The original Mario! |
Oysters! |
The next day was dedicated to a big breakfast and all the logistical triathlon stuff which was surprisingly more challenging when you had to coordinate the plans of four athletes instead of one. But everything got settled and everyone was amped up and ready for the race!
BIG PRE-RACE BREAKFAST WITH THE FAMILY |
Pro women swim start |
Danny and Deidre watching Amber's swim |
Amber's race itself was pretty awesome. Coming out of the water in 8th place, Amber looked strong but had several fast cyclists right on her heels. And yet, when she returned 2:25 later she had biked 23mph to maintain that spot on the cycling portion of the event. With the depth of the field this year, I think for a moment she would have been satisified with this finishing but instead she took off looking really fresh. This was amazing. She looked so in control and was smiling the entire run. She was strong but didn't look like she was over-extending herself. Although not terribly hot, it was very humid and I was amazed how fast she was running.
With less than 2 miles to go and still in 4th place, I gave her a split on the then 3rd place girl and she took off! Her father and I took a short cut to the finish line to wait for her to come in. As Laura Bennett finished in second we knew that one of the next two people rounding the corner would be Amber. I was just telling Greg that 40 seconds was a lot to make up in less than 2 miles as Amber rounds the corner in third!
Amber rounding the final corner! |
In those last 2 miles, she made up the 40 second deficit and some to finish with a total time of 4:22:26!
From Ironman.com's recap:
"Naeth laid down the fastest run on the day and captured the IRONMAN 70.3 Eagleman title with a 4:14:06 winning time. Bennett backed up her IRONMAN 70.3 Raleigh win last weekend with a superb second place finish, in a time of 4:17:21. Amber Ferreira (USA) passed a faltering Parker in the closing miles to finish off the podium in a time of 4:22:26."
From Triathlete.com's recap:
Amber Ferreira (USA) rounded out the podium in third thanks to a solid day across swim, bike and run.
Genny goofing around before the swim |
Genny on the run |
Deidre waits patiently for her wave's start |
Amber and Genny |
Top 10 Women
1 NAETH, Angela CAN 4:14:06
2 BENNETT, Laura USA 4:17:21
3 FERREIRA, Amber USA 4:22:26
4 CLIFFORD, Ashley USA 4:22:53
5 PIAMPIANO, Sarah USA 4:25:41
6 PARKER, Jenna USA 4:27:24
7 ANDREWS, Kristin USA 4:29:08
8 GERVAIS, Annie CAN 4:29:31
9 SHUTT, Beth USA 4:30:08
10 LEIGGI, Heather USA 4:35:01
Up Next: This Saturday is the Mt Washington Road Race and then next Saturday is Mont Tremblant 70.3! The season is about to really get started:)
She had an exceptional day! Way to go Amber!
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