Alexander and Schumacher win at Ford Ironman 70.3 Florida
Posted Wednesday, 23 May, 2007
Orlando, FL – The fourth annual Ford Ironman 70.3 Florida took place today in near perfect weather conditions at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Orlando, Florida. Just over 2,000 athletes embarked on the 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run that comprise the Ironman 70.3 triathlon discipline.
The current world champion at the 70.3 distance, Craig Alexander was among the first male pros out of the water and he led the field out onto the bike course. He was challenged by Simon Lessing of Great Britain and fellow Australian Luke Bell, the eventual second and third place finishers, throughout the race but was able to gain some distance on the marathon eventually winning by just over three minutes.
Schumacher, a four-time Ironman champion, was in the lead group after the swim and during the bike portion of the race. She, along with Americans Karen Smyers and Karen Holloway led throughout the bike portion of the race. During the first lap of the three loop run course, Schumacher and Smyers dropped Holloway and into the latter stages of the marathon Schumacher was able to pull clearly ahead and gain a five minute lead at the finish line. Smyers took second place holding off a challenge by Tine Deckers of Belgium late on the run.
Ford Ironman 70.3 Florida took place for the fourth time on Sunday, May 20, 2007 at Walt Disney World® Resort near Orlando, Florida. Athletes were competing for a pro prize purse of $30,000 and 100 qualifying spots for the 2007 Ford Ironman 70.3 World Championship to be held in Clearwater, Florida. Top ten results are below for full results or more information please consult either www.ironman.com or www.floridahalfironman.com
Men
1. Craig Alexander, Australia 3:50:27
2. Simon Lessing, Great Britain 3:53:47
3. Luke Bell, Australia 3:54:18
4. Bryan Rhodes, New Zealand 3:55:52
5. Santiago Ascenco, Brazil 3:56:30
6. TJ Tollakson, Des Moines, IA 3:57:29
7. Marcel Zamora Perez, Spain 3:58:24
8. Michael Lovato, Boulder, CO 3:59:47
9. Marcel Ornellas, Brazil 4:02:21
10. Jordan Rapp, New York 4:03:41
Women
1. Katja Schumacher, Germany 4:28:28
2. Karen Smyers, Lincoln, MA 4:34:06
3. Tine Deckers, Belgium 4:36:31
4. Karen Holloway, Richmond, VA 4:37:52
5. Heather Gollnick, Bradenton, FL 4:38:19
6. Cassie McWilliam 4:38:58
7. Danielle Sullivan, Blue Point, NY 4:39:01
8. Stephanie Jones, Ashburn, VA 4:42:40
9. Natasha Filliol, Canada 4:44:12
10. Janine Francis, 4:46:28
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