The harbour town of Mossel Bay in South Africa’s Western Cape today hosted the second edition of ISUZU IRONMAN 70.3® Mossel Bay African TriClub Championship.
The day saw Javier Gomez (ESP) claim victory in a time of 03:51:46 in his IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon comeback. Reigning champion, Bradley Weiss IZAF), unfortunately withdrew from the race during the bike portion, having mentioned he felt unwell earlier in the week.
Gomez was joined on the podium by last year’s runner-up Matt Trautman (ZAF) and Nicholas Quenet (ZAF). Quenet who led out of the swim, retained his lead for much of the bike until he was caught by Trautman, Gomez and Cameron Macnair (ZAF). Gomez closely followed Trautman out of T2, and quickly caught him on the run, maintaining the lead until the end, resulting in the fastest run time of the day (01:12:40).
“It was great to be back after one and a half years of no racing internationally. I had so many problems and injuries, but I finally got to train quite well for the last few months and I felt ready.” Gomez commented.
“I didn’t have my skin suit with me, so it was quite challenging swimming with a tri suit with back pockets. I felt that I was doing extra effort just to move forwards...On the bike it took me a while to find my rhythm, I wasn’t very comfortable for the first 30-40km. Towards the end I felt a bit better and could push a bit harder, and I knew it was going to be a hard run course so I wanted to not to be too tired”
“The course is very nice, and challenging...It was beautiful, and we had great support on the run”. He added.
In the women’s race, Emma Pallant-Browne retained her IRONMAN 70.3 Mossel Bay Champion title, and beat her previous course time by two minutes, finishing in an impressive 04:21:24. She was joined by Magda Nieuwoudt (ZAF) and Eloise Du Luart (FRA) on the podium.
The three women all exited the water within 11 seconds of each other, with Pallant-Browne at the back. However, she took the lead on the bike and remained untouchable right up until the finish.
Pallant-Browne said: “I live in South Arica, so any time there is a race here it’s perfect for me...This is pretty much my home race, we live in Johannesburg, and we were able to drive here with the dogs...I did a really good five week block at home coming into this race...it was just what my body needed to stay in one place and get some consistent training in. Johannesburg is at altitude, the weather’s great and I have my treadmill my turbo and all my set up, so it went really well.
Pallant-Browne added: “I know that Magda’s had her best year so far, she’s won four races abroad and I've ridden with Madga before so I know she’s very strong and we live by each other and try and train together so definitely knew she was stronger than last year, so I was looking forward to a good battle and to try and make it an exciting race.”
Mossel Bay is nestled amongst the majestic Outeniqua Mountains?on the Garden Route in South Africa’s Western Cape Province, one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations thanks to its natural beauty and beaches.
The day started with a 1.9km point to point swim in the warm clear waters of Santos Beach. Athletes then took on an out and back bike course, up to the Gourtix River Valley and back to Mossel Bay. The three-lap run course took athletes through the heart of Mossel Bay showcasing the rich history of the coastal town.
Professional men
1. Javier Gomez (ESP) – 3:51:46
2. Matt Trautman (ZAF) – 3:54:22
3. Nicholas Quenet (ZAF) – 4:00:09
4. Matthew Ralphs (ZAF) – 4:04:04
5. Cameron MacNair (ZAF) – 4:05:30
Professional women
1. Emma Pallant-Browne (GBR) – 4:21:24
2. Magda Nieuwoudt (RSA) – 4:28:02
3. Eloise Du Luart (FRA) – 4:45:02
To learn more about the IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 brands and series of events, please visit
www.ironman.com.?