It was a race that featured many big names, but naturally, only one athlete could claim victory: in the men’s field, it was Sam Long who secured the Ironman 70.3 Gulf Coast title, and in the women’s field, it was Grace Alexander. Due to poor weather, the swim was shortened by 900 meters.
In Long’s case, this was hardly a disadvantage; the American relies primarily on his biking and running and rarely on a strong swim split. During the 1,000-meter swim, his main goal was damage control. Compared to the fastest swimmer of the day (Marc Dubrick, 8:55), Long fared well: he exited the water in 16th place with a manageable deficit of 1:17. As is often the case once Long begins to hammer the pace on the bike, that gap vanished as quickly as it had been created.
After 33 kilometers, Long trailed by only thirty seconds and had already moved up to fifth place, eventually joining Seth Rider, Marc Dubrick, and Benjamin Zorgnotti. In the end, only Zorgnotti and Rider were able to stay close to Long, though they lost twenty seconds to him by the time they reached T2.
The run remained tense for a long time, with Rider staying within range of Long; for the first 15 kilometers, the gap fluctuated between ten and thirty seconds. It was only in the final kilometers that Long’s lead increased significantly, allowing him to secure the win.
Men’s Results:
- Sam Long: 3:11:41
- Seth Rider: 3:13:01
- Marc Dubrick: 3:14:09
Women’s Race Decided by Twenty Seconds
The women’s race turned into a true thriller, ultimately decided by just twenty seconds. Much of that excitement was due to Brazil’s Vittoria Lopes, who ran so strongly that she made up minutes on the eventual winner, Alexander, during the half marathon. It was also Lopes who exited the water first, with Alexander just seven seconds behind in second place. However, the roles reversed on the bike as Danielle Lewis and Alexander took the initiative, building a lead of nearly four minutes over Lopes.
During the run, it briefly looked as though Lewis would take the race. However, the lead of nearly a minute she gained in the first few kilometers was wiped out within the first ten kilometers by Alexander, who then took control of the race. Meanwhile, Lopes was rapidly chipping away at her deficit, closing the gap to just twenty seconds at the finish line.
Women’s Results:
- Grace Alexander: 3:42:31
- Vittoria Lopes: 3:42:51
- Danielle Lewis: 3:45:49
