Andrew Starykowicz and Heather Jackson utilized best bike splits to win Ironman 70.3 Steelhead.

Starykowicz eked out a narrow lead on the swim then blasted his way to a 7:19 lead with a race-best 1:58:31 bike split. This gave Starky plenty of cushion so his 6th-best 1:18:31 run brought him to the finish in 3:46:57, warding off Matt Hanson’s race-best 1:10:55 half marathon for a 2:11 margin of victory. Joe Gambles of Australia took 3rd, 4:24 behind the winner.

The victory over Hanson was another good sign for Starykowicz on the road to recovery after suffering career threatening injuries on August 23, 2016 when hit by a van on a training ride. This May, Starykowicz set a new Ironman record with a 4:01:15 bike split before succumbing to injury-weakened aftermath and fading to 19th on the run.

Starykowicz termed his Texas performance “not the end of #comeback17, but a stepping stone in my quest to get back to normal life post trauma.”

Heather Jackson’s swim seems to be improving. Although her 30:30 split was 6th best on a slow day for men and women, she began the bike leg with a very doable 33 seconds deficit to swim leader Robin Pomeroy. Jackson took an early lead, but found unusual resistance from Alissa Doehla, who at this time last year was winning the USA Triathlon women’s age group overall.

As it turned out, Jackson’s women’s-best 2:18:28 bike split was 2:46 better than Doehla and gave the veteran a 2:38 lead on the 31-year-old newcomer to the 70.3 pro scene. Jackson started the run with a 5:09 lead on Jodie Robertson, who made up gobs of ground after her sub-par 34:11 swim with a women’s second-fastest 2:18:53 bike split.

Jackson and Doehla fought to a virtual tie on the run with 1:24:04 and 1:24:05 splits, while Robertson posted a next-best 1:25:22 run split. Jackson thus broke the tape in 4:16:54 with a 2:54 margin of victory over Doehla and 6:55 on Robertson.

The win adds to Jackson’s strong 2017 season which includes 70.3 victories at Calgary and Peru, a 2nd at Ironman Boulder and 4th at Oceanside 70.3.

Ironman 70.3 Steelhead
Benton Harbor, Michigan
August 13, 2017
S 1.2 mi. / B 56 mi. / R 13.1 mi.

Results

Men

1. Andrew Starykowicz (USA) 3:46:57 S 26:11 B 1:58:31 R 1:18:31
2. Matt Hanson (USA) 3:49:08 S 27:30 B 2:06:31 R 1:10:55
3. Joe Gambles (AUS) 3:51:21 S 27:05 B 2:05:08 R 1:15:08
4. Jackson Laundry (CAN) 3:53:21 S 27:23 B 2:05:01 R 1:17:24
5. Kyle Buckingham (RSA) 3:54:17 S 27:26 B 2:06:38 R 1:16:13
6. James Hadley (GBR) 3:56:24 S 26:56 B 2:05:22 R 1:19:51
7. Kieran Roche (AUS) 3:57:31 S 26:19 B 2:05:56 R 1:21:10
8. Kevin Ryan (USA) 3:57:50 S 26:14 B 2:06:15 R 1:20:55
9. Matt Russell (USA) 4:00:21 S 28:42 B 2:07:55 R 1:19:39
10. Justin Park (USA) 4:02:59 S 28:54 B 2:11:15 R 1:18:22

Women

1. Heather Jackson (USA) 4:16:54 S 30:30 B 2:18:28 R 1:24:04
2. Alissa Doehla (USA) 4:19:48 S 30:22 B 2:21:08 R 1:24:05
3. Jodie Robertson (USA) 4:23:49 S 34:11 B 2:18:53 R 1:25:22
4. Christine Cross (USA) 4:29:05 S 30:30 B 2:25:10 R 1:28:39
5. Holly Benner (USA) 4:29:22 S 30:27 B 2:24:55 R 1:29:31
6. Robin Pomeroy (USA) 4:30:40 S 29:57 B 2:26:03 R 1:30:30
7. Carly Johan (USA) 4:31:58 S 34:17 B 2:23:02 R 1:29:52
8. Laura Mathews (USA) 4:33:00 S 30:07 B 2:26:28 R 1:32:14
9. Amber Ferreira (USA) 4:33:49 S 30:26 B 2:27:33 R 1:28:19
10. Beth Shutt (USA) 4:33:35 S 33:10 B 2:24:58 R 1:32:32