Alexander and McGlone Take Titles At The Inaugural Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3
Posted Wednesday, 15 November, 2006
Clearwater, FL (November 11, 2006) - At today's Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3, Craig Alexander and Samantha McGlone celebrated victory. Australia's Long Course Champion, Alexander, stayed at the front of the pack throughout the day crossing the finish line in first with a time of 3:45:37. Canada's McGlone, who holds a new course record at the Ford Ironman 70.3 Florida event, also dominated among a competitive professional field with a finish time of 4:12:58.
The men's field consisted of the sports' best, such as five-time world champion, Simon Lessing, top ten finisher at this year's Ford Ironman World Championship, Chris Lieto and Chris Legh, who recently announced his retirement from the full distance to focus on Ironman 70.3 events.
Top Ten Male Results are as follows:
1. Alexander, Craig - 3:45:37
2. Lessing, Simon - 3:47:25
3. Cunningham, Richie - 3:49:17
4. Legh, Christopher - 3:49:42
5. Simpson, Michael - 3:51:24
6. Bozzone, Terenzo - 3:53:03
7. Cotter, James - 3:56:168
8. Lieto, Chris - 3:57:41
9. Lavelle, Brian - 3:57:50
10. Marr, Timothy - 3:58:39
McGlone led a strong field today that included third place finisher from the 2006 Ford Ironman World Championship, Lisa Bentley, winner of the St. Croix and Baja Ironman 70.3 events, Mirinda Carfrae and the leader for the first several miles of the bike, Leanda Cave from the UK.
Top Ten Female Results:
1. McGlone, Samantha - 4:12:58
2. Bentley, Lisa - 4:14:30
3. Carfrae, Mirinda - 4:16:44
4. Cave, Leanda - 4:18:47
5. Van Velrken, Yvonne - 4:19:50
6. Eggert, Nina - 4:21:17
7. Lehmann, Monika - 4:21:58
8. Filliol, Natasha - 4:24:17
9. Schumacher, Katja - 4:26:10
10. Couch, Kelly - 4:26:52
There is a professional prize purse of $100,000 with $10,000 in Timex Ironman Watch Bonuses available for the first male and female to reach designated points on the bike and run courses.
Bike Portion:
Male - Richie Cunningham ($2,500 prize)
Female - Leanda Cave ($2,500 prize)
Run Portion:
Male - Craig Alexander ($2,500 prize)
Female - Samantha McGlone ($2,500 prize)
In addition to the City of Clearwater's integral role in the planning and execution of today's event, a variety of the city's departments were key in making today's event a success: Parks & Recreation, Police, Fire and Rescue, Traffic Operations, Public Communications, Traffic Engineering and Marine & Aviation.
"This has been an extraordinary day for Clearwater and for the entire region. We thank the athletes, their families and the Ironman event team for an unbelievable experience. But most of all, we thank our residents for their patience and support, and the agency partners who helped make this happen. It's truly was a day we can all be proud of - an event that puts our community in the international spotlight," says Frank Hibbard, Mayor of Clearwater.
Today, more than 1,350 athletes lined up at the 2006 Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3 in Clearwater, Fla. Weather conditions were ideal for the inaugural event with temperatures ranging in the mid 70s to low 80s, light wind and party cloudy skies.
The event was streamed live throughout the day beginning at 6 a.m. at www.ironman.com with updates and special guest commentary from Ironman greats such as Greg Welch, Heather Fuhr and Spencer Smith. This year's Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3 will air on NBC on March 31, 2007 from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. EST. Please check your local listings for further details.
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