It may sound almost impossible, but with Jason West’s trademark run prowess, it was anything but. The American started the half marathon at Ironman 70.3 Louisville with a daunting 6:39 deficit – but by the finish line, he had stormed to a remarkable victory.
At T2, it was Ben Kanute leading the charge after a dominant swim-bike performance, with Trevor Foley 1:51 back in second and Matt Kerr in third. West, meanwhile, was nearly seven minutes adrift.
Kanute had already set the tone in the water, clocking the fastest swim of the day in 21:33. At that stage, both West and fellow American Matthew Guenter were right on his feet, but on the bike Kanute wasted no time in attacking. Within the opening kilometers, he broke free and never looked back. Foley, charging from behind, eventually posted the fastest bike split of the day with a 2:00:05, but Kanute still reached T2 in pole position.
Once out on the run, Kanute’s lead quickly began to unravel. Foley closed the gap inside eight kilometers to move into the lead, but it was West who stole the show. Running at a blistering pace, he looked more like a freight train than a triathlete, powering past both Kanute and Foley in rapid succession. From there, the outcome was never in doubt.
West took the tape in 3:46:03, completing a spectacular performance. Foley secured second in 3:47:39, while Kanute held on for third in 3:49:24.
The women’s race was won by Jackie Hering (4:16:26). Gabrielle Lumkes (4:24:15) and Jeanni Metzler (4:25:07) completed the podium.