American Jason West cut down Britain’s Tom Bishop on the run to go one better than last year and win CLASH Endurance Miami.
Brit Bishop put up another superb display to follow his fourth place at CLASH Daytona late last year when he also led deep into the run.
Dane Daniel Bækkegård was third and last year’s winner Sam Long (USA) fourth as Lionel Sanders (CAN) crashed out late on the bike.
Swim – Big guns have work to do
With the midday start local time it was a warm 1.1-mile swim and a group of eight emerged from the water with a narrow advantage.
That included West and Bishop as well as Bækkegård.
But giving up nearly two-and-a-half minutes were two of the big race favourites, Sanders and Long in 22nd and 23rd respectively.
Bike – Bishop a class apart
The bike was all about Bishop, who was two minutes and more faster than all his rivals. He’d powered through the field at Daytona a few months ago but this time he was to the fore from the outset.
Just 15 miles into the 39-mile 17-lap test he led by nearly a minute from Bækkegård. Fellow Brit David McNamee had moved into third while Sanders and Long were rapidly making gains on the front of the race too.
But Sanders – so impressive at Arena Games Montreal recently but a last-minute addition to the field here – saw his race come to an abrupt end late on the bike section as he crashed out.
“I don’t know what happened but I crashed,” he said on Instagram soon after. “It was on the more technical corner. I’d done it 15 times before so I don’t know what happened… but I lost control and just went over the handlebars.
“I’m pretty beat up. I would continue but my leg really hurts. I’ve got some more races [Oceanside next at start of April] so I would really like to heal. It sucks because I really feel like I was in the thick of it.”
At the end of the bike Bishop was 2:12 ahead of the rest, Bækkegård and now Long locked together in second and third.
Run – West relentless as he reels in Bishop
Starting the run West was at +3:41 but, as with last year, he produced another superb display and this time it netted him the win.
Bishop did little wrong as he ran in isolation up front and held off the rest but the catch from West came inside the final two miles.
When the line came West stopped the clock in 2:35:32 after a 51:14 10.5 miles, way quicker than the rest – around three minutes and upwards in fact.
Bishop took second in what was a hugely significant result in his nascent middle-distance career, with Bækkegård rounding out the podium. Long was fourth and McNamee fifth.
CLASH Miami Results 2023
Friday March 11, 2023
Homestead Miami Speedway – 1.1-mile / 39-miles / 10-miles
PRO Men
- 1. Jason West (USA) – 2:35:32
- 2. Tom Bishop (GBR) – 2:36:08
- 3. Daniel Bækkegård (DEN) – 2:37:04
- 4. Sam Long (USA) – 2:37:19
- 5. David McNamee (GBR) – 2:37:45
- 6. Youri Keulen (NED) – 2:39:03
- 7. Sam Appleton (AUS) – 2:40:07
- 8. Kieran Lindars (GBR) – 2:41:51
