Igor Amorelli (BRA) managed to take a little bit of the sting out of his 14th place finish at the IRONMAN World Championship just eight days earlier with a convincing victory in the Sunshine State. The proud Brazilian likely had higher expectations for Kona, but no doubt used his finish in Hawaii as motivation swiftly redeem himself in Miami. Amorelli exited the water with a minute deficit and reversed that into over a three-minute lead at the dismount line after the bike. The 32 year-old managed to build and hold a five-minute until four miles to go on the run when Amorelli let off the gas and cruised in for the win.
Aussie Ellie Salthouse (AUS) put in the second fastest swim, bike and runs on the day to take the win in Florida. The women's race was marked by solid performance by Angela Naeth's (CAN) who return to 70.3 racing after dealing with injuries for close to a year. Her form looked great as she clawed her way into second on the strength of a race-best run split.
Top 5 Pro Men
1 Amorelli, Igor BRA 3:59:43
2 Loesche, Franz DEU 4:02:26
3 Maceil, Paulo BRA 4:04:06
4 Canhedo, Vinicius BRA 4:09:02
5 Rea, Tim AUS 4:10:20
Top 5 Pro Women
1 Salthouse, Ellie AUS 4:19:57
2 Naeth, Angela CAN 4:22:34
3 Lewis, Sarah GBR 4:27:04
4 Spieldenner, Jen USA 4:30:28
5 Davis Hayes, Cecillia USA 4:33:46