Canadian professional Kirsty Jahn and Boulder local Chris Leiferman survived typical hot and dry Rocky Mountain June temperatures to win the elite titles at Ironman Boulder.
Jahn opened her day with a 1:00:25 swim in Boulder Reservoir that put her 6 minutes down on swim leaders Katy Evans and Dede Griesbauer. After a women’s second-best 4:47:31 bike split Jahn gave up three more minutes to Boulder local Griesbauer and took 8 minutes from Evans’ 4:55 split, Jahn began the marathon with an 8:44 deficit to Griesbauer and a 1:49 advantage on fellow top runner Katy Evans.
After a good-for-a-hellishly hot day 3:21:59 marathon that was the women’s-best mark, Jahn finished in 9:16:12 which gave her a 3:08 margin of victory over Evans (3:24:41 run split) and 20:27 over 3rd place finisher Griesbauer.
Leiferman started his day with a 54:34 split that brought him to shore right next to up and coming Boulder pro Patrick McKeon, which gave the duo a 5 minute deficit to top swimmers Joe Gambles of Australia and Kevin Collington of the U.S.
After a next-best 4:09:55 bike split matched by U.S. pro Sam Long, Leiferman began the run within a minute of Gambles, Long, and Jonathan Shearon, while Collington faced a 7 minute deficit and young McKeon, after a tardy 4:21:56 bike split, faced a 13 minute deficit that would prove a daunting challenge to his swift-footed prowess.
On his home roads, Leiferman seized the day and took an immediate lead, extending his advantage over Gambles to 5:54 after 16 miles. Lurking in the background, Sam Long faced a 12:10 deficit, McKeon 13:15, and Collington 13:56 with 10 miles to go. This late in the game, McKeon was the fastest man on the course, quickly passing Long and dreaming of overtaking Gambles. Not to be run down, Smoking Joe Gambles found some more firepower in the final miles, pulling within 4 and a half minutes with two miles to go.
After a second-best 2:59:03 marathon, Leiferman crossed the line in 8:07:55 with a 5:21 margin of victory over Gambles (3:00:46 run) and 12:53 over 3rd place finisher McKeon, who closed with the day’s fastest marathon – 2:58:42.
Ironman Boulder
Boulder, Colorado
June 10, 2018
S 2.4 mi. / B 112 mi. / R 26.2 mi.
Results
Women
1. Kirsty Jahn (CAN) 9:16:12 S 1:00:25 T1 2:54 B 4:47:31 T2 3:25 R 3:21:59
2. Katy Evans (USA) 9:19:20 S 54:29 T1 2:51 B 4:55:19 T2 2:02 R 3:24:41
3. Dede Griesbauer (USA) 9:36:55 S 54:34 T1 3:12 B 4:44:21 T2 3:25 R 3:51:25
4. Erin Green (USA) 9:49:18 S 1:00:29 T1 3:00 B 5:06:23 T2 3:44 R 3:35:44
5. Kimberly Goodell (USA) 9:52:51 S 1:03:45 T1 3:01 B 5:01:26 T2 2:24 R 3:42:16
Men
1. Chris Leiferman (USA) 8:07:55 S 54:34 T1 2:27 B 4:09:55 T2 3:25 R 2:59:03
2. Joe Gambles (AUS) 8:13:16 S 49:55 T1 2:44 B 4:17:40 T2 2:12 R 3:00:46
3. Patrick McKeon (USA) 8:20:48 S 54:37 T1 2:36 B 4:21:56 T2 2:58 R 2:58:42
4. Kevin Collington (USA) 8:26:16 S 49:50 T1 2:17 B 4:23:41 T2 1:57 R 3:08:33
5. Sam Long (USA) 8:29:56 S 55:11 T1 2:21 B 4:09:49 T2 1:43 R 3:20:54
