Jackie Hering passed race-long leader Lucy Hall on Turn 4 of the Daytona International Speedway on the last lap of the run, and Kristian Blummenfelt capped off arguably the greatest season in triathlon history with victory at the inaugural CLASH Daytona.
Hering accelerated through the finish line to hold a 23 second margin over Hall. Marjolaine Pierre passed Jodie Stimpson in the final 200 meters to take third, using a race-best 1:04:57 run to make up 5 places. Blummenfelt, winner of the Olympic gold medal, WTS World Championship, and the world record holder at the IM distance set just two weeks ago, stuck near the front all day and took the lead for the first time with a lap and a half to run, passing long-time leader Magnus Ditlev. Rudy Von Berg took the final podium slot, battling back after significant illness kept him out of the Collins Cup.
Women's Race
The women took to the race course approximately 90 minutes in front of the men, hitting the interior lake at one of the most famous racing venues in the United States. Hall opened the proceedings and headed into the lead with a 24:45 swim. Jodie Stimpson was next out of the water, nearly a minute arrears. Meanwhile, a large chasing pack including Meredith Kessler, Rach McBride, Jackie Hering, India Lee, Lesley Smith, and Laura Siddall all found themselves nearly three minutes behind at 27:40.
Hall continued to push hard through the bike and never relinquished the lead, extending her lead to 3:40 over Lee. McBride was next to arrive into transition, 4:46 behind Hall. Hering, Stimpson, Siddall, and Anne Reischmann came into transition together another 30 seconds back. Kessler and Pierre rounded out the top 9, 9 minutes behind Hall.
Hering began to chip away at Hall's lead nearly immediately, taking a minute out of Hall during the first 5 kilometers of the run. Meanwhile, Stimpson found herself with a 30-second penalty for having her bib number blow off her race belt. However, the advantage of a multi loop course meant that Stimpson could have the penalty erased if she managed to pick her bib number back up -- which she did on the second lap. It meant she had to battle and re-pass Reischmann, which she did on the third lap.
The two questions as the race entered the final lap: would Hering catch Hall, and could Pierre catch Stimpson for the final podium place? The answer to both was in the affirmative. Hering made up over 90 seconds during the final lap, passing Hall on the apron of Turn 4 for victory. Meanwhile, Pierre left it even later, making the pass shortly before the finishing chute on pit lane. Siddall rounded out the Top 5, just under three minutes arrears from the win.
Women's Results
1.) Jackie Hering 3:32:50
2.) Lucy Hall 3:33:13
3.) Marjolaine Pierre 3:34:38
4.) Jodie Stimpson 3:34:44
5.) Laura Siddall 3:35:42
6.) Anne Reischmann 3:37:05
7.) Rach McBride 3:37:51
8.) India Lee 3:40:32
9.) Lesley Smith 3:41:08
10.) Meredith Kessler 3:43:24
Men's Race
The men's race was a bit tighter emerging out of the water, with Ben Kanute taking the fastest swim honors in 24:36, joined by Marc Dubrick. A large pack including Blummenfelt, Von Berg, Thomas Davis, Brent McMahon, and Igor Amorelli was between 15 and 30 seconds down. Ditlev was yet another 20 seconds behind this group. Meanwhile, crowd favorites Matt Hanson and Andrew Starykowicz were two minutes off the lead in 26:37.
Ditlev began his relentless push to the front very early and took to the front by mile 12 of the bike. Kanute, Blummenfelt, and Von Berg were the chasers that managed to keep Ditlev within sighting distance. Naturally, the biggest mover during the course of the bike was Starykowicz, despite the fact that he was racing aboard a borrowed bike after a significant cycling crash on Wednesday that left him with stitches in his face.
Ditlev extended his lead to just over two minutes entering the run over Blummenfelt. Kanute and Von Berg were next to arrive, with Starykowicz in fifth, under four minutes behind Ditlev. Hanson (+4:55), Davis (+5:10), McMahon (+5:54), Adam Hansen (+6:44), and Amorelli (+8:38) were the rest of the top 10 into the run.
Blummenfelt, only two weeks removed from his newly minted world record time at IRONMAN Cozumel, started to eat into Ditlev's lead. During each of the first four timing splits on lap one, Blummenfelt took 10 seconds out of Ditlev's lead. Von Berg separated himself from Kanute for third and fourth, respectively, with Hanson taking the fifth spot.
Halfway through the run, Ditlev's lead over Blummenfelt had shrunk to to 57 seconds. Von Berg sat 3:05 behind. Hanson blasted by Kanute as they passed over the timing mats at 4:43. McMahon was in sixth and one of the fastest runners on the road, with Davis in seventh not far off that pace.
Midway through lap 3, Blummenfelt had Ditlev within his sights, and it appeared to be merely a matter of time. Indeed, as they entered turn 3, Blummenfelt took the lead for the first time on the day. Further back, Von Berg was losing ground to the fast closing Hanson, who also closed last year's Challenge Daytona with an unbelievable run split, and Kanute was about to cede fifth place to McMahon.
Blummenfelt, giving out high fives down the finishing chute, added to his 2021 trophy case with a 3:08:31 winning time. Ditlev held his own for second, arriving 1:37 behind. Von Berg held off Hanson for the final slot on the podium, 2:58 off the win.
Men's Results
1.) Kristian Blummenfelt 3:08:31
2.) Magnus Ditlev 3:10:08
3.) Rudy Von Berg 3:11:29
4.) Matt Hanson 3:12:47
5.) Brent McMahon 3:14:19
6.) Ben Kanute 3:16:12
7.) Thomas Davis 3:18:31
8.) Andrew Starykowicz 3:20:46
9.) Taylor Reid 3:21:27
10.) Nicholas Chase 3:21:53