Maksym Kriat ran down Marko Albert, David Kahn and a struggling Andrew Yoder on his way to win the ESi Ironman 70.3 Augusta in 3:46:54. Jessica Meyers topped Magali Tisseyre and Desiree Ficker to take the win in the women's race.
The men
A downriver swim in the Savannah River made for some very fast swim splits and Marko Albert, David Kahn, Philip Graves and James Cotter all managed to get out of water in under 19 minutes. But with temps in the low to mid 80s and rain or drizzle during the whole race the athletes certainly weren't done with that element.
Andrew Yoder had jumped on his bike about 40 seconds after the swim leaders, but he cranked out a race best 2:06:13 bike split to push well past the others. Albert also had a good bike split and reached the bike-run transition in second place. Kahn was next a couple minutes later with Maksym Kriat and a surprising Chris Legh hot on his heels.
Kriat, Richie Cunningham and Victor Zyemtsev ran the fastest pace in Augusta, with Zyemtsev's 1:12:53 proving to be race best. The great running helped these three to storm past Kahn, Albert and Yoder and earn the top spots in the race. After Mooseman 70.3 earlier this year, Kriat now was able to add Augusta 70.3 to his resume. Cunningham grabbed second and Zyemtsev finished third, while Legh crossed the line in 4th place. Promising talents Andrew Yoder and Philip Graves finished 13th and 16th respectively, most likely not in the positions they had hoped for.
"My will power has become stronger. One week ago I had a race, and I finished second. Yesterday I felt very tired and was just hoping to get to the finish line, and during the race I had bad times and good times, but when I finished I was first," said Kriat after the race. "So, my will power has grown, and I am happy with this."
The women
Magali Tisseyre and Jessica Meyers led the women's field out of the water, with Stacey Richardson, Desiree Ficker and Amanda Lovato not very far behind.
Meyers and Tisseyre also pushed the pace on the bike and only Desiree Ficker was able to keep pace. The Austin, Texas Pro actually ended up with the fastest bike split and reached T2 with the other two athletes.
Meyers and Tisseyre were fairly closely matched throughout the day, but the American helped her cause with two speedy transitions and started the run ahead of Tisseyre. Her half marathon time of 1:23:21 was 37 seconds faster too and allowed Meyers to earn her first 70.3 title. Tisseyre held on to second 62 seconds later and Ficker crossed the line in third almost 4 minutes down.
"This win feels incredible. I've been so fortunate in my life to have the support of my husband and parents," said Meyers to slowtwitch. "This win is for the all the moms and service members out there who put what I do in perspective everyday."
ESi Ironman 70.3 Augusta
Augusta, GA / September 26, 2010
1.2 mile swim / 56 mile bike / 13.1 mile run
Top 10 men
1. Maksym Kriat (UKR) 3:46:54
2. Richie Cunningham (AUS) 3:47:12
3. Victor Zyemtsev (UKR) 3:47:36
4. Chris Legh (AUS) 3:48:23
5. David Kahn (USA) 3:50:59
6. Nick Waninger (USA) 3:51:38
7. Tony White (USA) 3:53:51
8. Marko Albert (EST) 3:55:26
9. Kent Horner (RSA) 3:56:12
10. Guy Crawford (NZL) 3:57:27
Top 10 women
1. Jessica Meyers (USA) 4:15:31
2. Magali Tisseyre (CAN) 4:16:33
3. Desiree Ficker (USA) 4:19:21
4. Amanda Lovato (USA) 4:24:21
5. Kelly Fillnow (USA) 4:25:39 * AG W25-29
6. Claire Horner (RSA) 4:28:13
7. Tamara Kozulina (UKR) 4:28:13
8. Jennifer Hanley-Pinto (USA) 4:28:55 * AG W30-34
9. Stacey Richardson (USA) 4:34:15
10. Elaine Sipos (USA) 4:34:29 * AG W35-39
