WHISTLER, B.C. (July 26, 2015) – Viktor Zyemtsev (UKR) and Danielle Mack (USA) fought off a competitive professional field and tough conditions as each claimed victories at the 2015 Subaru IRONMAN Canada triathlon with times of 8:49:46 and 9:46:19, respectively.

 

Men’s Race

Barrett Brandon (USA) was first out of the swim at Alta Lake with a time of 48:22, placing him six seconds ahead of Luke Bell (AUS) and 19 seconds ahead of Kyle Buckingham (ZAF). Paul Ambrose (AUS), Jeff Symonds (CAN), Justin Daerr (USA), Viktor Zyemtsev (UKR) and Chris McDonald (USA) would be next into transition and off on the bike course as they headed out into the steady pour of rain.

 

Buckingham would prove he could tolerate the wet and cool conditions better than most as he stormed to the lead in the opening miles of the bike. Bell, Ambrose, Symonds, McDonald, Swen Sundberg (DEU), Zyemtsev and Derek Garcia (USA) were in the mix early, however, Symonds, Ambrose and Bell would succumb to the weather and eventually abandoned the race. Heading into the second transition, Buckingham managed to build up advantages of over five minutes on McDonald, Garcia, Zyemtsev and Daerr.

 

Once out on the run, Zyemtsev went on a steady march towards Buckingham up front while Daerr and Garcia were hovering in third and fourth as McDonald faded out of contention for the lead. Zyemtsev bridged the gap to Buckingham at mile 17 and the pair ran together for some time. There were a few occasions when the two tested each other, but neither could make a move that would stick.  Finally, with a couple miles to go, Zyemtsev surged to the lead to capture his 12^th IRONMAN career win. Buckingham crossed the line second, while Daerr finished off the podium in third.

 

Top five professional men’s results:

                                                   SWIM               BIKE                RUN              FINISH

1. Viktor Zyemtsev            UKR        00:53:03          04:58:32 02:54:28         08:49:46
2. Kyle Buckingham          ZAF       00:48:40          04:56:18           03:01:24         08:50:30
3. Justin Daerr                  USA         00:53:02 04:58:35           02:59:13         08:54:45
4. Derek Garcia                USA         00:53:30 04:57:54           03:08:05         09:02:55
5. Chris McDonald            AUS        00:53:04          04:57:37           03:14:20         09:08:45

 

Women’s Race

Karen Thibodeau (CAN) and Laural Wassner (USA) were first to emerge from the lake within three seconds of each other. Melanie McQuaid (CAN), Liz Lyles (USA), and Caitlin Snow (USA) were almost four minutes off the pace as they headed out on the rain-soaked roads.

 

Wassner would lead the women early, but would be overtaken by McQuaid 25 miles into the bike. Behind McQuaid, Thibodeau and Lyles would drop out of the race while Danielle Mack (USA) and Jessica Flemming (AUS) seemed to thrive in the harsh weather. Coming into transition two, McQuaid carried over five minutes of lead time on Mack and Flemming with the remainder of the field well off the pace.

 

Early on the run, McQuaid and Mack were running solid in the now overcast and cool weather. Flemming started to fade as the rest of the women’s field was getting shuffled behind the lead pair. Once on the second half of the run, McQuaid started to slow with Mack taking advantage and beginning to chew into her lead. Just before mile 24, Mack caught McQuaid and never looked back. Mack went on to claim the second IRONMAN title of her career, while McQuaid held on to second in her debut IRONMAN performance. Jen Annett (CAN) stormed through the field in the second half of the run to finish off the podium.

 

Top five professional women’s results:

                                                   SWIM               BIKE                RUN            FINISH

1. Danielle Mack              USA         01:01:49 05:23:53           03:16:09         09:46:19
2. Melanie McQuaid         CAN         00:57:47 05:22:43           03:23:44         09:48:23
3. Jen Annett                   CAN         01:02:0105:32:14           03:16:03         09:55:06
4. Mackenzie Madison     USA         00:58:17 05:33:05           03:23:54         09:59:34
5. Jessica Fleming          AUS         01:01:09   05:25:02           03:30:11         10:00:18

 

 

One of more than 40 events in the global IRONMAN Series, the 2015 Subaru IRONMAN Canada triathlon led athletes along a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run throughout Whistler and its surrounding areas. The two-loop swim took place in the clean waters of Alta Lake, while the one-loop bike course led athletes along challenging but scenic routes into the Callaghan Valley. Athletes then took on a two-loop run course that followed the meandering Valley Trail past Lost Lake and Green Lake, allowing spectators plenty of opportunities to cheer for their athletes. The day ended with an electric finish line in Whistler’s Olympic Plaza. The event offered a total professional prize purse of $100,000 and 50 coveted age-group qualifying slots to the 2015 IRONMAN World Championship presented by GoPro, taking place on October 10 in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i.

 

Visit www.ironman.com/canada for event information and official results. Media inquiries should be directed to press@ironman.com. 

 

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