The triathlon was born in the Mission Bay area in the early 1970's, so it just makes sense that every year IRONMAN, the most well-known name in the sport, holds a marquee event along the San Diego County coast.
Accenture IRONMAN 70.3 California was held again between Oceanside and San Clemente on Saturday morning. It’s a 1.2 mile swim, followed by a 56 mile bike ride, finishing up with a half-marathon.
Germany’s Jan Frodeno repeated his title in the men’s race while 2013 champion Heather Jackson won the women’s event.
As he usually does, five-time IRONMAN 70.3 California champion Andy Potts (USA) led the men out of the water. Frodeno made up a little time on the bike, then blew the field away on the run, finishing the 13.1 miles in a race-best 1:10:48.
Top 10 professional men’s results:
SWIM BIKE RUN FINISH
1. Jan Frodeno GER 00:22:48 02:09:10 01:10:48 03:47:08
2. Andy Potts USA 00:22:44 02:09:20 01:12:25 03:48:43
3. Lionel Sanders CAN 00:26:59 02:04:46 01:13:12 03:49:19
4. Brent McMahon CAN 00:23:18 02:08:47 01:14:51 03:51:07
5. Jesse Thomas USA 00:26:04 02:06:06 01:16:19 03:52:52
The women’s race also featured a comeback. Jen Spieldenner (USA) was first out of the water. Jackson was actually more than two minutes off the pace. She also made up ground on the bike, then used the fastest run of the day (1:22:22) to take her second IRONMAN California title.
Top 10 professional women’s results:
SWIM BIKE RUN FINISH
1. Heather Jackson USA 00:27:07 02:20:51 01:22:22 04:14:47
2. Heather Wurtele CAN 00:26:40 02:21:14 01:23:12 04:16:07
3. Holly Lawrence GBR 00:24:52 02:19:58 01:27:30 04:16:59
4. Alicia Kaye USA 00:24:54 02:24:28 01:25:14 04:20:01
5. Angela Naeth CAN 00:27:11 02:20:41 01:23:24 04:21:33
