CHALLENGEMIAMI® delivered an enthralling spectacle over the weekend with a number of incredible displays from the world’s best triathletes.
With elite swimmers, cyclists and runners – as well as the exceptional all-rounders – all vying for a share of the €50,000 prize purse, we have created an ‘Ultimate Miami Triathlete’ for both the men’s and women’s races consisting of the standout performers for each discipline.
The ‘Ultimate Miami Triathlete’ would be a strong favourite to make the start-line at the inaugural Collins Cup scheduled for August in Samorin, Slovakia.
WOMEN’S ‘ULTIMATE MIAMI TRIATHLETE’
Swim: Lucy Charles-Barclay (21:05)
PTO World Ranked #2 Lucy Charles-Barclay headed into CHALLENGEMIAMI® after 15 months without racing, though you couldn’t tell by the performance she produced.
She led from the front, taking control of the swim in the early stages and leaving the entire field – other than Spaniard Sara Perez Sala – in her wake.
The three-times IRONMAN World Championship silver-medalist opened a gap of 1:25 from the chasing pack during the one-mile (1.6km) swim to put her in pole position.
With her prowess in the water, our women’s ‘Ultimate Miami Triathlete’ would have got off to a scintillating start at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Bike: Lucy Charles-Barclay (1:34:49)
The British triathlon behemoth was once again in charge through the bike leg of the event, recording a field-leading time of 1:34:49 – five seconds quicker than her frontrunning rival Perez Sala.
Prior to the bike leg Perez Sala spent a mere 49 seconds in transition, overtaking Lucy prior to saddling up for the 39-mile (62km) course – forcing the Brit to click into gear quickly.
The former Olympian Perez Sala did set a time of 1:34:54, and although it was five seconds slower than her front-running rival, Lucy had earned a two-minute time penalty for passing a back-marker on the incorrect side.
The pair were the only women to go under 1:35:00 on the bike, with the American duo of Skye Moench and Lisa Becharas next on the timesheet.
However, only 50 seconds separated the bike splits of the entire top eight, not only setting up a thrilling finish to the race but also showcasing the extraordinary talent in the field.
The ‘Ultimate Miami Triathlete’ at this stage would have recorded a time of 1:56:44 heading into the second transition.
Run: Jodie Stimpson (1:00:54)
Jodie Stimpson stole the show on the 10.5-mile (16.9km) run with a breathtaking display. Some 2:27 behind heading into the final leg, she outpaced the entire field to surge from fourth to first in the process.
The CHALLENGEMIAMI® victor recorded a split of 1:00:54, some 39 seconds quicker than third-placed Jackie Hering and 3:49 ahead of Charles-Barclay (who had that two-minute penalty).
A sensational time of 2:58:31 would have earned the ‘Ultimate Miami Triathlete’ victory by a margin of 2:33 at the Miami Speedway circuit.
MEN’S ‘ULTIMATE MIAMI TRIATHLETE’
Swim: Ben Kanute (20:16)
American Ben Kanute was the master of the water in the men’s race as he led a lead group of four into the first transition area.
Kanute entered T1 with a time of 20:16, three seconds ahead of Australian Nicholas Kastelein and PTO World #1 Jan Frodeno. Fellow American Tim O’Donnell was a further two seconds behind.
The exceptional swim played a huge part in Ben’s podium finish, as the 28-year-old showcased his pedigree in the water.
Through transition, the fastest time was recorded by Yunior Roseto of the United Starts in just 50 seconds.
A strong start for our ‘Ultimate Miami Triathlete’, and with some exceptional cyclists and runners to come, an incredible aggregate time is now inevitable.
Bike: Magnus Ditlev (1:20:22)
Just like he did at the PTO 2020 Championship in December, Magnus Elbaek Ditlev led the timesheets when it came to the bike leg.
The Danish cycling superstar recorded a split of 1:20:22 to set the fastest time on two wheels, five seconds ahead of American Andrew Starykowicz.
Sixteenth out of the water, Ditlev – just as he had in Daytona – relied on his cycling prowess to get him into contention at the front of the field. He eventually headed into T2 20 seconds behind Starykowicz in second place.
The ‘Ultimate Miami Triathlete’ would have recorded a time of 1:42:17 after swim and bike legs.
Run: Matt Hanson (52:58)
Another repeat of the PTO 2020 Championship here, as PTO World #9 Matt Hanson starred on the run leg.
He produced a phenomenal time of 52:58 – 50 seconds faster than race winner Frodeno and 26 seconds faster than next best, Lionel Sanders – as Matt once again surged through the field on the Speedway.
The American running powerhouse recorded a 5:13 per mile pace over the 10.5-mile (16.9km) distance, but had left himself too much to do to finish among the leaders.
26th out of T2, Hanson managed a creditable 13th in the final race standings – once again earning ‘Ultimate Athlete’ honours for the event in Miami.
Overall, the ‘Ultimate Miami Triathlete’ would have recorded a time of 2:34:15, which would have surpassed Frodeno’s winning effort of 2:37:57 by 3:43.
