Morales, Gianinn Win Ironman…
Argentina’s Ezequiel Morales turned in a 1:13:06 to take the men’s title in Penha, while Brazil’s Vanessa Gianinni led from start to finish to defend her 2009 title with a new course record
Argentina’s Ezequiel Morales turned in a 1:13:06 to take the men’s title in Penha, while Brazil’s Vanessa Gianinni led from start to finish to defend her 2009 title with a new course record
New Australian triathlon star Melissa Rollison will expand her racing experience this year as she further explores her vast potential in the sport. Rollison wants to gauge her abilities over longer and shorter distances as she looks at racing the Hawaiian Ironman and possibly trying to make the triathlon team for the 2016 Olympics. The 28-year-old from Brisbane has been a triathlon revelation over the past two years since a succession of injuries forced her to give away international track running. She has focused on long-course triathlons, winning last year’s world 70.3 title. Rollison is the favourite for Saturday’s women’s race at the Australian Long Course Championships (2/80/20) at Falls Creek in alpine Victoria, Australia, her first race of the season. She has been training at the ski resort to prepare for the March 3 Abu Dhabi triathlon, which she is using as a potential stepping stone to the Hawaiian Ironman. Abu Dhabi features a 3km swim, a 200km cycle and 20km run – on the way to the brutal Ironman distance. At the other end of the racing spectrum, Rollison will also contest two big Olympic-distance events in the United States this year to see if it might be feasible to target the 2016 Olympics. Read more: Ninemsn.com.au
Four-time Ironman world champion finished third at the 35th edition of the Empire State Building Run-Up with a time of 13:15. Wellington announced yesterday that she would be competing in the race . By David Monti (c) 2012 Race Results Weekly , all rights reserved. Used with permission. Thomas Dold of Germany and Melissa Moon of New Zealand won the 35th edition of the Empire State Building Run-Up here last night. This was the first time the race was held at night, and athletes were greeted by a moderate snow squall when they emerged into the cold air outside on the 86th floor observation deck of this city’s tallest building. Dold, 27, from Stuttgart, won the race for a record seventh time. He climbed the 1576 steps in 10 minutes and 28 seconds, eight seconds ahead of Christian Riedl, a 31 year-old German from Erlangen. Third place went to Mark Bourne, a 38 year-old Australian from Canberra, in 10:55. Former Australian road running star, Darren Wilson of Adelaide, finished fourth. Dold is now holds more Run-Up victories than anyone, but did not come close to the event record of 9 minutes and 33 seconds set by Australia’s Paul Crake in 2003. Crake, a five-time winner of the event, was paralyzed in 2006 after a cycling accident. In the women’s contest, Moon won here for the second time (she also won in 2010). The 42 year-old two-time world mountain running champion from Wellington, clocked 12 minutes and 39 seconds, handily beating second place Suzy Walsham, a 38 year-old former middle distance runner from Australia who won this race three times. Walsham, who lives in Singapore, stopped the clock at 13:08. Three-time Ironman world champion Chrissie Wellington of England finished third in her first attempt at the race, and was timed in 13:15. Wellington had only entered the race yesterday morning. Read more: Competitor.com RELATED – A Conversation With Chrissie: The Decision To Take Time Away
The 2012 Xterra Southeast Championship in Pelham, Alabama will host the 2012 ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships. See the complete press release below: The International Triathlon Union (ITU) is pleased to announce the 2012 ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships will be held in Pelham, Alabama, on May 19 in a partnership with the Xterra Southeast Championship. The event will feature $20,000 USD in prize money for elite athletes, who will compete over a 1.5km swim, 30km mountain bike and 10km trail run. Under23, junior, age-group and paratriathlon races will also be contested in Pelham. Marisol Casado, ITU President & IOC Member: “The triathlon and multisport family is extensive and far reaching and ITU is delighted to form a partnership with Xterra for our 2012 Cross Triathlon World Championships. We are confident the strong race organization and dynamic course will continue to push Cross Triathlon to a new level.” Dave Nicholas, Race Director, Xterra Southeast Championships “TEAM unlimited is excited about bringing the ITU Cross Triathlon World Championship to the USA. By combining the Xterra series with ITU we are reaching new heights in cooperation between directors and the federations. Oak Mountain and Shelby County are the perfect place to host this event.” The course at Oak Mountain State Park in Shelby County, located in the southernmost part of the Appalachian Chain, is praised by competitors as being one of the most fun, fast, scenic and difficult on the Xterra schedule. Pelham will mark the second ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships, following last year’s successful event in Extremadura, Spain won by Canadian Melanie McQuaid and South Africa’s Conrad Stoltz. Both McQuaid and Stoltz are also the defending champions in Pelham. 2013 ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships ITU has also awarded the 2013 ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships to Den Haag (The Hague), Netherlands. The event is slated for July 13, 2013 and will offer 35,000 EUR in prize money for elite athletes and will also hold under23, junior age-group and paratriathlon categories. In preparation for the event, the city will host the European Cross Triathlon Championships this year.
Professional triathletes go one-two in the women’s race at the 3M Half Marathon in Austin, Texas. Photo: Nick Salazar Austin’s Kelly Williamson passed up Jess Barton of Amonate, Va., to take first in 1:14:42. Barton, who’s been training in Boulder, Colo., was second in 1:15:53, while Austin’s Chris Kimbrough took third in 1:16:20. “I’m ecstatic, because my fastest half marathon time before today was 1:17,” said Williamson, who earned $1,500 for her victory Sunday, as did Rantall. Barton set a 5:40 pace from the start, while Williamson was content to hang back, running with Kimbrough. At about the halfway mark, though, Williamson seized the lead and never gave it back. “I kept her in sight, maybe about 10 seconds ahead,” Barton said, “but then the downhills took their toll on my quads, and that was it.” Said Williamson, who will compete in the Ironman 70.3 Triathlon in Panama in two weeks: “I tried not to worry about her running right behind me. I just wanted to run my race and my pace. I knew I had a pretty good lead by mile 10, so at that point, I was mainly shooting for a fast time.” Read more: Statesman.com
