IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside results: Wins for Findlay and Kanute

Emma Pallant-Browne claimed yet another podium to add to a terrific haul in 2021, but she had to settle for second spot behind Paula Findlay at IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside on Saturday.

Emma, who admitted before the race that she was “rolling the dice” here at the end of a long, hard season, showed admirable consistency again but would find only the Canadian too good for her in California.

Ben Kanute meanwhile took the men’s PRO race, following up his second behind Vincent Luis last weekend at Herbalife24 Triathlon Los Angeles.

PRO Women – Paula rules

Manami Iijima of Guam was first out of the water in 25:50, just ahead of recent IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship runner-up Jeanni Metzler. Eventual winner Findlay was a further 23 seconds behind with Pallant-Browne more than 90 seconds off the pace in eighth.

Findlay, brilliant winner of the PTO 2020 Championship at Daytona last year, swiftly took control of the race early in the bike leg, powering forward to the front from Metzler as Iijima fell away. Pallant-Browne meanwhile was quickly up to third.

Paula was dominant at the head of affairs on two wheels, and she gradually extended her lead through the bike leg to go into T2 with an advantage of more than six minutes from Metzler and Pallant-Browne. Findlay’s 2:20:31 bike split was comfortably the best of the day.

It was Findlay’s race to lose now, and she never looked likely to do so despite a valiant effort from Pallant-Browne on the run. Emma would pass Metzler early to move into second and set about cutting into the deficit, but it was too much to make up.

Pallant-Browne’s 1:17:34 split was easily the best run of the day, and saw her reduce the final margin to a little over two minutes at the line, but it was Findlay (1:21:43) who claimed the top step of the podium. Metzler meanwhile claimed third.

PRO Men – Kanute goes one better

Kanute started the men’s race with what appeared to be a great chance of going one better than he had in Los Angeles last weekend, and he was always looking good for the win.

Ben (23:34) exited the water at the front of the field, just ahead of Aussie Sam Appleton, Americans Eric Lagerstrom and Jason West and Denmark’s IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship fourth Miki Taagholt.

The race was a tight one throughout the bike leg too, with Kanute, Appleton, Taagholt and another American Dylan Gillespie heading into T2 virtually together.

It was Kanute though who held all the aces on the run, putting in a 1:11:39 split to come home more than two minutes in front of Taagholt. Appleton took the final podium spot with Americans Chris Leiferman and the aforementioned West both putting in excellent run times to take fourth and fifth.