It was a triumphant day in San Juan for the Uplace-BMC Pro Triathlon Team. Helle Frederiksen took the Ironman 70.3 San Juan title as teammates Sofie Goos and Will Clarke each placed second.
The three Uplace-BMC athletes left their mark on the race from the very beginning. Helle wrapped up the swim in first position. Amanda Stevens was just five seconds behind; Sofie followed in third, more than four minutes back. Will had a solid start as well, leaving the water in a group of five that included the top favorites, less than a minute behind fastest swimmer David Kahn. After a solid bike leg, Will started the half marathon in third position, 6 minutes behind leader Starykowicz. In the meantime, Helle was blitzing her way through the bike leg. She stormed into T2 with a 10-minute lead on Amanda Stevens and 11 minutes ahead of Sofie. Showing up strong in the run, Will moved up to second position and managed to get as close as a minute behind Starykowicz. In the end, he ran out of real estate to overtake the American for the win. On the women’s side, Helle was not about to let the victory slip through her fingers. She maintained her lead while Sofie moved into second place.
It was Helle Frederiksen’s second win in a row in San Juan. But the victory still meant a lot: “A big win is always emotional. I have done four half Ironmans now and I have won three of them. But you can’t get complacent being in the lead, especially because I am still fairly new to long distance racing. I did end up with humongous blisters. But when you cross that finish line, the hurt disappears. I just tried to push hard the whole way and to win as well as I could. A really good swim and bike leg allowed me to play it safe on the run. It was very hot and extremely humid, which you have to respect. But I did and it ended up a great day. I’m extremely happy.”
For Sofie Goos, San Juan capped a successful US trip that also included a win in last week’s Ironman 70.3 Texas. “I’m happy. I couldn’t have done any better today. The heat didn’t bother me too much. I took my time to drink and to cool down. But I hadn’t recuperated 100 percent from last week’s half Ironman Texas. Having said that, Helle was just too strong today. I was already four minutes behind after the swim and then she made her big move on the bike. I felt confident in my running and I quickly caught up to Amanda. But I knew very early on in the half marathon that first place was out of reach, especially when I saw Helle run. But I am pleased. Going home with a victory and a second place in back-to-back half Ironman races is definitely better than expected.”
Will Clarke was a happy man, “This second place is a great result. And it was good quality racing, which I am more pleased with than anything. Especially after going through a tough time two weeks ago when I was dealing with a little injury. I am happy with how I rode and how I ran, which gives me confidence for the upcoming races. Time to go home now to polish up my fitness and get even more out of myself. I am not swimming very well at the moment. So I had to stay in the back of the front pack, hoping to hold on. That worked out well though. On the bike I felt really good and was able to keep an even pace riding with one of the greatest bikers in the field. On the run I tried to go after Starykowicz but he was too far gone. This is my fourth podium in a 70.3 race. Now I just need to win a bit more! In all seriousness, I am really still learning long distance racing. But I feel like I ticked a lot of boxes today. I learned a lot about myself and my biking. I’m getting there.”
The pro women’s podium in Puerto Rico:
1. Helle Frederiksen: 04:14:27
2. Sofie Goos: 04:26:50
3. Amanda Stevens: 04:35:25
The pro men’s podium in Puerto Rico:
1. Andrew Starykowicz: 03:53:30
2. Will Clarke: 03:54:28
3. Andi Boecherer: 04:03:25