Braden Currie and Radka Kahlefeldt won the pro titles on the run at the Challenge Wanaka Challenge Asia Pacific half distance Championship.
Men
Currie combined a second-best 23:13 swim then dropped to 4th with a 4th-fastest 2:17:07 bike split. With a race-best 1:15:31 half marathon, Currie finished in 3:59:48 with a 2:49 margin of victory over Matt Burton of Australia (1:19:00 run) and 3:43 over 3rd place finisher and fellow Kiwi Mike Phillips, who ran 1:23:00.
"It is absolutely amazing today!,” Currie told Challenge media after the race. “Having been in Wanaka for 11 years now, you just know everyone and it is phenomenal out on course. What an amazing community and it is great to be here!"
The repeat win was Kahlefeldt’s second Challenge Asia Pacific Championship at Wanaka.
Women
Czech Republic star Kahlefeldt emerged from the water in 25:03, one second behind New Zealander Rebecca Clarke and 38 seconds ahead of 3rd-best swimmer Meredith Kessler of the U.S.
Kahlefeldt biked a women’s second-fastest 2:36:33 split which brought her into T2 with a 3 seconds lead on Hannah Wells (women’s-best 2:34:50 bike split) and 5 seconds ahead of Clarke (2:36:38 bike split).
At the start of the run, Wells passed Clarke, but could not catch Kahlefeldt. whose women’s-best 1:22:08 run brought her to the finish in 4:28:11 with a 3:19 margin of victory over Wells (1:25:28 run split) and 8:01 over 3rd place finisher Kessler, who ran 1:26:05.
The win was Kahlefeldt’s second at Challenge Asia Pacific, coming after her victory in 2018.
“I think it’s better to not know the course because if you don’t know the hills that are waiting for you, then you push harder,” Kahlefeldt told Challenge media. Due to flight delays she only arrived on Thursday evening and did not have a chance to check the run course. “It’s a one-loop run course and it is a really technical. You have to watch every single step because it would be so easy to make a mistake and roll your ankle. It's hard to get the rhythm and keep the pace because it is up and down, left and right so it’s a really solid run.”
Defending champion Wells was satisfied with a runner-up finish which forced her to cede her crown. “Maybe I biked a little bit too hard to catch [Kahlefeldt and Clarke]. I found the run a little bit tough and just did what I could - so happy with how my day went. Radka was world class out there today.”
Challenge Wanaka Half
Wanaka, New Zealand
February 15, 2020
S1.2mi. / B 56 mi. / R13.1 mi.
Results
Men
1. Braden Currie (NZL) 3:59:48 S 23:13 T1 2:16 B 2:17:07 T2 1:39 R 1:15:31
2. Matt Burton (AUS) 4:02:37 S 25:51 T1 2:36 B 2:13:11 T2 1:57 R 1:19:00
3. Mike Phillips (NZL) 4:03:31 S 23:14 T1 2:22 B 2:12:52 T2 1:52 R 1:23:09
4. Jack Moody (NZL) 4:03:51 S 25:54 T1 2:24 B 2:18:32 T2 2:04 R 1:15:54
5. Steve McKenna (AUS) 4:08:05 S 23:58 T1 2:05 B 2:24:14 T2 1:51 R 1:15:54
6. Levi Maxwell (AUS) 4:08:51 S 25:44 T1 1:57 B 2:23:18 T2 1:45 R 1:16:05
7. Joe Skipper (GBR) 4:09:50 S 25:49 T1 2:37 B 2:12:43 T2 2:09 R1:26:29
Women
1. Radka Kahlefeldt (CZE) 4:28:11 S 25:03 T1 2:30 B 2:36:33 T2 1:54 R 1:22:08
2. Hannah Wells (NZL) 4:31:30 S 26:29 T1 2:53 B 2:34:50 T2 1:48 R 1:25:28
3. Meredith Kessler (USA) 4:36:12 S 25:41 T1 3:05 B 2:39:37 T2 1:41 R 1:26:05
4. Rebecca Clarke (NZL) 4:38:37 S 25:02 T1 2:31 B 2:36:38 T2 1:53 R 1:32:32
5. Sarah Bishop (USA) 4:48:05 T1 3:20 S 31:06 T1 3:20 B 2:40:28 T2 1:56 R 1:31:13
6. Rachel McBride (CAN) 4:48:23 S 27:52 T1 2:41 B 2:37:32 T2 2:05 R 1:38:11
7. Federica De Nicola (ITA) 4:52:34 S 30:27 T1 3:00 B 2:39:38 T2 2:14 R 1:37:14
