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Sunsmart Ironman Western Australia Triathlon

  • Race begins at 4:30 pm Eastern (US) on Saturday, December 4th. See you then!
  • Good morning from Busselton! We're just over an hour away from the race start for the pros here at SunSmart Ironman Western Australia and looking forward to an amazing day. The temperature right now is 10 degrees Celsius (50 Fahrenheit) with an expected high of 24 C (75 F). There's not a breath of wind right now, but it could get a little gusty later today - they're calling for winds up to about 30 kph (16 mph).

  • Rebekah Keat is the prohibitive women's favorite here in Busselton.

  • Defending men's champion Patrick Vernay has been unbeatable in Australia for the last four years.

  • We're less than 10 minutes to the race start - the sun just came up a few minutes ago and it's turning out to be a beautiful day here in Busselton.
  • An international day - there are 34 different countries represented in the race here today.

  • A shot of the start early this morning

  • The pros are off. There's a lead group of 10 right now.

  • Here comes the sun! A shot from the helicopter as the sun came up this morning.

  • Luke Bell has taken the early lead through the first few hundred meters of the race. Behind him there's a group of about seven who are organizing themselves into a swim pack.
  • Kate Bevilaqua is leading the women's race - she has a lead of about 50 m on Rebekah Keat at this point. .

  • The swim here in Busselton goes up and around the huge jetty that juts into the Indian Ocean.

  • Coming up to the turnaround at the end of the jetty, Pete Jacobs is putting the pressure on the rest of the field. Pete JACOBS (#3) is the current leader, closely followed by:

    * Luke BELL (#7)
    * Scott NEYEDLI (#2)
    * Courtney OGDEN (#4)
    * Guy CRAWFORD (#34)
    * Patrick VERNAY (#1)
    * Joshua RIX (#13)
    * Matty WHITE (#6)
  • There won't be live video coverage of today's race, but we will be streaming the finish line video later today.

  • The race start area shortly after sunrise - the age group race just started, 15 minutes after the pros.

  • Pete Jacobs has managed to help a group of four open up a gap of about 25 m on what has become the first chase group. MEN:
    Pete JACOBS (#3) is the current leader, with
    * Luke BELL (#7)
    * Scott NEYEDLI (#2)
    * Patrick VERNAY (#1)
    Then, about 25 m back, are:
    * Guy CRAWFORD (#34)
    * Joshua RIX (#13)
    * Matty WHITE (#6)
    Then we have
    * Gavin SCOTT (#12)
    * Adam HOLBOROW (#10)
    who are swimming by themselves.
  • The swim course goes the opposite way around the jetty from years past - in an anti-clockwise direction. That's because the transition has been moved over to the other side of the jetty, too.
  • Lucie ZELENKOVA (#24) appears to be leading the women's race at this point, with * Rebekah KEAT (#21) behind her.
  • The weather continues to cooperate for the athletes so far. There's next-to-no wind, and we seem to be gradually working towards the expected 24 C (75 F) high. There are some thick, heavy clouds in the distance, but there's only a 20 percent chance of rain, according to the forecast.
  • The lead is now up to 50 m for the four race favorites. The day looks like it will be a closely watched battle between Patrick Vernay, Scott Neyedli, Pete Jacobs and Luke Bell, and right now they're all living up to that expectation.
  • Zelenkova continues to lead the women's race - she's swimming by herself, with Rebekah Keat in a group of about six 25 m behind.

  • The 1,300 age group competitors started at 5:45

  • Jacobs leads the way into T1. The word is he really put the pressure on the rest of the men at the far end of the jetty and powered his way through the last half of the swim. Right behind him is Luke Bell, then we have Scott Neyedli and Patrick Vernay.

  • Getting body marked first thing this morning.

  • Rebekah Keat is out onto the bike course now - I'm going to assume that we missed Lucie Zelenkova heading out just ahead of her.
  • Jacobs and Vernay are riding at the front of the race right now. Neyedli, who was second here last year, is also in the mix through about 10 km of the ride.
  • Zelenkova continues to lead the women's race - she's about 8 km into the bike.
  • The first 10 out of the water: 1 Pete JACOBS 3 Pro T1 00:01:37 00:00:00
    2 Luke BELL 7 Pro T1 00:01:35 00:00:05
    3 Scott NEYEDLI 2 Pro T1 00:01:41 00:00:12
    4 Patrick VERNAY 1 Pro T1 00:01:37 00:00:13
    5 Eric WATSON 77 1824 T1 00:50:17 00:01:04
    6 Brett CARTER 100 2529 T1 00:50:23 00:01:10
    7 Joshua RIX 13 Pro T1 00:01:30 00:01:21
    8 Guy CRAWFORD 34 Pro T1 00:01:29 00:01:22
    9 Matty WHITE 6 Pro T1 00:01:32 00:01:24
    10 Courtney OGDEN 4 Pro T1 00:01:38 00:01:30
  • Through the early stages of the bike Lucie ZELENKOVA (#24) has managed to open a decent gap on . Right behind her, however, are:
    * Rebekah KEAT (#21) at 2:20
    * Amelia PEARSON (#22) at 2:40
  • Kirsten MOLLOY (#25) is riding in fourth at 6:25 behind Zelenkova.
  • The first five women through 8 km: Lucie ZELENKOVA (#24) is the current leader.

    Behind her are:
    * Rebekah KEAT (#21) at 2:20
    * Amelia PEARSON (#22) at 2:40
    * Kirsten MOLLOY (#25) at 6:25
    * Jodie SCOTT (#26) at 8 minutes
  • The top 10 women's swims today - including a few fast age groupers: 1 Lucie ZELENKOVA 24 Pro Swim 00:51:23 00:00:00
    2 Rebekah KEAT 21 Pro Swim 00:53:33 00:02:10
    3 Amelia PEARSON 22 Pro Swim 00:53:34 00:02:11
    4 Rachel HARRIS 418 3034 Swim 00:55:43 00:04:20
    5 Alicia SYMONDS 230 2529 Swim 00:56:20 00:04:57
    6 Kirsten MOLLOY 25 Pro Swim 00:56:28 00:05:05
    7 Aoife O'CONNOR 714 3539 Swim 00:56:58 00:05:34
    8 Michelle DUFFIELD 214 2529 Swim 00:57:01 00:05:37
    9 Katie BLAMPIED 206 2529 Swim 00:57:04 00:05:41
    10 Sally-Anne SPRAKEL 444 3034 Swim 00:57:31 00:06:08
  • The fastest age group swim of the day was Eric Watson, who went 47:34 and came out of transition in 50:17. He actually swam faster than pro leader Pete Jacobs.
  • Kate Bevilaqua has just gone through the 8 km check point, but she's 11 minutes behind race leader Lucie Zelenkova.
  • Lucie Zelenkova got a flat tire out on the course, and has lost her lead. The new leader of the race is Rebekah Keat, who is a few hundred meters ahead of Amelia Pearson.
  • Through 30 km, Patrick VERNAY (#1) is the current leader.

    Behind him are:
    * Pete JACOBS (#3)
    * Luke BELL (#7)
    * Joshua RIX (#13) at 1:30
    * Matty WHITE (#6) at 1:30
    * Courtney OGDEN (#4) at 1:30
    * Scott NEYEDLI (#2) at 2:30
    * Guy CRAWFORD (#34) at 2:30
  • Through 40 km, Pete Jacobs and Luke Bell have opened up a gap of 25 seconds on defending champion Patrick Vernay.
  • Through 30 km, Rebekah Keat continues to lead the way, with Amelia Pearson 10 seconds behind her. Zelenkova is in third, 3 minutes behind Keat.
  • While Rebekah KEAT (#21) currently leads the women, the big mover in the women's race now is Kate Bevilaqua, who is pushing a huge gear and has made up three minutes in the first 30 km of the bike. Behind Keat are:
    * Amelia PEARSON (#22) at 10 seconds
    * Lucie ZELENKOVA (#24) at 3 minutes
    * Kirsten MOLLOY (#25) at 6 minutes
    * Jodie SCOTT (#26) at 7:35
    * Kate BEVILAQUA (#23) at 8:20
  • Defending men's champion, Patrick Vernay, is struggling out on the course right now. Joshua Rix and Matty White are about to catch him, so he's dropped well behind Bell and Jacobs.
  • The splits through 33 km: 1 Luke BELL 7 Pro Bike 33k 00:49:15 00:00:00
    2 Pete JACOBS 3 Pro Bike 33k 00:49:23 00:00:02
    3 Patrick VERNAY 1 Pro Bike 33k 00:49:41 00:00:34
    4 Joshua RIX 13 Pro Bike 33k 00:49:36 00:01:37
    5 Matty WHITE 6 Pro Bike 33k 00:49:36 00:01:40
    6 Courtney OGDEN 4 Pro Bike 33k 00:49:46 00:01:56
    7 Guy CRAWFORD 34 Pro Bike 33k 00:50:22 00:02:24
    8 Scott NEYEDLI 2 Pro Bike 33k 00:51:35 00:02:27
    9 Simon BILLEAU 9 Pro Bike 33k 00:49:11 00:03:37

    Things have obviously changed a bit since then - as we just reported, Patrick Vernay is now falling back.
  • Bell and Jacobs continue to lead the way, about 1:35 up on a group that includes Vernay, Rix and Courtney Ogden.
  • At 40 km into the women's race, Keat and Pearson continue to lead the way, 10 seconds apart.
  • Through 40 km, here are the top women's splits: In the lead is Rebekah KEAT (#21), followed by:
    * Amelia PEARSON (#22) at 10 seconds
    * Kirsten MOLLOY (#25) at 7:30
    * Kate BEVILAQUA (#23) at 7:30
    * Jodie SCOTT (#26) at 8 minutes
  • The women's splits through 33 km include our first mention of Rhae Shaw, a former world age group champ, who is competing for the first time as a professional today. 1 Rebekah KEAT 21 Pro Bike 33k 01:51:41 00:00:00
    2 Amelia PEARSON 22 Pro Bike 33k 01:51:53 00:00:12
    3 Lucie ZELENKOVA 24 Pro Bike 33k 01:55:44 00:04:02
    4 Kirsten MOLLOY 25 Pro Bike 33k 01:58:31 00:06:49
    5 Jodie SCOTT 26 Pro Bike 33k 01:59:25 00:07:43
    6 Kate BEVILAQUA 23 Pro Bike 33k 01:59:35 00:07:53
    7 Rhae SHAW 31 Pro Bike 33k 02:01:35 00:09:53
    8 Joanna CARRITT 28 Pro Bike 33k 02:05:53 00:14:11
    9 Conny DAUBEN 32 Pro Bike 33k 02:09:26 00:17:44
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