In the Weekend Box of November 17 we look at frantic racing at Ironman Arizona, 70.3 Shepparton in Australia and the curious case of Lance missing in action.
Victor Del Corral and Julia Gajer triumph in Arizona
Just two weeks after his record breaking performance at Ironman Florida Victor Del Corral did it again in Arizona. His closing 2:43:58 run allowed the fast Spaniard to catch and pass Jordan Rapp who had smashed the bike course record earlier. When it was all said and done Del Corral crossed the finish line first in 8:02:00, but this was not the end of this story. Del Corral was almost disqualified after Ironman Florida for wearing a non-certified helmet and it appeared that he had worn the same helmet in Arizona. A protest was filed, but the helmet on the head of Del Corral was not the Ekoi that had been causing such a stir, but a very similar color themed and legal Kask helmet.
Jens Petersen-Bach finished third, Denis Chevrot fourth and Pedro Gomes who had also raced Ironman Florida finished fifth.
There was also drama in the women’s race but that one was solely about the racing action. Meredith Kessler had another fantastic day out and led the race until just about mile 25 of the run, but despite the massive advantage she had over Julia Gajer after the bike, it just was not enough. Gajer’s 3:02:02 marathon was fastest among the women and it helped her that Kessler faded a bit at the end. At mile 21 the advantage of Kessler had still been 1:42 and Gajer run roughly 20 seconds a mile faster. But once Kessler was passed, the fight also was gone and in the end Gajer won by almost 3 minutes. Kessler held on to 2nd place and Michelle Vesterby who had hovered close to the front all day rounded out the podium.
Ironman Arizona
Tempe, Arizona / November 17, 2013
2.4m swim / 112m bike / 26.2m run
Top men
1. Victor Del Corral (ESP) 8:02:00
2. Jordan Rapp (USA) 8:06:13
3. Jens Petersen-Bach (DEN) 8:07:53
4. Denis Chevrot (FRA) 8:09:04
5. Pedro Gomes (POR) 8:11:42
Top women
1. Julia Gajer (GER) 8:52:49
2. Meredith Kessler (USA) 8:55:47
3. Michelle Vesterby (DEN) 8:57:24
4. Sarah Piampiano (USA) 9:05:57
5. Asa Lundstrom (SWE) 9:12:20
Terenzo Bozzone strikes again, Rebekah Keat runs down McQuaid
It was a case of Déjà Vu in Australia with Kiwi Terenzo Bozzone grabbing another win at the 70.3 distance and this time it happened at Ironman 70.3 Shepparton. A closing run of 1:15:59 and a final time of 3:50:00 put Josh Amberger and James Hodge on the lower spots of the podium.
Melanie McQuaid had the fastest bike split with a 2:19:08, but Rebekah Keat’s 1:20:03 run split bested McQuaid’s effort by over 6 minutes, and in the end gave her a margin of just over 2 minutes. Lisa Marangon finished third - 11 minutes behind Keat.
Ironman 70.3 Shepparton
Shepparton, Australia / November 16, 2013
1.2m swim / 56m bike / 13.1m run
Top men
1. Terenzo Bozzone (NZL) 3:50:00
2. Josh Amberger (AUS) 3:53:32
3. James Hodge (AUS) 3:54:45
4. Matty White (AUS) 3:57:25
5. Monty Frankish (AUS) 3:59:36
Top women
1. Rebekah Keat (AUS) 4:13:04
2. Melanie McQuaid (CAN) 4:15:15
3. Lisa Marangon (AUS) 4:24:07
4. Candice Hammond (NZL) 4:27:25
5. Jennifer Zenker (AUS) 4:28:32
Missing In Action
Until recently Lance Armstrong graced every Honey Stinger package and this editor knows this very well, because the Honey Stinger waffles find him well. But newer packages of those delectable goodies are now showing up in stores and in the hands of consumers without the image of Lance or any other athlete on the packaging.
