Kelly Wetteland Holds off Gwen Jorgensen in “Race of Her Life” in Gulfport; Beaulieu Wins Men’s Race

The one and only elite draft legal event in the United States offered up some exciting racing today as reigning NCAA triathlon champion Kelly Wetteland managed to hold off an incredible charge from American 2016 Olympic gold medalist Gwen Jorgensen to take “the race of her life.” Canadian Mathis Beaulieu took the men’s race ahead of his American training partners, Braxton Legg and Blake Bullard.

Breakaway (Mostly) Sticks

American Mack McConagha led the women out of the water, hitting T1 with a 12-second lead on Wetteland. The American had pushed hard enough to spread things out, with Jorgensen finishing in 13th, but 24 seconds down as she ran to her bike.

Once out on the bike Wetteland and her Arizona University teammate Margareta Vrablova (SLO) were pushing the pace at the front of a breakaway group of 10 that was holding a slim 13 second lead on the chase group. By the halfway point of the ride the group of 10 (McConagha was in the group along with Vrablova, Germany’s Josephine Seerig, Canadian Cara MacDonald, Americans Chelsea Webber, Fath Dasso, Zoe Adam Mari and Ruth Pardy), with the chasers almost 50 seconds behind.

Jorgensen and Bermuda’s Erica Crawley helped drive the chase towards the end of the ride, but the chasers were still 40 seconds behind as they hit T2. Jorgensen would give back almost 10 seconds of that gained time with a slow second transition, but hit the run course seemingly determined to run her way to the front of the field.

Out on the run Wetteland quickly separated herself from the rest of the lead group, with teammate Vrablova hanging tough in second, but Jorgensen was gaining fast. Wetteland seemed to have missed the memo that she shouldn’t be able to hold off one of the sport’s premier runner’s though, and her teammate Vrablova figured she would go for it as well. With a mile to go Jorgensen was still 20 seconds behind the lead and seven seconds behind the Slovak, and with 900 m of running left things hadn’t changed at all. Jorgensen wouldn’t quit, though, and her final surge to the line saw her get past Vrablova and be close enough to Wetteland that the reigning NCAA champ was looking over her shoulder as she hit the carpet for the final hundred meters. That look must have felt good – Wetteland would end up crossing the line seven seconds up on Jorgensen and another six seconds ahead of her teammate.

Beaulieu Runs Clear

Just a few days after finishing ninth at the World Triathlon Cup Haikou, Canadian Mathis Beaulieu was here in Gulfport along with his American training partners from Project Podium. Despite the jet lag, Project Podium athletes Blake Bullard led the men out of the water, with American Darr Smith leading the large chase group that included Beaulieu, his countryman Aiden Longcroft-Harris and another Project Podium competitor, Braxton Legg.

Once out on the bike a group of nine formed that was quickly opening up time on the rest of the men – by the end of the first loop of the bike the gap was up to 40 seconds. By the end of the bike the group was down to nine with Smith leading the men into T2 along with Bullard, Beaulieu, Canadians Chris Gregor and Longcroft-Harris, Legg, Dylan Campa, Humberto Castaneiras Jenner, Oliver Hostrup Sahlberg. Kazakhstan’s Alexandr Ten led the chasers into T2 44 seconds behind the lead group.

Once out on the run Beaulieu and Legg quickly separated themselves from the rest of the leaders. The Canadian made his move heading into the second loop of the run, pulling clear and steadily gaining time on the rest of the men behind. He continued to gain time right to the line, finishing 28 seconds up on Legg, with Bullard rounding out the podium.

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