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The Weekend That Was: 19/20 May

  • By Paul Moore
  • Published May 21, 2012
Photo: Finisherpix.com

What a weekend! Lance Armstrong took his maiden 70.3 win, there were two massive Ironman races, one world championship, and a whole host of other business to attend to. Where to start our summary of all the weekend’s action? Probably at the race that grabbed the most attention…

Ironman 70.3 Florida – READ THE RACE REPORT HERE
At only his fourth attempt Lance Armstrong took an almighty win at Ironman 70.3 Florida. Armstrong combined a a 24:52 swim with a 2:01:13 bike (more than ten minutes quicker than anyone else) and a 1:15:56 run to finish in 3:45:38. It was as impressive as it was emphatic, and showed that he has a run to match his bike. In the women’s race Jessica Jacobs left it late to wrap up the win. Amanda Stevens led throughout the swim and the bike, before Jennifer Tetrick and then three-time Ironman Champion Jessica Jacobs ran her down.
For a full race report click here.

Ironman Lanzarote – READ THE RACE REPORT HERE
A fearsome course with a fantastic reputation, Ironman Lanzarote attracted some of the biggest names in European triathlon. And for a while it was Phil Graves who looked like he might steal the show, riding away from the rest of the field to post a 4:48:50 bike – the second fastest split in the history of the race. But the wheels came off for graves’ on the run, and it was Victor Del Corral who was able to bring it all together and claim his first Ironman title in 8:44:40. The women’s race was all about one person: Michelle Vesterby. The Dane, who led from start to finish, was in imperious form, holding off a late rally from Bella Bayliss to claim an impressive win in 9:58:07.
For a full race report click here

Ironman Texas – READ THE RACE REPORT HERE
The predictions were that records would tumble at Ironman Texas, and the predictions were right. After a relatively relaxed swim, Mathias Hecht set about decimating the course record on the bike, posting a 4:18:17. But Hecht had gone too hard too soon, and it was consistently strong Jordan Rapp who was waiting to reap the rewards. Twelve minutes down coming out of T2, Rapp posted a blistering 2:46:56 marathon to take the win in 8:10:44. In the women’s race Mary Beth Ellis and Amy Marsh worked together during the swim and the bike to give themselves a healthy lead going onto the run. Ellis made her move close to the mid-point of the race, and never looked back as she sealed the win in 8:54:58.
For a full race report click here.

ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships – READ THE RACE REPORT HERE
For a long while it looked like Melanie McQuaid was all-set to back up the Championship that she won in 2011. Entering T2 in fourth McQuaid soon hit the front on the run and looked comfortable. But Lesley Paterson wasn’t too far behind, and was beginning to ramp up the pace. She proved too quick, and eventually crossed the line with a three-minute gap on McQuaid in second. The men’s race was all about Conrad Stoltz. A solid bike leg was backed up by a blistering run to hand the South African his second World Championship.
For a full race report click here.

Ironman 70.3 Austria – READ THE RACE REPORT HERE
Andreas Raelert, Faris Al Sultan, Caroline Steffen, Natascha Badmann. Four names that most people predicted would dominate a tough race on a hot day. They didn’t. Instead, Filip Ospaly produced a fantastic bike and run to leave Raelert trailing in his wake. In the women’s race Julia Gajer ran her way to victory after Natascha Badmann look set to take the tape.
For a full race report click here.

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Paul Moore

Paul Moore

Paul Moore is the Online Editor for Triathlete Europe. When not glued to a computer he can be found writing books - most recently The World's Toughest Endurance Challenges which you can buy on Amazon. Paul has also written Ultimate Triathlon: A complete training guide for long-distance triathletes which is also available on Amazon.