While the 2016 IRONMAN 70.3 world champion Tim Reed is not venturing to the 2018 edition in South Africa, the likable Australia is showing signs of returning to his irrepressible best when he ran his way to victory at IRONMAN 70.3 Bintan.
Reed bided his time as he and defending champion Mike Phillips shared the pace in the water and on the 90km ride. The Australian found his running legs with his 1:18 effort enough to ensure an emphatic six-minute win on the island resort.
He was unable to replicate his usual speedy shoes at the recent Asia-Pacific Championships when he had to be content with fourth, but there was no doubting his presence on the run in Bintan to finish clear of Phillips with compatriot Matt Burton prevailing in third, nearly 10 minutes back.
Running legs was the order of the day in the women also, where American Beth McKenzie scorched though the field with her 1:24 effort in the heat and humidity—more than enough to ensure a comeback victory after two years out of the sport.
Hungary’s Anna Eberhardt, who is based in nearby Singapore, chased down a six-minute deficit out of the water to join McKenzie, Kate Bevilaqua and swim leader Kirralee Seidel together at the end of the bike.
McKenzie pushed to the lead 5km into the run and her 1:24 effort led to a six-minute buffer for the win ahead of Eberhardt with new pro Sabrina Stadelmann (CHE) grabbing her first podium.
Top 5 Pro Men
1 Reed, Tim AUS 3:56:02
2 Phillips, Mike NZL 3:57:56
3 Burton, Matt AUS 4:06:16
4 McKenzie, Luke AUS 4:09:36
5 Crawford, Guy NZL 4:18:08
Top 5 Pro Women
1 McKenzie, Beth USA 4:32:47
2 Eberhardt, Anna HUN 4:38:46
3 Stadelmann, Sabrina CHE 4:41:05
4 Tyack, Lisa AUS 4:44:50
5 Bevilaqua, Kate AUS 4:47:21