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Barrett Brandon was first out of the water in just over 38 minutes and he dug deep on the bike.
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Chattanooga resident Anna Cleaver also used the fast flow of the Tennessee river to her advantage for a sub 40 swim effort.
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Eric Limkemann came out of the water a few seconds after Brandon but soon took over the lead on the bike and he did not look back.
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The two swim leaders were chased by a massive group that contained among others Ironman Wisconsin champion Daniel Bretscher.
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Chris Boudreaux was at the front of the large group for quite a while.
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The athletes in that group of 20 or so Pros however were well spaced and 2 bikes with officials made sure it stayed that way.
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German Per Bittner tried his luck and broke away in pursuit of Limkemann and Brandon, but he was eventually was caught by the group, and so was Brandon.
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Anna Cleaver managed to hold on to her lead to about mile 70.
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Behind her Angela Naeth had slowly made up the 5 minutes she had lost during the swim and was ready to unleash more fury during the final 46 miles.
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Malaika Homo was next on these Tennessee and Georgia country roads and the Wassner twins were with her.
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Trevor Wurtele charged away from the group late in the bike segment to make his own fortune.
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But Eric Limkemann was well up the road and out of sight.
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During the run Wurtele started to gain time on Limkemann as they ran on the Tennessee Riverwalk in Chattanooga. In the end though he had to settle for third place.
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Daniel Bretscher also looked very strong and steadily moved up to eventually finish second.
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No one was able to touch the running speed of Matt Hanson on this day. He uncorked a fantastic 2:47:40 run to grab his first Ironman win.
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Barrett Brandon came back during the run to finish fourth.
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Angela Naeth was well out of reach for the chasers during the run.
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Ruth Brennan Morrey was steady all day and then ran to second place in the women's race.
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Very fast running legs also helped Jennie Hansen to take the final podium spot.
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Naeth was overcome with joy after she crossed the finish as the champion.
