It feels good [to win] – I can’t deny or lie that I didn’t want to come back to the sport and win some races. I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into in Panama, but in Galveston and St. Croix I wanted to be in contention for the win and I wasn’t there. I certainly came here with the goal of winning. There’s a lot of great athletes in this sport and you show up – that’s why we have the race. They shoot the gun and the best man normally wins. For me, it’s cool to win, but, even more importantly, it’s great to be 41 years old and be fit, be healthy. – Lance Armstrong
By Emma Bishop
On paper the stats showed that Ironman 70.3 Florida was their race to lose. It was not quite so clear-cut for Jessica Jacobs, but Lance Armstrong had a point to prove and he did it in style.
Men’s Recap:
With spectators and fans lining the shoreline of Lake Eva Park, the men’s pro race got under way. David Kahn (USA) was the first to exit the water in 23:29 and, as he made his run up the beach to transition, was greeted by throngs of people lining the Shute.
Armstrong was fifth to exit the water in 24:52 and immediately worked hard to start closing the gap. We know that in Armstrong’s past three races he hasn’t appeared to really push the bike and has been content to hold back. Today, however, was a different story as the triathlete turned cyclist turned triathlete again had reduced the gap on Kahn by 45 seconds by mile five.
Second place to Kahn at this time was Francesco Godoy (ESP). The word from the course was that Armstrong was pushing hard and, by mile 20, he went into the lead and never looked back. Godoy and Kahn rode together for a short while until Kahn dropped off the pace.
The chasing pack contained 70.3 Champion Maxim Kriat (UKR), someone who could potentially pose a threat to Armstrong’s perfect day.
Over the final 10 miles Armstrong relaxed his pace and rode in after an impressive 2:01:13 bike split. With a little over a 10-minute lead, it seemed like Armstrong had exactly what he needed to hold off the faster (on paper) Kriat.
As the chasing men came into transition and started their run, Kahn dropped back and second and third place became a battle between Godoy and Kriat, who started to make his move on the run.
There was never any chance of catching Armstrong today, though. Nutrition issues, demons at mile 9 – it never happened. He was “Mr. Consistency,” maintaining a comfortable 10-minutes over Godoy, and then Kriat, right up to the finish line. The pace never slowed and Armstrong blasted across the line hi-fiving the crowd to take the win in 3:45:38. Kriat ran home for second, with Godoy a further two minutes back in third.
He took his maiden win, the title, the fastest bike split and the fastest run of the day – what more can you say?
Armstrong after the race:
Despite feeling really good, I tried to stay within myself.
There are guys in this sport that can ride well and get off and run a 1:11 or 1:12. If you can ride close to 2 hours and run a 1:15, 1:16 – and assuming you swim near the front – I think you will always be in contention for the win.
You’ve got to stay consistent – stay on top of hydration and nutrition. If you are fueled up — and well trained, of course — a lot of good things can happen. This got a response from the crowd: “The kid is back!!”
I don’t know, maybe Florida is good – the last time I won was 22 years ago in Florida. The sport of cycling borrowed me for a few decades, but now I’ve come back to my roots, as they say. This got a response from the crowd: “Welcome back!”
Jacobs Proves a Point
In the ladies race Jacobs had a point to prove. She is a three-time Ironman champion. Posting a personal best in Ironman Florida last year, she also ran the quickest marathon by an American women in a triathlon on route to that sub 9-hour win. But she had yet to take a 70.3 title.
Out of the water first for the ladies was Amanda Stevens in 25:04. She had a 90-second lead on Nina Kraft (GER). Stevens held the lead on the bike and rode alone for the whole 56 miles. Tetrick showed her biking strength and rode up into second place. At this point Jacobs was nowhere to be seen.
As Stevens started to slow on the run it looked like it was Tetricks’ day. And it was, for a short while, until Jacobs came from behind to blitz past.
In fact, the three-loop run course was so busy with spectators and athletes (or Jacobs was so fast) that our spotters didn’t see Jacobs take the lead. We saw her take the win though; her first 70.3 title, and she soaked up every moment down the packed finish line, hi-fiving right up to the tape.
It looks like the new location for Ironman 70.3 Florida is set to be a hit for the years to come. Eva Lake Park is the perfect setting for a great triathlon atmosphere. Long after the professionals finished, the entertainment was still going and the throngs of people were still shopping and cheering for their friends and family out on the course.
But the day deservedly goes to Armstrong and Jacobs. Armstrong said in an interview a while back: “you bike for show and run for dough.” Both he, and Jacobs, proved that today.
Male Top 5 Pro
1. Lance Armstrong (USA) 0:24:52 – 02:01:03 – 01:15:56 – 03:45:38
2. Maxim Kriat (UKR) 0:25:12 – 02:11:43 – 01:16:54 – 03:56:56
3. Francesc Godoy (ESP) 0:23:32 – 02:13:14 – 01:19:35 – 3:59:45
4. Andres Castillo Bogota (COL) 0:24:45 – 02:12:30 – 01:20:36 – 4:01:08
5. Mauro Cavanha Curitiba (BRA) 0:24:52 – 02:16:32 – 01:16:48 – 04:02:04
Female Top 5 Pro
1. Jessica Jacobs (USA) 0:33:33 – 02:25:00 – 01:21:53 – 04:24:30
2. Jennifer Tetrick (USA) 0:30:24 – 02:22:01 – 01:29:54 – 04:26:09
3. Amanda Stevens (USA) 0:25:04 – 02:26:21 – 01:32:58 – 04:28:19
4. Nina Kraft 0:26:41 (GER) – 02:30:58 – 01:27:08 – 04:28:43
5. Tamara Kozulina (USA) 0:31:56 – 02:28:02 – 01:27:40 – 04:31:14
Pictures courtesy of Finsherpix.com
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