TRI247
Search
shop
SUPERTRI E TICKETS DISCOUNT & VIP COMPETITION
SUPERTRI E TICKETS DISCOUNT & VIP COMPETITION

The Weekend Roundup: 8-9 June 2019

Two first time WTS winners at the AJ Bell World Triathlon Leeds, an all British podium in Staffordshire and plenty more feature in the latest Weekend Roundup

Chief Correspondent
Last updated -
SHOP
Watch Potter, Brownlee & Beaugrand LIVE

Well that was an interesting weekend, with at least three large-scale UK Triathlon events – Leeds / Staffordshire / Cotswolds – on the domestic schedule. Throw in a few international racing highlights, and here’s the Weekend Roundup of the main action.

Advertisement

AJ Bell World Triathlon Leeds

The big race of the weekend in terms of (UK, at least), profile was the AJ Bell World Triathlon Leeds, the fourth edition of the event in Yorkshire and the UK’s annual stop on the World Triathlon Series circuit. Of course, we have another coming up on Saturday, thanks to the Accenture World Triathlon Mixed Relay Nottingham! The rain kicked-in on Saturday lunchtime but, on the whole, most people probably got through their actual racing experience relatively dry. I got VERY wet however, undertaking rehearsals outside for Sunday’s Elite medal ceremonies in Millennium Square!!!

The Elite races were exciting in the sense that the results were unexpected – at least, that certainly goes for the Men’s race. The 2019 ITU season is verging on bizarre at the moment, with a different men’s winner in every race and only one male athlete has managed to podium twice. Alistair Brownlee was the slowest runner of the day, Mario Mola only just scraped inside the top-30 and Kristian Blummenfelt, Jonathan Brownlee and Gustav Iden are among the big names that didn’t even manage that. The course and conditions in Leeds have next to nothing in common with Tokyo, which is just as well, as if you looked at Sunday’s results in isolation, you could potentially be writing off the prospects of athletes who will feel they can top the Olympic podium next year.

AJ Bell World Triathlon Leeds 2019 - Alistair Brownlee

Contrast that with the women’s racing where Katie Zaferes now has three wins and a second, Jessica Learmonth has three podium from four starts and now Georgia Taylor-Brown has a debut WTS victory, ending the victory run on the US athlete… and stopping her winning on her birthday. 11 of the 12 2019 female podiums have been greeted by USA or Great Britain flags – there’s no doubting where the strength lies in women’s ITU racing, right now.

Georgia Taylor-Brown / AJ Bell World Triathlon Leeds 2019

Check out the Elite reports from Leeds on these links: WOMEN | MEN

Leeds also hosted the British Triathlon Age-Group Standard Distance Championships, where the quickest overall where Edward Castro and Victoria Baker. Full results available HERE.

Advertisement

IRONMAN 70.3 Staffordshire

The first UK ‘M-Dot’ event of the season took place in Staffordshire, where Lucy Charles and George Goodwin topped all British podiums. Check out the detail on that one HERE – along with a detailed look at the top Age-Group performers HERE.

George Goodwin - IRONMAN 70.3 Staffordshire 2019
Photo: Huw Fairclough for IRONMAN

Garmin Challenge Herning, Denmark

Several Brits made the trip over the Denmark for Saturday’s half distance race in Herning, where Kimberley Morrison took second place to Sara Svensk (SWE).

PRO Women

1st – Sara Svensk (SWE) – 4:10:28
2nd – Kimberley Morrison (GBR) – 4:14:18
3rd – Pernille Thalund (DEN) – 4:21:21

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByfBZvUB72W/

PRO Men

1st – Mathias Lyngsø Petersen (DEN) – 3:49:53
2nd – Kristian Høgenhaug (DEN) – 3:50:37
3rd – Thomas Strange (DEN) – 3:51:26

6th – Sam Wade (GBR) – 3:53:47
13th – Sam Proctor (GBR) – 3:57:04

IRONMAN Asia-Pacific Championship, Cairns, Australia (Sunday)

Repeat winners in Cairns where Braden Currie (NZL) and Teresa Adam (NZL) both defended their 2018 victories and earned Regional Championship wins.

With the fastest splits in all three disciplines, combined with tough conditions, the almost 20 minute winning margin says that the athlete who finished fifth in Kona last year has his sights on moving into podium contention on the Big Island in 2019.

Braden Currie - IRONMAN Asia-Pacific Championship, Cairns
Photo Credit: Korupt Vision

Teresa Adam also got the better of real quality in Sarah Crowley (AUS) and Kaisa Sali (FIN), with all three athletes breaking the nine-hour mark. It was a tough day for another of the favourites however:

Full results from Cairns can be found HERE.

Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon

Two ITU World Triathlon Series regulars, Ashleigh Gentle and Ben Kanute, were absent from Leeds this weekend and racing at the iconic Escape from Alcatraz in San Francisco, in a race featuring close on 2,000 athletes.

After (rare) disappointing race the previous week in Samorin, Kanute was back to winning ways: “We could see from the boat how strong the current was today, which added to the already challenging swim. Everyone had their own plan about how they were going to tackle the swim. The weather was perfect today. I love this race, there is a lot of history here and every year it gets a strong field of professionals.”

Ben Kanute / Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon on June 9, 2019 in San Francisco, CA.
Photo Credit: Rocky Arroyo

Great Britain’s Lucy Hall was first through the 1.5mile opening swim (and would finish fourth overall), leaving Ashleigh Gentle with significant time to regain. She did that, raising the tape exactly one minute ahead of Lauren Goss (USA).

“Since I was fifth out of the water, I knew I had to be patient, ride strong and pace myself to get back into the race. The Sand Ladder and the beach run were so tough. I am so excited to have been able to win here a second time. I really enjoyed the crowds cheering along the course and at the finish line.”

Ashleigh Gentle / Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon on June 9, 2019 in San Francisco, CA.
Photo Credit: Rocky Arroyo

Cotswold 113

Consistently one of the most popular middle distance races around, even a date clash with IRONMAN 70.3 Staffordshire doesn’t stop this one selling out many months in advance. With almost 900 finishers (being likely > 1,000 entries), that’s very impressive. Congratulations to Graeme and the team for building such a an event.

The overall wins went to David Bartlett (Giant Helston) and Kelly Stokes (Portsmouth Triathletes). Full results available HERE.

13th April 2024 - London
Watch Potter, Brownlee & Beaugrand as these triathlon superstars take on the world in the build up to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
LIMITED TICKETS - DON'T MISS OUT!
John Levison
Written by
John Levison
TRI247's Chief Correspondent, John has been involved in triathlon for well over 30 years, 15 of those writing on these pages, whilst he can also be found commentating for events across the UK.
Discover more
Kyle Smith
Watt it takes to win at supertri E – a data dive into how deep the PROs have to dig
Arena Games Triathlon Finals Singapore - Beth Potter bike
The evolution of Esports in triathlon – How supertri brought virtual racing to the mainstream
Beth Potter Arena Games Triathlon Finals Singapore
Lightning fast splits and record breaking performances – relive some of the top moments from women’s supertri E racing
Lionel Sanders Arena Games Montreal game face on bike photo credit SLT
Countdown to supertri E – a look back at some of the most epic moments in men’s triathlon E racing
Challenge Barcelona 2023 - Photo Credit: Jose Luis Hourcade
Brownlee brothers on the costly race day swim mistakes to avoid – plus their own mishaps
latest News
Mixed Team Relay France podium WTCS Sunderland 2023 photo credit: World Triathlon / Petko Beier
World Triathlon confirm initial nine teams to qualify for Paris Olympic Games Mixed Relay
Ruth Astle St George finish line 2022 photo credit Tom Pennington Getty Images for IRONMAN
British IRONMAN Champion on committing to professional triathlon and chasing a T100 Tour wildcard
Ben Kanute / Tom Bishop PTO European Open 2023 Ibiza
Former American Olympic triathlete shares the “s*** side of the sport” after Miami T100
Brownlee Fitness Marathon Training Plan
Brownlee overcomes road closure to record rapid run split at Northern Road Relays
Lucy Charles-Barclay comes home second at the Miami T100.
Lucy Charles-Barclay reveals injury struggle that almost kept her from competing in Miami T100
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
Invalid email address
The SBRX Group

Proudly elevating endurance sports through content, products & services

SBRX
RUN247
Share to...