and a recap.

Ironman Texas
Woodlands, Texas – May 18, 2013
2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run

Men
1. Paul Amey (GBR) 8:25:06
2. James Cunnama (RSA) 8:27:35
3. Ian Mikelson (USA) 8:30:06
4. Justin Daerr (USA) 8:30:35
5. Swen Sunberg (GER) 8:37:30

Women
1. Rachel Joyce (GBR) 8:49:14

The United States’ Josiah Middaugh and Scotland’s Lesley Paterson stay undefeated in the 2013 Xterra U.S. Pro Series thanks to wins at today’s Xterra Southeast Championships in Oak Mountain State Park, Ala.

See the top-five results below and check back for a race recap.

Xterra Southeast Championships
Oak Mountain State Park, Ala. – May 18, 2013

Men
1. Josiah Middaugh (USA) 2:17:00
2. Dan Hugo (RSA) 2:18:44
3. Craig Evans (USA) 2:22:49
4. Bradley Weiss (RSA) 2:25:32
5. Nick Fisher (USA) 2:27:23

Women
1. Lesley Paterson (SCO) 2:32:40
2. Melanie McQuaid (CAN) 2:36:25
3. Brandi Heisterman (CAN) 2:41:32
4. Shonny Vanlandingham (USA) 2:42:42
5. Suzie Snyder (USA) 2:42:51

Germans Faris Al-Sultan and Kristin Möller won Ironman Lanzarote using dominating performances highlighted by strong bike rides on a course that include 8,000 feet of climbing.

The swim started under pretty heavy rain, but the lead pack of six men stuck together during the two laps, led by Brit Stephen Bayliss (last year’s Lanzarote runner-up), who finished in a time of 47:45. Bayliss was closely followed by five men including Al-Sultan and Spain’s Miguel Blanchart. Al-Sultan soon took the lead, followed by Brit Philip Graves and Bayliss, but kept building a huge lead all the way into T2. He finished the bike in 4:53:03, with Graves and Blanchart almost 10 minutes back into T2. Al-Sultan ran a 2:55 marathon to maintain almost that 10-minute lead to the finish, finishing in a time of 8:42:40. Blanchart finished second after running a 2:54:20 marathon, and Estonian Kirill Kotsegarov edged out Graves in a sprint to the finish to take the final spot on the podium.

In the women’s race, Dutch age grouper Hanneke de Boer was first out on the bike after finishing the swim in a time of 54:06. She was followed by Spanish pro Saleta Castro and age-grouper Melissa Dowell of the UK. British pro Bella Bayliss started the bike in fourth but later dropped out on the run. Starting the bike in eighth position about five and half minutes back was German pro Kristin Möller, who powered through the tough bike course to take the lead. Dutch pro Heleen Bij de Vaate moved into second place on the bike (she finished third on this course last year). Möller maintained her lead into T2, finishing the bike in a time of 5:31:47. Bij de Vaate used a 5:39 bike split to start the run in second about 15 minutes behind the leader. Möller posted a solid 2:58 marathon to maintain the lead to the finish—she finished 32 minutes over the runner-up. Bij de Vaate finished second, and Castro rounded out the podium.

More than 1700 age-group athletes started the race, including Gordon Haller, the first-ever Ironman Hawaii winner in 1978.

Ironman Lanzarote
Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain – May 18, 2013
2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run

Men
1. Faris Al-Sultan (GER) 8:42:40
2. Miguel Blanchart (ESP) 8:52:08
3. Kirill Kotsegarov (EST) 9:04:09
4. Philip Graves (GBR) 9:04:17
5. Bert Jammaer (BEL) 9:06:48

Women
1. Kristin Möller (GER) 9:37:34
2. Heleen Bij de Vaate (NED) 10:09:31
3. Saleta Castro (ESP) 10:14:27
4. Joyce Wolfe (IRE) 10:31:45

Complete results.

Julie Dibens, one of the strongest female cyclists in the sport of triathlon, held her own against an invitation-only field at the Amgen Tour of California Women’s Time Trial on the technical course.

Dibens started near the front and crossed the finish line with an official clock time of 59:48. The time was good enough for eighth place in the lineup of 14 athletes who completed the 19.8-mile course.

PHOTOS: Julie Dibens On The Bike

Cyclists had the choice to switch to a road bike for the final steep climb up to the finish line, but Dibens opted to stick with her Trek Speed Concept to the finish line.

Dibens is a decorated triathlete across all distances of triathlon with one Ironman 70.3 World Championship title and three Xterra World Championships to her name. She has not competed in triathlon since she withdrew from the 2011 Ironman World Championship due to an injury that has plagued her throughout her career. Early in 2012 Dibens underwent back-to-back foot and knee surgeries and has just recently been able to return to running. She hopes to validate her spot for the 2013 Ironman 70.3 World Championship with a finish at August’s Ironman 70.3 Boulder.

RELATED: Julie Dibens’ Tour of California Time Trial Prep

1. Evelyn Stevens
21.3 mph | Specialized-lululemon
55:49

2. Alison Powers
21 mph | NOW and Novartis for MS
+0:56

3. Kristin Mcgrath
20.8 mph | Exergy Twenty16
+1:24

4. Jade Wilcoxson
20.2 mph | Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
+3:02

5. Mara Abbott
20.2 mph | Exergy Twenty16
+3:09

6. Alison Tetrick
20.1 mph | Exergy Twenty16
+3:26

7. Brianna Walle
19.9 mph | Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies
+3:52

8. Julie Dibens
19.9 mph | Trek
+3:59

9. Taylor Wiles
19.9 mph | Specialized-lululemon
+4:01

10. Robin Farina
19.8 mph | NOW and Novartis for MS
+4:10

11. Jasmin Glaesser
19.6 mph | Team TIBCO
+4:56

12. Katie Compton
19.6 mph | Trek Cyclocross Collective
+5:00

13. Lauren Stephens
19.2 mph | Team TIBCO
+6:05

14. Rhae Shaw
19 mph | Vanderkitten +6:44

RELATED – Julie Dibens: “It’s Been A Hard Year”

For more from the Amgen Tour of California, visit Velonews.com.

The Rev3 Triathlon Series announced today that it will expand to the Pocono Mountains in northeastern Pennsylvania in 2014. The venue is the Shawnee Inn and will house the expo, T2 and the finish line. The area used to host Ironman 70.3 Poconos.

“We are thrilled to expand our race series and add Rev3 Pocono Mountains,” said Charlie Patten, Revolution 3 President and Founder in the announcement. “This is a beautiful area at this time of the year, and will truly celebrate the fall season and outdoor multisport on the East Coast.”

The weekend will include an evening Rev3 Glow 5K, a sprint adventure race, a family adventure race, an Olympic-distance triathlon and a half-Rev triathlon. The half-Rev will offer up a professional prize purse of $50,000.

Race weekend is set for Sept. 12-14, 2014.

Learn more at Rev3tri.com.

RELATED: Rev3 Announces New Pro Series Format

Five weeks after the West Championships kicked off the U.S. Pro Series season, Xterra heads to Oak Mountain State Park in Pelham, Alabama this Saturday, May 18, for the Xterra Southeast championships. Both defending champions Conrad Stoltz (RSA) and Lesley Paterson (SCO) will be the ones to beat on this beautiful course.

Men’s Race
Stoltz has made this race a staple on his calendar and loves the terrain of the area, even going as far as to say “this Xterra Alabama course is like Heaven on Earth” on Twitter earlier this week. Last year’s runner-up Craig Evans (USA) is also back and will be looking to find his way to the top of the podium.

Returning to the U.S. Xterra circuit is Dan Hugo (RSA), who had his 2012 season cut short after a  bike crash. The most consistent athlete of late, Xterra West Champion Josiah Middaugh (USA), will also compete on Saturday. While Stoltz has dominated in Alabama with six-straight wins since 2007 (Brent McMahon won the inaugural race in 2006), both Hugo and Middaugh have finished second twice here.

Women’s Race
Paterson, the two-time reigning Xterra World Champion, has blown away the women’s field in her latest Xterra races and even finished fourth-place overall (including the men) at the Xterra West Championships last month. The technical nature of the course may help past winners Melanie McQuaid (CAN) and Shonny Vanlandingham (USA) keep Paterson within striking distance.

Check back Saturday for a recap from Alabama.

PHOTOS: 2012 Xterra Southeast Championships

Xterra Southeast Championship Pro Start List

Rank – Men – Age, Hometown
1 – Josiah Middaugh – 34, Eagle-Vail, Colorado
2 – Conrad Stoltz – 39, Stellenbosch, South Africa
3 – Branden Rakita – 32, Colorado Springs, Colorado
6 – Craig Evans – 35, Hendersonville, Tennessee
7 – Jason Michalak – 35, Crested Butte, Colorado
8 – Matt Mangen – 30, Ivins, Utah
9 – Will Kelsay – 31, Boulder, Colorado
10 – Brian Astell – 32, Gualala, California
12 – Nick Fisher – 27, Ogden, Utah
15 – Damian Gonzalez – 36, Stockton, California
NR – Tom Eickelberg – 24, Cortland, New York
NR - Chris Ganter – 34, Boise, Idaho
NR – Dan Hugo – 27, Stellenbosch, South Africa
NR - James McCurdy – 28, Auburn, Alabama
NR – Will Ross – 23, Anchorage, Alaska
NR - Tim Snow – 37, Brockton, Massachussetts
NR – Cody Waite – 34, Lakewood, Colorado
NR – Bradley Weiss – 24, Cape Town, South Africa

Rank – Women – Age, Hometown
1 – Lesley Paterson – 32, San Diego, California
2 – Suzie Snyder – 31, Fredericksburg, Virginia
3 – Shonny Vanlandingham – 43, Durango, Colorado
4 – Melanie McQuaid – 39, Victoria, B.C., Canada
5 – Danelle Kabush – 37, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
7 – Emma Garrard – 30, Park City, Utah
11 – Brandi Heisterman – 37, Squamish, B.C., Canada
12 – Caroline Colonna – 48, Taos, New Mexico
14 - Christine Jeffrey – 40, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
NR – Chantell Widney – 32, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
NR – Katie Button – 28, Victoria, B.C., Canada
NR - Hallie Blunck – 28, Birmingham, Alabama
NR – Heather Holmes – 32, Atlanta, Georgia

Note: Rank indicates their position in 2013 XTERRA U.S. Pro Series standings, NR = not ranked.

After 30 years, two of the longest running triathlons in the country, Life Time Tri Chicago (formerly the Chicago Triathlon) and Leon’s Tri, have teamed up to form Chicago’s first ever triathlon series, the Chicagoland Tri Series. The series was created to better engage and reward the greater Chicago triathlon community, one of the largest and oldest triathlon markets in the country.

Leon’s Triathlon, which will be celebrating its 30^th anniversary this year on Sunday, June 2, is hosted at Wolf Lake Park in Hammond, Ind. (about a half-hour drive south of Chicago). Athletes will swim, bike and run on a closed course in Northwest Indiana. The international-distance race has been marketed as the “world’s fastest triathlon,” and will be broadcast on Comcast SportsNet (premiering in July). Last year’s race drew more than 750 athletes from around the country.

Life Time Tri Chicago has been around for more than 30 years, and will take place this year on Aug. 25 at Grant Park in Chicago. The sprint- and Olympic-distance race, part of the Life Time Tri portfolio of races, is one of the largest triathlons in the world and includes more than 10,000 athletes racing on its urban course through the streets of one of America’s signature metropolises. The races start at Monroe Harbor, loop along Lake Shore Drive and end with a run down Columbus Drive.

The way it works is any triathletes who participate in both Leon’s Triathlon and the Life Time Tri Chicago during the 2013 season can be enrolled in the series competition by simply opting in through a registration portal on the site. Individual’s finish times from the two races will be combined and tabulated to create an overall series score, and top performing athletes in all men’s and women’s age groups will earn special awards. Anyone who races Leon’s Tri can opt in to the series by August 25 (the date of Life Time Tri Chicago).

For those athletes who don’t win age-group awards, the series also aims to appreciate those who simply enroll in both events. Anyone who opts into the program and participates will be invited to a season-ending Chicagoland Tri Series Athlete party (event date and details are forthcoming).

While both events will continue to be produced independently, there will be some cross-promotion at each race. In addition to the end-of-season party, Life Time will host a branded “speed trap” activation area at both races (a one-mile, chip-timed straightaway where athletes will compete for prizes for fastest speed along the mile-long stretch), and Leon’s Team Challenge concept will be adopted at the 2013 Life Time Tri Chicago. Individual award winners will earn a variety of prizes including complimentary 2014 race entries, wetsuits, shoes and tri apparel. Teams will vie for the Chicagoland Tri Series Champioship Cup and bragging rights-esque prizes.

For more information, visit Chicagolandtriseries.com, Chicagotriathlon.com and Leonstriathlon.com.

PHOTOS: 2012 Life Time Chicago Tri

As the only triathlete in the invite-only field, Dibens is ready to ‘let her rip’ and see what happens tomorrow.

Joining a select field of 14 female pro cyclists at tomorrow’s Amgen Tour of California Women’s Time Trial is triathlon’s very own Julie Dibens. The Brit known for her bike splits hasn’t raced since the 2011 Ironman World Championship after back-to-back foot and knee surgeries kept her off the starting line last year, so she’s been fired up about her new goal the last two months.

“To be able to have a focus and something to train toward was the biggest thing for me, and I’m excited to see how I can do against the best time trialists in the world,” Dibens says. “It’s been very different than training for 70.3 or Ironman, but it’s fun to just go out and bike as hard as you can.”

Early on, Dibens visited the Los Angeles Velodrome for some aerodynamic testing with her go-to bike fit specialist Mat Steinmetz (watch a recap of their process here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhBKWkG74t8). Based on testing various helmets and body positions—along with adhering to specific UCI requirements—they shifted her position pretty drastically on her custom Trek Speed Concept to accommodate for the time trial.

Her training for tomorrow’s 19.6-mile race in San José, Calif., was also significantly different than her normal long-course triathlon training. With some input from Adam Zucco of Training Bible Coaching and Ironman legend Dave Scott, she upped the intensity and integrated workouts that would simulate the course, which climbs more than 2,000 feet in under 20 miles.

“This course is definitely challenging—there’s a hill straight up the back and some long descents, with the last 3K averaging over 10 percent, so we tried to replicate that on roads in Boulder,” Dibens says. “I’d finish with 5–10 minutes on a climb, and do a lot of threshold and above and VO₂ max work. For the most part, triathletes doing half-Ironman and Ironman do a lot of steady stuff and below threshold, so that was the biggest difference.”

RELATED – Dispatch: Julie Dibens Takes On A New Challenge

For the first month of training, Dibens said things were going really well, with some solid results at a few time trials in the Denver area. But in the last few weeks she admits the intensity may have caught up with her. “I think I ended up putting myself in a bit of a box,” she says. “My body’s not used to doing that much hard work, so I’ve been struggling a little bit health-wise, so there’s been a lot of rest. Because I hadn’t raced in so long and I was so fired up, I knew it was always easy for me to get carried away. It’s always the athlete’s responsibility to keep everything in check. We have to listen to our bodies—sometimes the hardest part is to back off and rest. If anything, I was neglecting that. The training had been going great but I may have overcooked it at bit.”

But with much less pressure than normal high-stakes triathlons—and the fact that starting after 12 p.m. is out of her normal crack-of-dawn routine—Dibens says she’s not nervous…yet. She admits that she has no clue how she’ll stack up against her competitors (she hasn’t met any of them, with the exception of a brief introduction to Alison Powers last night), but she says that’s what makes it exciting. “I’m coming into an arena where I don’t know any of the other girls, and I’m sure they don’t know who the heck I am,” she says. “Hopefully I can be competitive and show them that triathletes can actually ride a bike halfway decently.”

Even though the last couple of weeks have required more rest than she would’ve liked, Dibens is still excited for what she sees as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “You have to keep it all in perspective—I just have to soak it up and enjoy it,” she says. “When you go to Kona and all the big races, you can get caught up and you forget that you’re doing this because you love it. The last couple days I have just been reminded of that, and that’s helped keep my mindset to just be to go out there and let her rip. It’s just an awesome experience and I’m going to soak it up as much as I can.”

RELATED – Julie Dibens: “It’s Been A Hard Year”

As for her plans post-TT, Dibens is not setting hard goals or deadlines yet, but she definitely wants to get back to racing. Her knee recovery has taken longer than expected, so because of that and her time trial focus, she’s only been running three times a week for 30 minutes at a time. Her hope for 2013 is to validate her spot for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Las Vegas at the Boulder 70.3 later this year.

Check out Amgentourofcalifornia.com for details on tomorrow’s time trial, which starts at 12:45 p.m. PDT.

PHOTOS: Julie Dibens On The Bike

On Sunday, May 19, nearly 2,000 athletes including more than 40 pros will race the 30th anniversary of the Columbia Triathlon in Columbia, Md. The race is the longest running triathlon in the Mid-Atlantic and is part of the 5150 series of Olympic-distance races.

Included among the pros in the men’s race are 2013 Ironman New Zealand and double Olympic medalist Bevan Docherty of New Zealand; 2012 Toyota Cup champion and defending Columbia Triathlon winner Cameron Dye; 2010 and 2011 Columbia Tri champ Andrew Yoder; and Canada’s Brent McMahon, who’s fresh off his Ironman 70.3 U.S. Pro Championship win over a deep field in St. George, Utah, last Saturday.

In the women’s race, the field is highlighted by top names such as Great Britain’s Leanda Cave, the reigning Ironman and 70.3 world champion; American Meredith Kessler, a multiple Ironman champion who just won in St. George as well; top 70.3 athlete Angela Naeth of Canada; former ITU athlete Annabel Luxford and American Margaret Shapiro, who won the Columbia Tri in 2006 and has had several podium finishes on this course. Other top contenders include Olympic-distance specialists Alicia Kaye, Laurel Wassner and Nicky Samuels.

The pros will be competing for a share in the $25,000 prize purse. The event will benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Maryland Chapter. Organized by TriColumbia, the Columbia Triathlon’s 1.5K swim, 40K bike and 10K run courses are considered some of the toughest on the Olympic-distance non-draft circuit. Also one of the oldest races in the nation, the Columbia Tri began in 1984 with 90 athletes. Now part of the 5150 series, the age-group athletes will be competing for one of 15 slots per age group to the 5150 Hy-Vee U.S. Championship in Des Moines, Iowa, on Sept. 1.

RELATED: Brent McMahon Impresses In St. George

Pro Men:
Cameron Dye (USA)
Bevan Docherty (NZL)
Andrew Yoder (USA)
Brent McMahon (CAN)
James Seear (AUS)
Jason Pedersen (USA)
Tom Davison (NZL)
Eric Limkemann (USA)
Mark Bowstead (NZL)
Ryan Bates (USA)
David Kahn (USA)
Lawrence Fanous (JOR)
Sean Sullivan (USA)
Brooks Cowan (USA)
Dan Feeney (USA)
Chad Holderbaum (USA)
Jack Smith (USA)
Nicholas Stanko (USA)
Tom Wood (USA)
Ryan Kelly (USA)
Nate Buttrick (USA)
Make Caiazzo (USA)
Kaleb VanOrt (USA)
Ivan Kalashnikov (RUS)
Matthew Wisthof (USA)
Chris Foster (USA)

RELATED: Kessler On Biggest Race Of Her Career

Pro Women:
Leanda Cave (GBR)
Laurel Wassner (USA)
Margaret Shapiro (USA)
Meredith Kessler (USA)
Angela Naeth (CAN)
Anna Cleaver (NZL)
Nicky Samuels (NZL)
Anna Battiata (USA)
Suzanne Serpico (USA)
Kat Baker (AUS)
Alicia Kaye (USA)
Catherine Sterling (USA)
Lauren Dance (RSA)
Maxine Seear (AUS)
Radka Vodickova (CZE)
Katie Hursey (USA)
Kristin Andrews (USA)
Annabel Luxford (AUS)
Robin Sandos (USA)
Jasmine Oeinck (USA)

Visit Tricolumbia.org for more information.

One week after revealing three new events in Australia, the Challenge Family has announced that Challenge Melbourne, set for Feb. 2, 2014, has sold out with over 1,200 athletes signing up within a few days of registration opening.

“I couldn’t be happier with the response from athletes and industry people to the announcement of Challenge Melbourne,” said David Hansen, Challenge Melbourne director in a press release. “The emails and phone calls of encouragement have been overwhelming and to now sell out the event in less than a week of opening entries is humbling.”

Challenge Family CEO, Felix Walchshöfer, also commented on the news. “Athletes have been asking us for nearly two years to come back to Australia and today it seems as though they have greeted Challenge Family’s return in the best way possible with so many signing up, not just for Melbourne but for all three races. I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you to each and every athlete for your support and I very much look forward to welcoming you across the finish line!”

Entries to the other two Australian events are still open. Learn more about Challenge Forster (Nov. 24, 2013) and Challenge Bateman’s Bay (March 16, 2014) at Challenge-australia.com.au.

RELATED: Challenge Family Returns To Australia With Three Events

Spain’s Eneko Llanos and Austria’s Lisa Hütthaler claimed the wins at Ironman 70.3 Mallorica in Spain against tough fields made predominantly of Europeans.

Llanos, who earned a big victory at Ironman Melbourne earlier this year, exited the water with the main group and spent his day slowly working his way through the field. He started the run in eighth position and quickly went to work on the half marathon. His blazing 1:08:41 run split was the fastest of the day and propelled him ahead of his competitors, giving him the win in 3:52:36. He narrowly beat out Belgium’s Bart Aernouts, who finished 18 seconds later in second. Pre-race favorite Andreas Raelert (GER) finished second two minutes later.

Hütthaler was seventh out of the water with a time of 26:13, but she quickly worked her way to the front of the field on the 56-mile bike ride thanks to a 2:32:13 bike split. She followed that bike performance with the strongest run of the field, taking the victory in 4:24:25. The Netherlands’ Yvonne Van Vlerken used her strength on the bike to earn second at 4:27:17. Great Britain’s Lucy Gossage finished third.

Ironman 70.3 Mallorca
Alcúdia, Mallorca – May 11, 2013
1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run

Men
1. Eneko Llanos (ESP) 3:52:36
2. Bart Aernouts (BEL) 3:52:54
3. Andreas Raelert (GER) 3:54:43
4. Tim Meyer (GER) 3:55:58
5. Boris Stein (GER) 3:56:08

Women
1. Lisa Hütthaler (AUT) 4:24:25
2. Yvonne Van Vlerken (NED) 4:27:17
3. Lucy Gossage (GBR) 4:30:03
4. Tamsin Lewis (GBR) 4:30:57
5. Natascha Schmitt (GER) 4:33:16

Complete results.

Former ITU athletes Brad Kahlefedlt (AUS) and Liz Blatchford earned victories at the 2013 Ironman 70.3 Busselton triathlon in Australia.

Kahlefeldt combined a 23:45 swim, a 2:08:27 bike and a field-leading 1:10:35 run to claim the 3:45:39 win. Fellow Australian Tim Reed earned second thanks to a well-rounded day across swim, bike and run, while James Hodge blazed through the swim and bike to grab the final podium spot.

Blatchford took the lead immediately out of the swim with a time of 26:01, but lost the top spot during the bike (2:25:37). She regained her position at the front on the run thanks to a 1:23:53 half marathon, giving her the victory in 4:19:07. Australia’s Kate Bevilaqua claimed second, with New Zealand’s Anna Ross getting the third position.

Ironman 70.3 Busselton
Busselton, Australia – May 11, 2013
1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike. 13.1-mile run

Men
1. Brad Kahlefeldt (AUS) 3:45:39
2. Tim Reed (AUS) 3:48:29
3. James Hodge (AUS) 3:49:25
4. Sam Appleton (AUS) 3:49:30
5. David Mainwaring (AUS) 3:50:46

Women

1. Liz Blatchford (GBR) 4:19:07
2. Kate Bevilaqua (AUS) 4:22:22
3. Anna Ross (NZL) 4:24:09
4. Lisa Marangon (AUS) 4:27:30
5. Andrea Oracki (AUS) 4:28:15

Rachel Smith (AUS) 4:17:54*

Overall fastest female time by age-grouper Rachel Smith.

Complete results.

Great Britain’s Jonathan Brownlee comes back from injury to take ITU WTS Yokohama victory.

The men kicked off their race at 11 a.m. local time under rainy conditions. Canada’s Andrew McCartney led the efforts out of the swim, with the 2012 ITU world champion and Olympic bronze medalist Jonathan Brownlee (GBR) five seconds back. McCartney was first out of T1 with Brownlee, Ivan Vasiliev (RUS), Joao Silva (POR), Denis Vasiliev (RUS), Marco Van Der Stel (NED), Henri Shoeman (RSA), Andrey Bryukhankov, Javier Gomez (ESP) and Ben Shaw (IRE) following.

Eight of those men, including both Brownlee and Gomez, broke away early on the bike and spent the entire 40K building a lead over the chasers. Brownlee and Gomez worked hard and gave the leaders a gap of 1:20 over the second group. With the two Olympic medalists out front and the chase group so far behind, it was evident early on that the podium would come from that front group of eight.

Brownlee, who delayed the start of his season due to an ankle injury, blasted out of transition and Gomez worked to stay on his heels. The wet roads and shoulder-to-shoulder running by Brownlee and Gomez were reminiscent of the 2012 ITU WTS Grand Final in Auckland. The drama didn’t last to the finish line this time, though. In a performance similar to what his brother, Alistair, gave in San Diego, Brownlee broke away and dominated the 10K despite limited run training.

His 29:24 run split gave him the 1:44:59 victory. Gomez easily held on for second, with Silva rounding out the podium. After finishing fourth against a competitive field at Ironman 70.3 St. George less than seven days ago, Ivan Vasiliev impressed with a fourth-place finish.

“I have literally only trained for two weeks,” Brownlee said of his run fitness. “I don’t know. I got a bit emotional. I thought the season was over two months ago. To be back here again is weird. I don’t know where it came from, but it felt good.”

Silva’s podium was enough to keep him on top of the ITU World Triathlon Series rankings.

ITU World Triathlon Series Yokohama
Yokohama, Japan – May 11, 2013
1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run

Men
1. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR) 1:44:59
2. Javier Gomez (ESP) +:24
3. Joao Silva (POR) +1:17
4. Ivan Vasiliev (RUS) +1:26
5. Richard Murray (RSA) +2:24

American Gwen Jorgensen outran the competition to earn the victory in Yokohama, the third of eight races on the World Triathlon Series circuit.

The race at Yokohama kicked off with rain clouds looming. Japan’s own Mariko Adachi led the women out of the two-lap swim and into T1. Australia’s Emma Moffatt, Japan’s Yuka Sato and Great Britain’s Jodie Stimpson followed her. By the end of transition they were joined by the United States’ Gwen Jorgensen, Canada’s Kirsten Sweetland, Ireland’s Aileen Reid, Japan’s Juri Ide and the Czech Republic’s Vendula Frintova. Those athletes made up the first lead group, but by the second lap were joined by Kate McIlroy (NZL), Kate Roberts (RSA) and Ashleigh Gentle (AUS).

That lead group of 12 appeared to be building a strong lead until the rain started pouring on the later laps of the 40K ride. The front group got more conservative as the chase pack pushed the pace. The groups merged on the final lap, making a front pack of 18 athletes.

There were several questions as the athletes headed onto the run. Would Jorgensen be able to duplicate her run performance form WTS San Diego? Would a Japanese athlete thrill the hometown crowd? Who would thrive under the wet and cold conditions? Moffatt and Stimpson pushed hard in the early kilometers on the run and built a lead of 10 seconds over the main chase pack, which included Jorgensen. Moffatt continued to do most of the work out front, well aware that Jorgensen, who caught her on the run in San Diego, was not far back. By the midway point of the third lap Jorgensen caught Moffatt and Stimpson and it looked like the podium was determined. What was not determined was who would earn the gold.

Jorgensen used the bell to signal the final lap as motivation to break away. With every step on that fourth lap she added to her lead. She earned her second WTS win in a row with a 32:44 10K run split.

“I’m glad it looked like I wasn’t panicking,” Jorgensen said of her progress on the run. “Those girls were really running fast first two laps. I tried to focus on the basics of my race.”

Moffatt outpaced Stimpson in the final meters to earn second position. Stimpson claimed third, her first time on a WTS podium. Gentle finished fourth and, in the bravest performance of the day, Denmark’s Maiike Caelers overcame two crashes on the bike to finish fifth.

With the back-to-back victories Jorgensen takes over the number one position in the WTS standings.

ITU World Triathlon Series Yokohama
Yokohama, Japan – May 11, 2013
1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run

Women
1. Gwen Jorgensen (USA) 1:57:05
2. Emma Moffatt (AUS) +:14
3. Jodie Stimpson (GBR) +:15
4. Ashley Gentle (AUS) +:47
5. Maiike Caelers (DEN) +1:24

RELATED:
- Gwen Jorgensen Named USOC’s Athlete Of The Month
- Gwen Jorgensen Breaks Out Of Her Comfort Zone

The 2013 “Kona Inspired” contest’s video submission deadline has been extended to May 31. The program, launched in 2012, is an alternative way for triathletes to have the chance to race the Ironman World Championship without having to qualify. The program helps to find inspirational athlete stories—all you have to do is submit a video (90 seconds or less) that shows how you exemplify the Ironman mantra “Anything is Possible.” Through the program, not only will incredible athletes get to race in Kona, the global triathlon community will also be choosing the inspirational age-group athletes highlighted in the media coverage surrounding the event.

New this year are more eligible regions (Mexico, Canada, Germany and Australia, in addition to the U.S.) as well as an enhanced prize package (not only will winners have an Ironman Hawaii race entry, they’ll also receive a VIP package, have access to the Ironman Foundation’s fundraising platform to help them support their cause, and more). Plus, this year, the program features a celebrity ambassador, Thad Beaty, the guitarist for the band Sugarland.

To upload a video for the contest, visit Konainspired.com or Facebook.com/Ironmantri. Videos must by uploaded by May 31. Then a panel of Ironman brand representatives will choose 45 finalists from the videos uploaded. Their judging criteria is broken up as follows: 50 percent based on public interest (measured by interest and viewings over social media, etc.), 30 percent based on how well the person represents the mantra “Anything is Possible,” and 20 percent based on overall creativity and artistic merit.

The 45 finalists will be split into three 10-day voting rounds of 15 finalists each (the first voting round starts June 5). The public vote will determine two winners from each of the three rounds, plus the panelists will determine one more wild card selection from the remaining 39 finalists—totaling seven Kona Inspired winners.

So far, WTC has reported they’ve received 98 video entries—eight from Australia, two from Mexico, six from Canada, four from Germany and 78 from America.

Among the 2012 Kona Inspired winners were Brady Murray, who raised funds for orphans with Down syndrome, and Molli Serrano, a pancreatic cancer survivor. For more information about the program, for official contest rules or to start voting on June 5, visit Konainspired.com.

RELATED:
- Kona Inspired: Racing For Orphans With Down Syndrome
- Pancreatic Cancer Survivor Racing Through Kona Inspired

Yesterday we chatted with World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) CEO Andrew Messick about the Ironman swim course changes in Northern America. At the end of that conversation, we broke away from the swim topic to chat a bit the news earlier this week that, starting in 2014, the Ironman 70.3 World Championships will rotate around the world. Messick revealed that the announcement about the 2014 70.3 worlds venue is expected to be in three weeks. He also told us a bit about the reasoning behind the decision.

“The Ironman 70.3 World Championship should be, in our view, the second most important race in the world,” he said. “I think that having it always be in the United States has been great for North American athletes. It creates logistical and operational challenges for our athletes from Europe, South Africa, New Zealand, etc. Our belief is that we think there are so many fantastic venues, so many great race venues out there and so many great places for our athletes to go. To have a more conventional structure, which is consistent with how almost every other sport organizes their championship events, will give more athletes, particularly more athletes from other parts of the world, an opportunity to compete in a world championship event. It also gives athletes who are eager to travel an opportunity to race all around the world against the best in the world in really compelling venues.”

RELATED: Ironman 70.3 World Championship To Rotate Around The World

World Triathlon Corporation CEO Andrew Messick offers new insight into today’s announcement of select changes to the Ironman swim leg, addresses the concerns of athletes and explains why he isn’t afraid to break with tradition.

Since Andrew Messick accepted the position of the CEO at the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) nearly two years ago, he has been a part of several changes and headlines in the sport. Because of his decision not to overturn a rule that would have allowed Lance Armstrong to compete despite the doping allegations against him, and his general vision of making Ironman and triathlon in general a more global sport, Inside Triathlon named him the most influential person for 2012. Today, Messick and the WTC made an announcement about a new “SwimSmart” initiative that will drastically change the way some Ironman athletes compete in the 2.4-mile swim section of the event, and before long the idea of a mass start could be extinct all together.

The conversation about the SwimSmart initiative came at the end of the 2012 season as the result of a desire to help athletes overcome the discomfort and fear that often goes along with the Ironman mass starts. Messick joined forces with his swim safety group that works as part of Ironman’s operational team to discuss how they could improve the athlete experience and help ease the top fear of most of the participants: the open-water swim.

“The primary barrier for triathletes participating is the swim,” Messick said in a phone call on the day of the announcement. “We also know that among triathletes the largest stressor is the swim. It is the area that provokes the most discomfort; it’s the area that athletes worry the most about. It’s also where training is the most dissimilar from racing. The run portion of an Ironman or a triathlon isn’t particularly different from going out for a run. The cycling portion isn’t that different from going out for a ride. Yet the swimming portion is all together different from going to the YMCA and swimming 3,000 meters.”

After looking at the various options for how to ease the discomfort of the thousands of triathletes who participate in Ironman events each year, a multi-step initiative was established. The biggest logistical change, and the one receiving the most attention from the triathlon community, is the decision to modify or get rid of the mass start all together at certain North American Ironman events. Ironman Coeur d’Alene and Ironman Lake Placid will switch to a “rolling” start, where athletes will cross a timing mat as a continuous stream, similar to how running races begin. Ironman Mont-Tremblant will switch to a wave start based on age groups, which is how many triathlons start. Finally, Ironman Lake Tahoe and Ironman Florida will still feature a mass start, but with athletes self-seeding themselves into corrals before the race. Other Ironman events such as Texas, Louisville and Arizona will stick to their traditional starts for now.

Messick says the fact that various venues are seeing different approaches is by design.

“We want to put ourselves in a position where we’re trying different things,” he explained. “We haven’t decided what we think the right answer is, or if there is a single right answer. We have some races that are unchanged, we have some races that are very slightly modified mass starts and we’ve got a number of other races where we’ve changed the start point and that really is intentionally designed so that at the end of the year we’ve got the ability to sit down and look at the feedback from our athletes and talk to our operational team and decide what we think is best.”

RELATED: WTC CEO Andrew Messick Chats On The Eve Of Kona

He also acknowledges that these changes in format will come with a learning curve, particularly at the events that will feature the rolling start on two-lap courses.

“Are the first age groupers going to have to swim through the back of the pack? That happens to an extent already,” he said. “That’s something we’re going to have to look at and understand. For example, in a two-lap start, we’re going to have a rolling start, it might take some athletes 20 minutes to get into the water. The first pro athletes will do the first lap of the swim in 23 or 24 minutes. This is all part of what we’re going to learn over the course of the summer.”

Another implication of the new starts is that most, if not all, athletes will begin their race well before the usual 7 a.m. kick-off time and will have until midnight to finish, meaning that, unlike in the past at these events, athletes could potentially have an Ironman finishing time of over 17 hours.

“It is a tradition, but it’s only a tradition,” Messick explained in response to a question about the break from the norm. “Frankfurt is a 15 and a half hour race. Ironman Switzerland ends at 11 o’clock. There’s tradition, but there is no absolute start or finish time for Ironman races. I think the final finisher in the first Ironman race back in ‘78 was like 25 hours. I think fundamentally from a culture of triathlon perspective, if someone does the miles and it takes them 17 hours and 20 minutes because they crossed the line at midnight and started at 6:40, it isn’t immediately obvious to me that that’s an issue. It just means they’re 20 minutes tougher.”

Age-group athletes have also expressed concern about not racing shoulder-to-shoulder with their competition anymore. As a consequence of the timing mats at the start, the athlete can be the first to cross the finish line in his/her age group, without actually being the winner. This also means looking at the age on the calf of a fellow competitor may not help one determine where they stand against others, specifically in the race for coveted Kona slots.

“I think that’s a canard,” Messick says when asked about the change. “I say that because with more and more people wearing compression, the age of the person in front of you is not as apparent as it used be. Our experience as a company is that there are very, very few sprint finishes down the chute that determine Kona slots. Like in any other race, like in the New York City Marathon, the person you’re running shoulder-to-shoulder with at mile 26 may or may not have the same chip time as you.”

In addition to the change in start formats, Ironman races will also now feature numbered course buoys, increased professional swim course personnel, additional rescue teams and finally, the one that has caught the most attention, anchored resting rafts to allow swimmers to take breaks if they need them.

“I think it is an important symbolic point that it’s perfectly OK for an athlete during the run to sit down on a curb and spend five minutes at an aid station drinking water,” he says. “It’s perfectly OK for athletes to get off the bike at special needs or at an aid station and rest and yet during the part of the race where there’s the most anxiety, culturally, there is a belief among age-group athletes that they can’t stop. That stopping, holding onto a kayak or holding onto a raft is grounds for a DQ. That is wrong, but it’s a widely held belief. Part of what we want to do is through education and strong symbolic showings is reinforce to our athletes that if you need to stop and rest, stop and rest. Get out of the flow of athletes so you don’t have athletes swimming over you. It’s perfectly acceptable on the bike and the run to do that, yet for reasons we don’t fully understand culturally it doesn’t seem to be on the swim and we don’t understand why that is. We don’t think it’s appropriate.”

Messick took a similar stance when asked about the reaction from some age-group athletes that the changes will “soften Ironman.”

“The swim is still 2.4 miles, the bike is still 112, the run is still 26.2, and so I don’t know how that softens it,” he remarked.

He recognizes that the willingness to change something that has been ingrained as part of the sport for so many years will not be easy for some.

“There are certainly a lot of traditionalists who speak loudly,” he says. “I remember running races before there were timing chips and that the innovation of timing chips and the thing called a chip time was a big change for running, there were traditionalists who felt it was absolutely wrong. That if someone crossed the line in front of you, they won. I think running is much better because people weren’t afraid to innovate and try to make things better. There’s a spectacle associated with mass starts, but it’s hard for lots of athletes. We’re sensitive to that.”

The SwimSmart initiative also features other components such as warm-ups before races, temperature limitations and pre-race education. To see the complete list of initiatives, visit Ironman.com.

Triathlete.com will continue to follow-up on this story as each Ironman event takes place.

RELATED:
- Ironman Announces Swimstart Initiative In North America
- Pros, Age-Groupers React To Ironman SwimSmart

Ironman announced today that it is introducing a two-phase SwimStart initiative with the goal of “improving athlete satisfaction and reducing anxiety during the swim portion of the race.” The actions come after a full review of the swim portion of the full-distance Ironman events in North America.

“Ironman and Ironman 70.3 events have always been operated at a level above the industry standard, and we are continuously looking for ways to improve and adjust,” said Jeff Edwards, Ironman Vice President of Operations, North America in a press release about the initiative. “Minor changes can make a big difference as it relates to reducing athlete anxiety in the water.”

The first phase of the initiative, effective immediately, includes the following changes:

Modified Swim Starts at Select Races
- Ironman will pilot several alternative race starts at select events to further enhance the athlete experience and reduce swim anxiety. Three events in 2013 will feature new swim start formats – Ironman Coeur d’Alene, Ironman Lake Placid and Ironman Mont-Tremblant – while two other 2013 events, Ironman Lake Tahoe and Ironman Florida, will feature modifications in how athletes start their races. To see the details of how these changes will affect the races listed, read the complete press release at Ironman.com. The other Ironman events in North America (Texas, Louisville, Wisconsin, Arizona) are scheduled to have the same swim start format as in 2012 which can be found on Ironman.com; Ironman Canada (with a new venue in 2013) will feature a two-loop swim with an in-water mass start.

Pre-Race Swim Warm-Up
- North American Ironman events will include a pre-race, in-water warm-up whenever possible.

Swim Temperature
- Water temperature below 52 degrees Fahrenheit or above 88 degrees Fahrenheit will result in cancellation or shortening of the swim portion of the race.

Swim Course Additions
- Numbered course buoys to assist in positioning of water assets/personnel and provide more accurate communication for locating and rescuing distressed swimmers.
- Anchored resting rafts to be strategically placed along the swim course (please note that athletes will NOT be disqualified by resting on these floats).
- Increased professional swim course personnel to enhance the overall athlete experience.
- Additional rescue boat and personal watercrafts (PWC, kayaks, paddleboards, etc.).

”We are constantly striving to improve our athlete experience by listening to the feedback of our athletes,” said Andrew Messick, Chief Executive Officer of Ironman in the press release. “As part of our industry leading commitment to our athletes, we are piloting operational changes to the swim portion of our races in North America and launching an education plan to help ensure our athletes are prepared for the swim.”

The second phase of the initiative will focus on educating athletes about reducing anxiety associated with the swim portion events, focusing on pre-race screening for potential health issues, pre-race training and race week preparation.

Check back to Triathlete.com as we continue to follow this developing story.

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The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) honored triathlete Gwen Jorgensen as its female Athlete of the Month for April following a gold-medal performance at the 2013 Omegawave World Triathlon San Diego last month.

See the announcement from USA Triathlon below:

A 2012 Olympian, Jorgensen made history when she became the first-ever U.S. woman to win an International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Triathlon Series event on April 19 in San Diego, Calif. Trailing by more than a minute after the 40-kilometer bike, Jorgensen closed the gap in dramatic fashion, overtaking race leader and 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Emma Moffatt (AUS) in the final 500 meters. Jorgensen logged the fastest 10k run split of the day (33:10) to surge ahead of the field and top the podium. The win also earned Jorgensen the title of 2013 USA Triathlon Elite National Champion.

Jorgensen is currently the top-ranked U.S. female triathlete in the world, and is sixth in the 2013 ITU World Triathlon Series standings, despite completing only one of the two races held this year.

Gymnast Paul Ruggeri (Manlius, N.Y.) claimed male USOC Athlete of the Month accolades, while the U.S. Women’s National Ice Hockey Team received Team of the Month honors.

Each National Governing Body may nominate one female, one male and one team per discipline for USOC monthly honors. A voting panel selects the winners from the pool of nominees with online fan voting via Twitter accounting for 10 percent of the total vote.

U.S. Olympic Committee April Athletes and Team of the Month:

Female
1. Gwen Jorgensen, Triathlon
2. Brianna Decker, Ice Hockey
3. Tatyana McFadden, Paralympic Track & Field

Male
1. Paul Ruggeri, Gymnastics
2. Ian Silverman, Paralympic Swimming
3. Nathan Brown, Cycling

Team
1. U.S. Women’s National Team, Ice Hockey
2. U.S. World Team, Figure Skating
3. Anne Haeger and Briana Provancha, Sailing

RELATED:
- Video: Gwen Jorgensen On Her First ITU WTS Win
- Gwen Jorgensen Breaks Out Of Her Comfort Zone

An unexpected side effect of the Boston marathon bombings has hit hundreds of New Mexico triathletes and thousands of fans.

Because of Boston, Monday organizers of the annual Jay Benson Triathlon at Kirtland Air Force Base canceled this year’s event.

Organizers of the triathlon said increased security requirements took effect on base after the Boston bombings. At this point  it’s too late to get security clearance for the hundreds of participants who were expecting to hit the pavement this Sunday.

Roughly 2,000 people gather annually to either watch or take part in the annual triathlon, but they won’t be there this year.

“Its the largest triathlon in New Mexico, and its also the oldest continuing triathlon in the nation, so unfortunately that’s coming to an end,” said Duane Kinsley, Owner of Sport Systems and one of the event organizers.

The event takes place at Kirtland Air Force Base, but Kinsley said there’s now heightened security requirements on base for the event.

Read more: Krqe.com