Barbara Riveros of Chile and Santiago Ascenco of Brazil won the pro titles at Ironman 70.3 Pucon.
Women
Chile’s greatest woman triathlete added another star to her crown with a record 5th straight victory at her home country Ironman 70.3 Pucon triathlon Sunday.
Riveros broke out of a tight duel over the swim and bike legs with fellow Chilean Macarena Salazar Ezquerra and U.S. star Alicia Kaye on the strength of a dominating 1:27:32 half marathon, to finish in 4:30:07 with a 5:55 margin of victory over Kaye and 7:06 over 3rd place finisher Ezquerra.
Riveros emerged from the water with a 4 seconds deficit to swim leader Macarena Salazar Ezquerra. After a 2:30:16 bike split which tied Alicia Kaye for the women’s best mark and was one second better than Salazar Ezquerra, Riveros led Kaye and Salazar Ezquerra by 3 seconds. Riveros then sped away from her rivals with a women’s-best run to take the victory.
Riveros’ 4:30:07 finish time was her second best at this race, coming after a 4:18:59 effort last year.
The win marks another highlight in Riveros’ acclaimed career which includes three Olympic appearances topped by a 5th place at Rio in 2016, 2nd at the 2018 ITU long distance World Championship, a win at the 2015 Pan Am Games, a win at the 2011 ITU sprint World championship, and a recent 2nd place at XTERRA Worlds. After signing with premiere triathlon coach Brett Sutton, the 31-year-old Chilean moved up to the Ironman distance and placed second at Ironman Western Australia last December.
Men
Santiago Ascenco of Brazil overcame a 1:58 deficit after the swim with a race-best 2:09:57 bike split and a race-best 1:17:55 run to finish in 3:59:33 with a 3:12 margin of victory over Andy Potts of the U.S. and 5:14 over 3rd place Felipe Barraza of Chile.
Ascenco came out of Lake Villarica with a 7th best swim split of 27:45 which left him 1:58 behind swim leader Felipe Barraza of Chile, 1:02 behind Andy Potts and Canadian Taylor Reid, and 1:05 behind Chilean Felipe Van De Wyngard. After a race-best 2:09:51 bike split, Ascenco entered T2 in second place, 18 seconds behind Van de Wyngard, 3 seconds ahead of Potts, 54 seconds behind Barraza, and 57 seconds behind Reid.
Ascenco cinched the deal with a dominating 1:17:55 half marathon – 3:03 faster than the next best run split of runner-up Potts – which brought the Brazilian to the line in 3:59:33 with a 3:12 margin of victory.
Ironman 70.3 Pucon
Pucon, Chile
January 13, 2019
S 1.2 mi. / B 56 mi. / R 13.1 mi.
Results
Women
1. Barbara Riveros (CHL) 4:30:07 S 28:13 T1 2:21 B 2:30:16 T2 1:47 R 1:27:32
2. Alicia Kaye (USA) 4:36:02 S 28:13 T1 2:21 B 2:30:16 T2 1:47 R 1:33:09
3. Macarena Salazar Ezquerra (CHL) 4:37:13 S 28:10 T1 2:25 B 2:30:17 T2 2:07 R 1:34:15
4. Elizabeth Bravo (ECU) 4:40:13 S 28:20 T1 2:40 B 2:36:19 T2 2:13 R 1:30:43
5. Romina Palacio (ARG) 4:46:40 S 29:26 T1 2:44 B 2:37:20 T2 2:30 R 1:34:42
Men
1. Santiago Ascenco (BRA) 3:59:33 S 27:45 T1 2:19 B 2:09:51 T2 1:45 R 1:17:55
2. Andy Potts (USA) 4:02:45 S 26:43 T1 2:30 B 2:10:44 T2 1:52 R 1:20:58
3. Felipe Barraza (CHL) 4:04:47 S 25:48 T1 2:11 B 2:12:49 T2 1:46 R 1:22:14
4. Felipe Van De Wyngard (CHL) 4:04:52 S 26:40 T1 2:34 B 2:10:23 T2 2:00 R 1:23:17
5. Taylor Reid (CAN) 4:07:48 S 26:44 T1 2:18 B 2:11:49 T2 2:00 R 1:24:59
