Ellie Salthouse and Dan Wilson won home country titles at the half distance Challenge Shepparton.
Women
Salthouse prevailed in a fierce duel with fellow Aussie Andrea Forrest that was settled by time gained in transition. Salthouse began with a women’s best 25:51 swim that gave her a 16 seconds advantage, then gave back 15 seconds on the bike leg. Salthouse surrendered 5 more seconds to Forrest’s women’s-fastest 1:24:58 run but took the win by virtue of a T1 time which was 9 seconds faster than Forrest and a T2 time which was 45 seconds faster than her rival.
Salthouse finished in 4:19:16 with a 50 seconds margin of victory over Forrest and 9:13 over 3rd-place Katey Gibb.
Salthouse’s Shepparton victory adds to a strong 2016 season that includes 70.3 wins at Boulder and Miami and triumphs at Challenge Melbourne and Rev 3 Knoxville.
Men
After a disappointing 2016 World Triathlon Series season which concluded with his retirement from draft-legal Olympic distance racing, Dan Wilson seems to have found a home in longer non-drafting events.
After a race-best 23:49 swim and a 3rd-best 2:07:32 bike leg, Wilson trailed Lachlan Kerin (2:05:43 bike) by 37 seconds and Matt Burton (2:04:11 bike) by 1 second. Wilson took care of his deficit with a 3rd-best 1:16:47 run that was 4:14 better than Burton and 6:08 quicker than Kerin.
When it all shook out, Wilson finished in 3:50:45 which gave him a 4:19 margin of victory over Burton and 6:09 over 3rd-place Kerin. After a 25:04 swim and a 2:14:32 bike split that left him back in the pack, Fraser Walsh closed with a 2nd-fastest 1:15:51 run to advance to 4th place, 8:01 behind the winner. Sam Betten started fast with a 2nd-best 23:51 swim, fell to 4th place with a 4th-best 2:11:04 bike split, and dropped to 5th with a 9th-best 1:21:01 run which put him 16 seconds behind Walsh.
After suffering swine flu, Achilles surgery, a stress fracture and a fractured arm in 2015 and a substandard early 2016 WTS season, Wilson abandoned his ITU non-drafting career. Wilson then turned around his triathlon fortunes in new venues – winning the classic Alpe d’Huez and Noosa triathlons, taking 2nd at the London Triathlon and dominating the opposition at Shepparton.
Challenge Shepparton
Shepparton, Australia
November 13, 2016
S 1.2 mi. / B 56 mi. / R 13.1 mi.
Results
Women
1. Ellie Salthouse (AUS) 4:19:16
2. Andrea Forrest (AUS) 4:20:08
3. Katey Gibb (AUS) 4:28:29
4. Amanda Wilson (AUS) 4:28:15
5. Zoe Adams (AUS) 4:37:543 *F25-29
6. Georgia Stott (AUS) 4:40:44
7. Rachael Paxton (AUS) 4:44:09
8. Stephanie Demestichas (AUS) 4:45:48
9. Michelle Leason (USA) 4:48:32
10. Bonnie Van Wilgenburg (GBR) 4:49:51
Men
1. Dan Wilson (AUS) 3:50:45
2. Matt Burton (AUS) 3:55:04
3. Lachlan Kerin (AUS) 3:56:54
4. Fraser Walsh (AUS) 3:58:30
5. Sam Betten (AUS) 3:58:46
6. Levi Maxwell (AUS) 3:58:49
7. Sam Tebeck (AUS) 4:04:18
8. Nuru Somi (AUS) 4:04:41
9. Luke Whitmore (AUS) 4:05:21 *M35-39
10. Nathan Miller (AUS) 4:08:41
