41.4 F
Wrightsville Beach
Friday, March 29, 2024

PHOTOS & VIDEO: Winds push competitors in shortened PPD Ironman North Carolina race

Must read

 
Ironman NC BStart GOPR0061
« of 23 »

Staff photos by Allison Potter

By Elly Colwell

Intern

Several competitors cited the wind as one of the biggest struggles of the PPD Ironman North Carolina triathlon on Saturday morning as people came from all over the country to compete in and watch the race that began in Wrightsville Beach and ended in downtown Wilmington near the battleship USS North Carolina.

“The wind was tough, but it was a great day overall—a great day for Wilmington to shine,” said Greg Zwack, a Wilmington athlete who completed the Ironman 70.3 .Zwack said that he saw several people who had crashed during the bike race, probably due to crosswinds.

As the first finishers crossed the line just after 1 p.m. on Saturday, they were greeted by an enthusiastic crowd that was ringing cow bells and cheering.  James Duff was the top male finisher with a time of 6:08:58 and Amy Farrell of New York was the top female finisher with a time of 6:53:13. More results here.

The first competitor to complete the triathlon in the IRONMAN 70.3 just crossed the finish line.

Posted by Lumina News on Saturday, October 22, 2016

The event featured two races, the full Ironman and the half, named Ironman 70.3. The races occurred simultaneously, but the longer course began prior to the start of the shorter course, leaving athletes from the races to intermingle at the finish line.

“The truth is that it’s total chaos out there,” said Marcus Alexander, Ironman 70.3 competitor. “You have no idea if the person beside you is in the full race or the half.”

The full Ironman featured a 2.4 mile swim, approximately a 50 mile bike course and a 26.2 mile run. A traditional Ironman race normally includes a 112 mile bike course, but because of the damage from Hurricane Matthew, the bike leg was cut in half.  This adjustment made arrival times at the finish line even more mixed.

Alexander said that because these competitions have a staggered start, the athletes don’t know for sure how they stand during the race. The first person across the finish line isn’t necessarily the winner.

For the Ironman 70.3, announcers said it was the second man across the finish line who had the fastest time and therefore won the race. The athletes with the best times qualified for the 2017 Ironman 70.3 World Championships that will take place in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Despite the high competition at the race, the athletes congratulated each other at the finish line, patting each other on the back as they shared in their runner’s high. The sense of community was clear.

“The world is full of nutcases who do this sort of thing,” Alexander said as he rested at the finish line.

- Advertisement -spot_img

More articles

- Advertisement -spot_img

Latest articles