In the midst of an incredible season, Daniela Ryf (SUI) once again proved she is a force in the sport of triathlon. Ryf exited the water just six seconds behind 2010 IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion Jodie Swallow (GBR), before the pair were joined at the front of the bike by Annabel Luxford (AUS) and Mary Beth Ellis (USA). Ryf and Swallow drove the pace through the first half before Ryf made her move and, by the 66 km, she had separated herself from Swallow, Ellis, Luxford and the rest of the field.
Once on the run, Swallow, who came off the bike in second, made things exciting as she managed to gain back a bit of time. But, in the end, Ryf was simply too strong as she finished in 4:09:19, 2:24 ahead of Swallow. The win added to her impressive 2014 campaign including, a win at the 5150 European Championship, a win in her first IRONMAN race at IRONMAN Zurich, a win at the IRONMAN 70.3 European Championship in Wiesbaden and a win at KMD IRONMAN Copenhagen.
Canada’s own Heather Wurtele ran her way to the podium after passing Meredith Kessler who finished fourth (USA) and Ellis who rounded out the top five.
Top 10 professional women’s results:
- Daniela Ryf
- Jodie Swallow
- Heather Wurtele
- Meredith Kessler
- Mary Beth Ellis
- Radka Vodickova
- Lisa Huetthaler
- Svenja Bazlen
- Rachel McBride
- Magali Tisseyre
More than 2,200 athletes representing 87 countries and 49 states started the 2014 Subaru IRONMAN® 70.3® World Championship, which consisted of a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run in the beautiful surroundings provided by Mont-Tremblant. Competitors ranged in age from 18 to 83. The championship event is the culmination of over 60 global events in the IRONMAN® 70.3® Series. The swim was held in Tremblant Lake and the bike traveled through a challenging course that included Mont-Tremblant’s forests and Laurentian Mountains. The 13.1-mile run course concluded in the resort’s pedestrian village. Each year, over 120,000 athletes vie for slots to the IRONMAN® 70.3® World Championship. The race offered a professional prize purse of $250,000. Each age group winner automatically qualified for the 2015 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship event held in Zell am See-Kaprun, SalzburgerLand, Austria to be held on August 30, 2015.
The 2014 Subaru IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship Mont-Tremblant broadcast will air on NBC Sports Network on Tuesday, Sept. 30 from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET (check local listings and www.ironman.com for details).
Image by Nils Nilsen for Ironman
