This week in triathlon: Jodie Swallow and James Cunnama had to share household honors with their victories – Swallow’s 4th straight and Cunnama's 1st - at Ironman 70.3 South Africa in East London. Alan Webb, America’s preeminent miler and middle distance runner for a decade, decides to try for the Olympics in triathlon. Oscar Galindez and Nina Kraft take overall honors at a south Florida sprint. And two Russians dominate Winter Triathlon in Latvia.

Jodie Swallow won her 4th and boyfriend James Cunnama his 1st IM 70.3 South Africa

Home country South African favorite James Cunnama held off a late run charge by Britain’s Will Clarke to win by 23 seconds and Great Britain’s Jodie Swallow won her 4th straight Ironman 70.3 South Africa by a 3:47 margin over Lucie Reed Sunday in East London. It was one of the couple’s dual wins, which they shared with James’ sister Megan (personal best) and mother Margie (finish).

Marko Albert (23:39), Clarke (23:41) and Faris al-Sultan (23:45) started the day 1-2-3 out of the swim in East London Harbor, with Romain Guillaume (24:07), Cunnama (24:38), Igor Amorelli (24:39) and Bert Jammaer (24:40) with some time to make up. Clarke broke out front first, but by 20km into the bike leg, Guillaume demanded the lead. At halfway, Al-Sultan took second and pro rookie Matt Trautman held third with Clarke 4th and Amorelli 5th. By 70 km, Guillaume stretched his lead to 1 minute 20 seconds over Al-Sultan, with Cunnama, Trautman, Stuart Marais and Clarke trailed by 2 minutes 30 seconds.

After a race-best 2:17 bike split, Guillaume had a 1 minute margin on Al-Sultan at T2, trailed by Cunnama (-6 minutes) and a close pack of Trautman, Jammaer and Clarke. At 6km into the run, Cunnama and Clarke had whittled the margin of Guillaume and Al-Sultan to 2 minutes. By 15 km, Cunnama took the lead, followed closely by Clarke and the stubbornly persistent Guillaume. At the finish, Clarke’s fastest run of 1:15:24 fell 23 seconds short of overtaking Cunnama’s winning, second-best 1:16:01 run, and Guillaume’s 1:20:59 run held off fast-closing Marais (1:16:44 run) by 13 seconds to take the final spot on the podium. Amorelli took 5th, 1:20 back of Marais and 44 seconds better than a fading Al-Sultan.

Cunnama this starts his 2014 season on the same plane as a very successful 2014 in which he won Ironman 70.3 Cozumel and Challenge Walchsee, took 2nds at Challenge Roth, Ironman Texas and Eagleman 70.3 and finished with an excellent 4th at the Ironman World Championship in Kona.

Swallow’s 4th straight win at the East London 70.3 left no drama as she posted a race-best swim (23:52), race-best bike split (2:38:50) and 3rd best 1:29:57 half marathon to finish in 4:37:01 with a 3:47 margin over runner-up Reed and 5:39 over 3rd place Simone Brändli.

Swallow, who like her boyfriend James Cunnama also left coach Brett Sutton at the end of the year, also follows a strong 2013 in which she won Ironman Sweden and took runners-up honors at Ironman South Africa, Ironman Frankfurt and Challenge Walchsee.

Ironman 70.3 South Africa
East London. South Africa
January 26. 2014
S 1.2 mi. / B 56 mi. / R 13.1 mi.

Results

Men

1. James Cunnama (RSA) 4:05:00
2. Will Clarke (GBR) 4:05:23
3. Romain Guillaume (FRA) 4:06:23
4. Stuart Marais (RSA) 4:06:37
5. Igor Amorelli (BRA) 04:07:57

Women

1. Jodie Swallow (GBR) 4:37:00
2. Lucie Reed (CZE) 4:40:48
3. Simone Brändli (SUI) 4:42:39
4. Camilla Lindholm (SWE) 4:48:14
5. Jeanne Collonge – (FRA) 4:51:08

Alan Webb, America’s shining light at the Mile (3:46.91), will switch to triathlon

Alan Webb, who broke Jim Ryun’s U.S. high school mile run record with a 3:53.43 in 2001 and who broke Steve Scott’s longstanding American mile record with a 3:46.91 in 2007, says he will retire from track after running the Wanamaker Mile at the classic Millrose Games on February 15 and will pursue a 2016 Olympic berth as a triathlete thereafter.

Webb, 31, is an iconic American track athlete who was the top 1500 meter runner on the planet in 2007. But he has been plagued by multiple injuries and failed to make the 2008 Olympic team and the 2009 U.S. Championship and has not been able to return to form since Achilles tendon surgery in 2010. His lucrative Nike contract, which began in 2002, ran out on December 31.

The news of his retirement and turn to triathlon was first reported by Runners World Magazine and confirmed in an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Tim Layden: “I am serious about triathlon,” Webb wrote Layden in a text message. “I am in Arizona working with a USA Triathlon group right now. Something I have always wanted to do since I was a kid. And I am burned out from running.”

Most recent sub-4 minute high school miler turned triathlete Lukas Verzbicas told Christopher Chavez of FloTrack he had been doing triathlon workouts with Webb in Colorado Springs:

"He's been considering this for a while now. We've even trained together over the last couple months. It's a good move for him as he has a swimming background, so that's coming around fast. He sees it as his opportunity to make it to the (Olympic) Games and I believe he has a much better shot as a triathlete."

Webb has told family he plans to make his Olympic distance triathlon debut in March. His triathlon plans are based on a very solid swim background as his 1,650 yard freestyle PR, set in 1998, was 16:44.4 -- just 31 seconds off the Olympic qualifying standard.

Oscar Galindez and Nina Kraft win 2575 Club Med Sprint Triathlon

Triathlon veterans Oscar Galindez (age 43) and Nina Kraft (age 46) won the men’s and women’s professional category at the 2575 Club Med Sprint Triathlon at Sandpiper Bay, Florida.

Galindez, a winner of multiple Ironman 70.3 titles including a second place finish at the Ironman 70.3 Worlds and wins at the Pucon 70.3 event, trailed U.S. Olympian Manny Huerta (9:38) by 21 seconds after the swim. Galindez then seized the lead with a dominating 27:52 bike split that put 4:06 on Huerta, who dropped to 3rd as Santiago Ascenco of Brazil passed the U.S. star with a 2nd-fastest 28:06 split. Galindez cemented the win with a race-fastest 15:49 5k run that brought the Argentine to the finish in 54:58 with a 1:06 margin of victory over runner-up Ascenco (16:27 run) and 5:41 over 2rd-place Huerta, who finished with a 15:51 run.

Kraft, a winner of several Ironman titles, had no pro women competitors and swam 11:26, biked 35:24 and ran 20:16 to finish in 1:08:53.

2575 Club Med Sprint Triathlon
Sandpiper Beach, Florida
January 26, 2014
S 750m / B 20k / R 5k

Results

Professionals

1. Oscar Galindez (ARG) 54:58
2. Santiago Ascenco (BRA) 56:04
3. Manny Huerta (USA) 1:00:39
4. Oscar Pleciado (COL) 1:04:55
5. Nina Kraft (GER) 1:08:53 * Women's winner

Russians Andreev and Surikova dominate ETU European Winter Triathlon Cup

Pavel Andreev recorded the 8th European Winter Triathlon Cup win of his career with a 50-seconds margin of victory over the runner-up, fellow Russian Dmitry Bregeda and a 1:03 margin over 3rd-place finisher Kristian Monsen of Norway.

Surikova earned her first European Winter Triathlon Cup since 2012 with a dominating 2 minutes 31 seconds margin of victory over runner-up Tatiana Charochkina, with Olga Parfinenko another 45 seconds back in 3rd place to complete a 1-2-3 Russian sweep.

ETU European Winter Triathlon Cup
Sigulda, Latvia
January 26, 2014
Run-Bike-Ski

Men

1. Pavel Andreev (RUS) 1:32:17
2. Dmitry Bregeda (RUS) 1:33:07
3. Kristian Monsen (NOR) 1:33:20
4. Evgeny Kirillov (RUS) 1:33:54
5. Daniel Antonioli (ITA) 1:33:59

Women

1. Yulia Surikova (RUS) 1:50:06
2. Tatiana Charochkina (RUS) 1:52:37
3. Olga Parfinenko (RUS) 1:53:22
4. Margarita Ovsyannikva (RUS) 2:02:00
5. Yana Lavnikovich (RUS) 2:07:52