Update 12:35 p.m.
The day started with a splash that wasn’t so great but ended with Sarah Crowley winning her first ITU Long Course World Championship.
The Australian athlete started behind the pack after falling over at the beginning of the three-kilometer portion of the swim Sunday morning.
“I had a really good day but it didn’t start too great,” she said moments after finishing the grueling race with a time of 5:51:23.
“It didn’t get off to a great start at the swim. I fell over. A couple of the girls got away.”
Crowley said she was able to recover at the back end of the 120-kilometer bike and the run “went smoothly.”
“It’s a little unbelievable. It was pretty cool. I didn’t expect that result,” she said.
Update 12:30 p.m.
A flat tire pushed Lionel Sanders of Windsor to win the men’s elite field in the ITU Long Course World Championship.
Sanders finished with a time of 5:20.
“I was pissed off as all hell because I got a damn flat tire on the bike,” he said at the finish line.
“I was running off of pure anger and you can do a lot of things when you’re pissed off.”
Sanders was about two minutes behind leader Joshua Amberger from Australia when he suffered a flat tire with about 20 kilometers left of the 120-km ride.
It took about four minutes to change the tire, he said.
“I’m damn lucky I brought a flat kit,” he said with a laugh.
Sanders managed to pass Amberger who was the leader in both the swim and the bike at about the 23 kilometre mark of the 30 km run.
Update 12:18 p.m.
Sarah Crowley of Australia has won the women’s elite field in the ITU Long Course World Championship race.
Update 12:14 p.m.
Penticton’s Jeff Symond’s finishes 8th among elite in the ITU Long Course World Championship.
Update 11:45 a.m.:
Lionel Sanders of Windsor has won the men’s elite field in the ITU Long Course World Championship race in 5:20.
Update at 10:24 a.m.
Amberger continues to lead the men’s elite field in the ITU Long Course World Championship race. He finished the 120-km bike ride in 2:48:57 leading France’s Sylvain Sudrie. In third is Canadian Lionel Sanders, who finished the bike in 2:51:12. Vancouver’s Nathan Killam completed the bike in 2:57:50 and is seventh, while Penticton’s Jeff Symonds finished in 3:00:40. He is currently in eighth.
Cyril Viennot was not able to finish the race after he crashed on the bike. Spain’s Pablo Dapena Gonzalez has dropped out of the bike.
.@JoshAmberger with a 3:45 lead on @sylvainsudrie with @LSandersTri another 90 seconds behind at the 2km marker. @triathlonlive
— ITU Multisport (@ITUmultisport) August 27, 2017
Dane Helle Frederiksen continues to lead. She finished the bike in 3:10:41, while Australian Sarah Crowley is second and Kelowna’s Heather Wurtele is third. She finished the bike in 3:54:18. Penticton’s Jen Annett completed the bike in 3:12:28 and is fifth overall.
Update: 9:28 a.m.
Australia’s Joshua Amberger is still in the lead on the bike, having completed the first two parts in 1:23:53. In second is Canadian Lionel Sanders, while defending champ, Sylvain Sudrie of France is third. Penticton’s Jeff Symonds has finished the first two parts in 1:29:19. He is expected into the bike transition at about 10:03 a.m. Surrey’s Nathan Killam is expected in about the same time.
Helle Frederiksen continues to lead on the bike. She completed the first two portions in 1:34:55. In second is Denmark’s Camilla Pedersen, while Kelowna’s Heather Wurtele is third. Penticton’s Jen Annett has completed the first two portions of the bike in 1:35:32 and is currently in ninth.
Don't let this video fool you, @helle_f is FLYING! 🚴🏼♀️🚴🏼♀️🚴🏼♀️ #LongDistance #Penticton2017 pic.twitter.com/8pULcDtMzl
— TriathlonLIVE (@triathlonlive) August 27, 2017
************************************
Australia’s Joshua Amberger was the first to complete the three-kilometre swim of the International Triathlon Union Multisport World Championship Long Course distance.
Amberger clocked a time of 36 minutes 29 seconds, two better than Spain’s Pablo Dapena Gonzalez in 36:31. Penticton’s Jeff Symonds got out of the water in 40:49.
Surrey native and Vancouver resident Nathan Killam came out of the water in 43:19.
Elite men beginning the swim
American Jennifer Spieldenner led the elite field of females in 39:28. She was followed closely by Denmark’s Helle Frederikson in 39:31 with Leanda Cave, Camilla Pedersen and Canadian Rachel McBride close by. Victoria’s Melanie McQuaid came out if 45:29.
Penticton’s Jen Annett came out of the water in 45:23.
Here's your women's leaders! The Danish are the 1, 2 @helle_f @allimactri #LongDistance #Penticton2017 pic.twitter.com/YdeYb89k5s
— TriathlonLIVE (@triathlonlive) August 27, 2017
Stay tuned to www.pentictonwesternnews.com for more updates.
