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| » Canadian, Kiwi claim Ironman titles (29/08/2007) |
Link: http://www.pentictonherald.ca/stories.php?id=61363
A veteran and a relative newcomer stole the show at Subaru Ironman Canada‘s 25th annual race on Sunday.
Lisa Bentley charged back on the run to win the women‘s race for the third time in five years and give the Canadian the 11th Ironman title of the 38-year-old‘s storied career. Bentley, who came second in 2006, finished in 9:41.01 while Sara Gross was second in 9:43.34.
In the men‘s race, 26-year-old Kieran Doe of New Zealand broke into the winner‘s circle in his first Ironman Canada – and just his third Ironman overall – finishing in 8:32.45.
Jonathan Caron of Penticton enjoyed a magnificent race, chasing Doe all the way and finishing second in 8:39.59. Chris Brown of Calgary was third in 8:49:34.
The race featured the largest mass-start in an Ironman race in the world, with 2,488 athletes diving into the waters of Okanagan Lake at 7 a.m. The 55 professional triathletes hit the water first at 6:45 a.m.
The triathlon featured a 3.8-kilometre lake swim, a 180-km bike through the Okanagan and Similkameen
valleys and a 42.2-km marathon run to Okanagan Falls and back to the finish area on Lakeshore Drive in Penticton.
Anaheim Mighty Ducks superstar defenceman Scott Niedermayer ignited the cannon to start the race and also handed out medals to the athletes after they crossed the finish line.
Despite finishing well off her winning times in 2003 and 2004, Bentley said this was the biggest of her three Ironman Canada victories.
“No question about it, this was the most gratifying, just because of the conditions, my fitness level and the injuries I‘ve had this year,” said Bentley, who didn‘t even start running until June due to a foot injury.
Doe had his own injury questions and doubts about whether he wanted to even continue racing.
“This is just huge to win an Ironman, especially in (Ironman) Canada‘s 25th annual,” said Doe, who finished ninth at his home course in New Zealand.
“With the injuries I had and some of the personal issues I was dealing with, I came close to quitting the sport six months ago. I‘m glad I stuck with it.”
Nicknamed the “Doe Boy,” the dread-locked Kiwi said he stayed focused the entire race and didn‘t know who was behind him or by how much he was in the lead.
“It really wasn‘t until the last quarter-mile that I was able to relax a bit and break into a bit of a smile,” said Doe.
With a reputation as a sensational swimmer and biker, Doe surged out to a 13-minute lead coming off the bike. He had the best swim and bike splits at 48:50 and 4:38.25, respectively.
“I basically prepared to be out there on my own for eight-and-a-half hours, and fortunately it came off in the end,” said Doe.
“I‘m quite happy to be the front-runner. When you build a lead like that, it puts the pressure on the other guys. They have to push hard right from the start of the marathon and it can cause guys to blow up.”
Doe said while the mild temperatures were ideal, the winds made things difficult on both the bike and the run.
“Even the swim was pretty choppy,” said Doe.
“I felt really comfortable on the first half of the bike, but there was a pretty good headwind on the way back to town on the bike and the run. The conditions certainly weren‘t easy.”
Doe was leaning towards not competing at the world championships in Kona on Oct. 13.
“I‘ll probably wait until next year now and see where things go,” said Doe.
The 29-year-old Caron, who has been living and training in Penticton for more than a year, enjoyed the best day of his blossoming career.
Caron, who won a pair of Half Irons this summer and finished sixth at Ironman Arizona, was not content to just cruise home in second place.
“I didn‘t play it safe by any stretch, I attacked really hard on the run,” said Caron. “I was really suffering with cramps and everything towards the end of the run. Kieran Doe was just a little too strong. He had an amazing day and I‘d like to congratulate him.”
Andriy Yastrebov of the Ukraine was fourth in 8:50.37 and Canadian Jordan Rapp – who didn‘t even enter the race until Saturday – rounded out the top five at 8:51.32.
The top eight male and top eight female athletes shared a $75,000 Cdn. prize purse, with Doe and Bentley each earning $12,000 for finishing first.
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