Lionel Sanders of Canada and Chelsea Sodaro of the U.S. topped the pro fields at Ironman 70.3 Augusta.
Men
Sanders overcame a 10th place 2:02 deficit after the swim with a race-best 2:03:08 bike split that brought him into a 3-man virtual tie at T2. Sanders then ran away from the field with a race-best 1:12:30 half marathon to finish in 3:42:19 with a 1:43 margin of victory over Bradley Weiss of South Africa and 5:37 over 3rd place finisher Andres Lopes of Brazil.
The win follows Sanders’ comeback from early season injuries and a runner-up finish at Ironman Mont Tremblant in August.
Women
Sodaro earned her third Ironman 70.3 win since she switched her focus from Olympic distance to the 70.3 last year with a dominant performance at Ironman 70.3 Augusta. She started with a women’s 3rd-best 23:01 swim split in the Savannah River, which left her 39 seconds behind swim leader Rachel Olson of the U.S. Sodaro finished the bike leg with a women’s 2nd-best 2:21:37 split, seconds ahead of Jeanni Seymour of South Africa, and 2:36 ahead of Sarah Piampiano of the U.S.
Sodaro topped it off with a women’s second-fastest 1:19:23 run split which brought her to the finish in 4:07:36 with a 4:43 margin of victory over Piampiano and 11:10 over 3rd place woman Lauren Barnett of the U.S.
Sodaro’s ever-improving record at the 70.3 distance now includes victories at Indian Wells in 2018 and Santa Rosa this year.
Ironman 70.3 Augusta
Augusta, Georgia
September 29, 2019
S 1.2 mi. / B 56 mi / R 13.1 mi.
Results
Men
1. Lionel Sanders (CAN) 3:42:19 S 23:08 T1 2:05 B 2:03:08 T2 1:30 R 1:12:30
2. Bradley Weiss (RSA) 3:44:02 S 21:12 T1 2:04 B 2:04:58 T2 1:35 R 1:14:13
3. Andres Lopes (BRA) 3:47:56 S 21:55 T1 1:59 B 2:09:07 T2 1:59 R 1:13:16
4. Marc Duelsen (GER) 3:49:18 S 23:06 T1 2:00 B 2:04:21 T2 1:43 R 1:18:09
5. Nils Frommhold (GER) 3:52:58 S 21:12 T1 2:04 B 2:05:03 T2 1:34 R 1:23:08
Women
1. Chelsea Sodaro (USA) 4:07:36 S 23:01 T1 2:10 B 2:21:37 T2 1:26 R 1:19:23
2. Sarah Piampiano (USA) 4:12:19 S 26:26 T1 2:27 B 2:19:01 T2 1:38 R 1:22:47
3. Lauren Barnett (USA) 4:18:46 S 25:48 T1 2:01 B 2:25:44 T2 1:41 R 1:23:31
4. Tamara Jewett (CAN) 4:19:00 S 25:49 T1 2:25 B 2:30:00 T2 1:51 R 1:18:56
4. Rachel Olson (USA) 4:26:12 S 22:23 T1 2:30 B 2:32:09 T2 1:33 R 1:27:39
