Showdown in Galveston
While defending champ, and former Ironman 70.3 World Champion, Terenzo Bozzone, might be wearing race number one this Sunday, the Kiwi is just one of many who has a legitimate chance to take the win at Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas, which serves as the Ironman 70.3 US Professional Championship, too.
The women’s field is equally as competitive, with Texan Kelly Williamson, fresh off a win at Ironman 70.3 San Juan, leading the way. The list of women likely to challenge Williamson is extensive, including: Olympic Time Trial medalist and multiple Ironman champ Karin Thuerig from Switzerland; American’s Dede Griesbauer and Tyler Stewart, who have a number of Ironman and 70.3 wins to their credit; New Zealand’s Samantha Warriner, who is fresh off a big win at Ironman New Zealand last month; Canadian Angela Naeth, who managed an impressive string of second-place finishes at 70.3 events in 2010 (six, to be exact); Catriona Morrison, the Scottish world champion who claimed an unlikely win in Lanzarote last year after spending 45 minutes on the side of the road waiting to get a new chain.
As impressive as that list might be, there are a few other women who certainly could be in the mix on the weekend, including Americans Jessica Jacobs, Desiree Ficker, Mary Beth Ellis and Meredith Kessler along with Germany’s Sonja Tajsich.
The men’s race is insanely packed with some of the world’s premier 70.3 competitors. While super-swimmer John Flanagan is a likely early leader, with cyclists like Chris Lieto and Philip Graves in the field it’s likely to quickly turn into a blazing-fast ride. Bozzone is no stranger to quick bike splits, and neither are the huge list of other contenders that include American Timothy O’Donnell, Great Britain’s Paul Amey, Denmark’s Rasmus Henning (who may be a questionable start after his runner-up finish in Oceanside last weekend), Australia’s perpetual top-finisher Richie Cunningham and Switzerland’s four-straight home-country champ Ronnie Schildknecht.
There are more names that need to be considered, though, when it comes to evaluating the top contenders. Belgium’s Frederic Van Lierde is coming off a huge win at the Abu Dhabi triathlon last month and, based on that result alone, should certainly be considered one of the favorites on Sunday. Italy’s former pro cyclist, Massimo Cigana, has won the Laguna Phuket triathlon a few times, but might not have what it takes to compete with this field on Sunday. Switzerland’s Mathias Hecht kept Bozzone honest in New Zealand, making the Kiwi earn his runner-up finish. France’s Sylvain Sudrie could be up in the mix, as could American Michael Lovato. If things are going to be decided thanks to a fast bike split, you suddenly have to keep in mind Germans like Torsten Abel, Christian Brader and Rene Goehler, too.
Originally from:
ironman.comOur first Terenzo sighting!
The Kiwi was in for a swim this morning, along with fellow New Zealand athlete Samantha Warriner. Fresh off a runner-up finish in an Olympic distance race last weekend here in Texas, Bozzone appears to be fit and fully recovered from the tough conditions at Ironman New Zealand last month and ready for the challenge he'll face defending the title here on Sunday.
Warriner, who finished third in the Olympic distance event last weekend, also appears to be ready for a good one on Sunday.
Join us this weekend for the Lone Star Sprint and Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas triathlons on historic Galveston Island. The Lone Star Sprint on Saturday, April 9, will begin at 7 a.m. and the Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas will take place on Sunday, April 10, with athletes entering the water at 7 a.m.
One of more than 50 events in the Ironman 70.3 global series, Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas will lead more than 2,000 athletes along a 1.2-mile swim in Offats Bayou followed by a 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run along the Texas coastline through Galveston Island. The Lone Star Sprint, a traditional short distance triathlon, will take nearly 1,000 participants on a similar course the day before. Situated among 242 lush, tropical acres, Moody Gardens Hotel, Spa and Convention Center will play host to athletes from around the globe.
Sunday’s race, which doubles as the Ironman 70.3 U.S. Professional Championship, will offer spectators a glance at some of the top professionals in the sport, including Terenzo Bozzone, the 2010 Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas defending champion; Chris Lieto, multiple title-holder and second place finisher at the 2009 Ford Ironman World Championship; Rasmus Henning, second-place finisher at last weekend’s Rohto Ironman 70.3 California; and Tim O’Donnell, who earned the title at the 2011 Ironman 70.3 San Juan last month. Professionals competing in the women’s field include Kelly Williamson, first-place finisher at the 2011 Ironman 70.3 San Juan; Jessica Jacobs, the 2010 Ford Ironman Florida champion; and Mary Beth Ellis, who placed first at last month’s Ironman 70.3 Singapore.
In addition to the professional athletes competing in Sunday’s event, Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas will see participants from 48 states and 23 countries, ranging in age from 18 to 80 years old. Pros leading the field are expected to finish in approximately 4 hours while the majority of age group athletes will finish between 5 and 8 hours. The official cutoff for the event is 8 hours and 30 minutes after the start of the final swim wave.
Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas includes a $75,000 professional prize purse with a $5,000 bonus for the first U.S. male and female finishers. The event offers a total of 50 slots to the Ironman World Championship 70.3, Presented by Ford, which will take place on September 11 in Lake Las Vegas, Nev.
Henning set to race: Here's a press release we received earlier today:Rasmus Henning at it again in 70.3 in Texas on Sunday
Just a week after a great 2nd place at Oceanside Rasmus Henning is competing at the 70.3 in Galveston, Texas tomorrow. The Dane was happy with the good result after the disappointing DNF at Abu Dhabi a month ago.
"A good result for me at Oceanside was really important and it felt good to be able to perform at a high level again. When you have a bad experience it’s much about self esteem and confidence, and often it’s only small things that need to be corrected before you’re back on track. I had a good swim and felt strong on the bike and had the feeling that no one was able to ride away from me and my Shiv. My running was at a high level, but there’s still a way to go before I reach my peak level running wise. Schildknecht and Weiss were both running really well, but normally I should be able to outrun them both by more - so several things indicate that I have more in me," Rasmus Henning says.
The soreness in the legs is almost gone and the rest of the body feels really good, so the Dane is ready for another hard race.
Strong field in Texas
"The course here should also fit me better than in California. The weather is warmer, it could be a non wetsuit swim and the bike section is flatter which makes breakaways more difficult. It will be windy, but living on the Canary Islands you are not afraid of the wind. The field is very competitive. I hope to be able to stay close to the main pack on the bike and then have the power on the run to pull away. Terrenzo Bozzone is the defending champ here and although I haven’t raced him at half ironman before, I know he’s a tough guy to beat. The list of strong athletes is long: Tim O’Donnell, Sebastian Kienle, Frederik van Lierde, Sylvain Sudrie, Philip Graves and Chris Lieto are all top performers. It’s going to be an interesting day," Rasmus Henning says.
Good morning from windy Galveston! With just under an hour to go before the race start the wind is really blowing here at Moody Gardens, the race site. The pro rack looked like a who's who of 70.3 racing this morning, with the usual hubub as the pros went through their final preparations. I did finally see Karin Thuerig, so the Swiss Olympic medalist is definitely in the race. She looks really thin ... and fit. With all the wind today, this course could really suit her.
The weather for today's race should be pretty good, according to the weather man here in Galveston. Right now the temperature is 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 C) and the expected high is going to be 78 F (26 C). The wind is coming from the south south east, at about 20 mph (32 kph), but we're experiencing gusts of up to 25 mph (40 kph). That's supposed to "calm" down to about 21 mph (34 kph) - in other words, we're in for a windy day. The pros were having a rough time this morning keeping their bikes straight in the racks - just about all of them have either a disc or really deep-dished wheels, so their bikes are acting just like sails in these high winds. It will, for the most part, be a cross wind out on the course, though, so we still could see some fast bike splits.
30 minutes to go before race start. The pro men will be heading off at 7AM, followed by the pro women three minutes later. Then we have the age group waves - 20 of them! That should break things up on this extremely flat bike course, which is nice.
One athlete we haven't talked about much this week is Richie Cunningham. He's making Austin, Texas, home these days and is now completely over the tooth infection that slowed him down for much of last year. Cunningham has won the Longhorn 70.3 event a number of times, so he's no stranger to top finishes here in Texas. Cunningham can swim, bike and run with the best in the sport when he's in form, so he'll be another in the long list of athletes we'll be watching.
That was Jan Raphael I saw in transition this morning. The German burst onto the Ironman scene with a win at Ironman Florida in his debut Ironman race.
Four minutes to our race start. We're at the finish line, so we'll be able to see the athletes come out of the water and run up to transition, but we probably won't be able to get much data during the swim leg. The swim starts over at Palm Beach, and there is some construction over in that area of Moody Gardens, so we've had to really restrict access so the athletes can get to the swim start without too much hassle.
The race is off. The pro men are now underway.
There go the pro women. The cannon just went off to get this competitive field underway.
The men we're expecting to lead the way today are John Flanagan and possibly David Kahn, who swam for the University of Texas.
The first age group wave just got underway. We'll try to keep an eye on the close age group races as the day progresses - with over 2,000 age group athletes competing here in Galveston, we're sure to have some exciting races.
Super-swimmer John Flanagan is out in front, we believe. It looks like David Kahn is leading the first chase group. Flanagan is a five-time US Open water champ and has been tearing up every Ironman and Ironman 70.3 swim course he's been in for the last few years.
Flanagan is out of the water. His swim split today was 21:23.
Marco Albert was next out of the water.
The first six out of the water: 1 21:23 23 John Flanagan Mililani HI USA
2 22:18 0:55 13 Marko Albert Tallinn EST
3 22:20 0:58 7 Rasmus Henning Tuineje DNK
4 22:22 0:59 47 Axel Zeebroek Ostende BEL
5 22:29 1:07 28 David Kahn Port Jefferson NY USA
6 22:38 1:16 15 Gavin Anderson Louisville CO USA
The second chase group just came out of the water - with 15 athletes in it.
The first 10: 1 21:23 23 John Flanagan Mililani HI USA
2 22:18 0:55 13 Marko Albert Tallinn EST
3 22:20 0:58 7 Rasmus Henning Tuineje DNK
4 22:22 0:59 47 Axel Zeebroek Ostende BEL
5 22:29 1:07 28 David Kahn Port Jefferson NY USA
6 22:38 1:16 15 Gavin Anderson Louisville CO USA
7 22:39 1:17 45 Frederik Van Lier Menen BEL
8 22:41 1:18 2 Timothy Odonnell Boulder CO USA
9 22:42 1:20 1 Terenzo Bozzone Auckland USA
10 22:43 1:21 14 Paul Ambrose Sydney NS GBR
It sounds like pretty much all of our race favorites were in that second chase pack, including O'Donnell and Bozzone. Chris Lieto, last year's third place finisher, was out of the water towards the back of that group - his swim split was 23:39.
Out of T1, it looks like we missed John Flanagan's exit (an age group athlete went over the mat just as he did.) Here are the top 10 other than Flanagan - notice O'Donnell and Bozzone's quick transitions! 1 23:48 13 Marko Albert Tallinn EST
2 23:49 0:02 7 Rasmus Henning Tuineje DNK
3 23:52 0:05 47 Axel Zeebroek Ostende BEL
4 23:58 0:11 2 Timothy Odonnell Boulder CO USA
5 24:02 0:14 1 Terenzo Bozzone Auckland USA
6 24:05 0:18 33 Paul Matthews Casuarina NS USA
7 24:13 0:26 28 David Kahn Port Jefferson NY USA
8 24:14 0:27 8 Richie Cunningh Austin TX AUS
9 24:16 0:28 14 Paul Ambrose Sydney NS GBR
10 24:18 0:30 45 Frederik Van Lier Menen BEL
Mary Beth Ellis leads the way out of the water in the women's race. She went 24:29.
Meredith Kessler has exited the water just ahead of Kelly Williamson - both are about 45 seconds behind Ellis, we've been told. Official splits should come momentarily.
The first three women: 1 24:29 92 Mary Ellis Boulder CO USA
2 25:18 0:49 78 Meredith Kessler San Francisco CA USA
3 25:38 1:09 61 Kelly Williams Colorado Spring CO USA
Morrison and Warriner within seconds of each other - that should make for some interesting cycling! Here are the first nine women out of the water: 1 24:29 92 Mary Ellis Boulder CO USA
2 25:18 0:49 78 Meredith Kessler San Francisco CA USA
3 25:38 1:09 61 Kelly Williams Colorado Spring CO USA
4 26:20 1:51 81 Margaret Shapiro Herndon VA USA
5 26:45 2:16 88 Samantha Warriner Whangarei NT NZL
6 26:47 2:18 71 Catriona Morrison Broxburn GBR
7 26:48 2:19 90 Mirjam Weerd Amersfoort NLD
8 26:51 2:22 75 Amber Ferreira Concord TX USA
9 29:50 5:21 59 Hillary Biscay Tucson AZ USA
A great swim for Angela Naeth - she exited the water just three minutes behind race leader Mary Beth Ellis. She has, in the past, had larger deficits to make up, so the Canadian will likely be thrilled with that swim split.
Heading onto the bike we've seen how important transitions have become at 70.3 races. The women were jockeying for position as they started this windy bike ride. 1 26:03 92 Mary Ellis Boulder CO USA
2 27:20 1:17 61 Kelly Williams Colorado Spring CO USA
3 27:22 1:19 78 Meredith Kessler San Francisco CA USA
4 28:00 1:58 81 Margaret Shapiro Herndon VA USA
5 28:20 2:17 88 Samantha Warriner Whangarei NT NZL
6 28:30 2:27 71 Catriona Morrison Broxburn GBR
7 28:55 2:52 75 Amber Ferreira Concord TX USA
8 29:04 3:01 90 Mirjam Weerd Amersfoort NLD
9 29:14 3:12 76 Sofie Goos Antwerpen BEL
10 29:18 3:15 79 Mandy McLane Boulder FL USA
Thuerig is now out of the water. She's another athlete who has typically struggled with the swim, then used her incredible bike talent to scream through the bike. Her swim split this morning was 30:52, which puts her just under five minutes behind Ellis.
The men through 5 miles: Leading the men is Rasmus Henning (#7). Chasing the leader, however, is:
* Terenzo Bozzone (#1)
* Timothy Odonnell (#2)
* Marko Albert (#13)
* Paul Matthews (#33)
* Dantley Young (#46)
* Axel Zeebroek (#47)
* Romain Guillaume (#26) at 16 seconds
* Christian Brader (#18) at 17 seconds
* John Flanagan (#23) at 18 seconds
Riding with Guillaume. Brader and Flanagan are Paul Amey and Daniel Schmoll.
The word is the wind is howling out on the bike course. Chris Lieto had a big smile on his face as he went by our spotters - he was hoping for a really tough bike here today and it looks like he's going to get his wish.
These are the top age group men's swim times so far: 1 25:23 270 Murphy Halasz Austin TX USA
2 27:34 2:12 232 Brandon Brickley Round Rock TX USA
3 27:49 2:27 146 Cliff Adlerz Franklin TN USA
4 27:55 2:32 187 Stephen Sponagle Laguna Niguel CA USA
5 28:12 2:49 206 Tommy Elder Houston TX USA
6 28:14 2:51 264 Grant Glauser Houston TX USA
7 28:29 3:06 113 Sebastian Haynes San Angelo TX USA
8 28:34 3:11 134 Christopher Scruggs Houston TX USA
9 28:35 3:12 98 Sean Benton San Antonio TX USA
10 28:39 3:16 138 Todd Teren Houston TX USA
Keep in mind this could change over the next hour or so - there are 20 age group waves today!
The men through 10 miles - there's a group riding a legal distance apart that has: Terenzo Bozzone (#1) in front.
Behind him are:
* Frederik Van Lierde (#45)
* Rasmus Henning (#7)
* Paul Matthews (#33)
* Marko Albert (#13)
* Timothy Odonnell (#2)
* Chris Lieto (#3)
* Axel Zeebroek (#47)
* Romain Guillaume (#26)
* Richie Cunningham (#8)
The women through 5 miles has Mary Beth Ellis (#92) leading the way, followed by Tenille Hoogland at 38 seconds. (That's the first we've heard of the Canadian ITU athlete, so we'll have to try and confirm that a the next split. Then we have:
* Meredith Kessler (#78) at 1:23
* Margaret Shapiro (#81) at 1:35
* Kelly Williamson (#61) at 1:45
* Samantha Warriner (#69) at 1:45
* Catriona Morrison (#71) at 2:05
Lew Hollander just exited the water here. The 81-year-old finished the swim in 47:23.
Tenille Hoogland appears to have lost her chip, which is why she surprised us to appear in second all of a sudden. Through 10 miles, leading the women is Mary Ellis (#92). Behind her are:
* Tenille Hoogland (#84) at 37 seconds
* Margaret Shapiro (#81) at 1:45
* Meredith Kessler (#78)
* Samantha Warriner (#88)
The last time I saw Tenille Hoogland was a couple of years ago in Florida. At that point she was focused on ITU racing and was finishing her Masters degree. (I think it was her masters - apologies if it was a PhD!) She's now splitting her time between Austin, Texas and Canada. The word is she is gaining fast on Ellis right now.
Let the fun begin! With a smile on his face, Chris Lieto went to the front of the race before the 15 mile mark and pulled away from the rest of the men. He's now 22 seconds ahead of a group of five men. Chris Lieto (#3) is in the lead, followed by:
* Timothy Odonnell (#2)
* Frederik Van Lierde (#45)
* Rasmus Henning (#7)
* Paul Matthews (#33)
* Terenzo Bozzone (#1)
Van Lierde now in second alone. Here are the splits at 20 miles: Chris Lieto (#3). Chasing the leader, however, is:
* Frederik Van Lierde (#45) at 24 seconds
* Timothy Odonnell (#2) at 42 seconds
* Rasmus Henning (#7) at 43 seconds
* Paul Matthews (#33) at 44 seconds
* Terenzo Bozzone (#1) at 45 seconds
Tenille Hoogland (#84) has now taken the lead. Right behind her is:
* Mary Ellis (#92)
Then we have: * Catriona Morrison (#71) at 1:25
* Margaret Shapiro (#81) at 1:30
* Meredith Kessler (#78) at 1:38
* Angela Naeth (#65) at 1:39
* Samantha Warriner (#88) at 1:40
Tenille Hoogland (#84) remains out in front through 20 miles of the ride. Behind her are:
* Mary Ellis (#92) at 5 seconds
* Catriona Morrison (#71) at 1:10
* Angela Naeth (#65) at 1:25
* Margaret Shapiro (#81) at 1:35
* Samantha Warriner (#88) at 1:45
* Catriona Morrison (#71) at 1:55
Chris Lieto has made the turnaround and is heading back now. He's got 37 seconds on Frederic Van Lierde. Van Lierde gained a huge amount of confidence after his big win in Abu Dahbi a few weeks ago. He has a number of second place finishes to his credit, including Ironman France-Nice last year. He was also second to Cameron Brown in New Zealand a few years ago.
1 1:30:19 3 Chris Lieto Danville CA USA
2 1:30:56 0:37 45 Frederik Van Lier Menen BEL
3 1:32:24 2:05 33 Paul Matthews Casuarina NS USA
4 1:32:26 2:07 7 Rasmus Henning Tuineje DNK
5 1:32:31 2:12 2 Timothy Odonnell Boulder CO USA
6 1:32:34 2:15 53 Michael Lovato Boulder CO USA
7 1:32:52 2:33 8 Richie Cunningh Austin TX AUS
8 1:32:54 2:35 26 Romain Guillaum Montmorot FRA
9 1:32:57 2:38 42 Daniel Schmoll Griesheim DEU
10 1:33:00 2:41 13 Marko Albert Tallinn EST
Some new names have recently appeared near the front, one of which is Michael Lovato. He's now joined the group of O'Donnell, Henning, Mathews and Bozzone. He's another strong runner, so he'll definitely be one to watch on the run course.
