Few days in an athlete’s career go perfectly from start to finish, where every segment clicks and the lead never wavers. Today, it seemed like New Zealand’s Rebecca Clarke was set for exactly such a day at Challenge Wanaka – until the very final moments, when Canadian Tamara Jewett surged to claim a stunning victory.
For much of the day, Jewett remained under the radar, at least judging by split times. Clarke exited the breathtaking waters of Lake Wanaka after 25:06 minutes, a lead of about a minute and a half over Danielle Donaldson, with Jasmine Brown close behind. Jewett was further back, largely unnoticed. Everything seemed perfectly aligned for Clarke.
The dominance continued on the bike, where Clarke steadily extended her lead. Focused solely on her own race, she seemed untouchable, pushing harder and harder toward T2. By then, her advantage had swelled to nearly four minutes. Jewett was still outside the top three, quietly biding her time.
Even during the half marathon, Clarke’s lead appeared sufficient. She lost some ground, and Jewett began a strong charge, but the margin seemed safe – until the final kilometers, when Jewett suddenly powered through, overtaking Clarke almost out of nowhere. For Clarke, it was a bitter disappointment; for Jewett, a reward for a perfectly executed race strategy.
In the end, Jewett won Challenge Wanaka in 4:29:39, Clarke finished second in 4:30:43, and Gabrielle Lumkes took third in 4:30:46.
