It was a beautiful day for an inaugural race at the IRONMAN 70.3 Indian Wells-La Quinta. There was little doubt who the favorites on the men’s side were, and Lionel Sanders (CAN) and Joe Gambles (AUS) did not disappoint. Sanders had to close an expected gap coming out of the water, but by the end of the ride there was a group including Gambles and Kennett Peterson (USA) within seconds of one another. Sanders was not to be matched on the run, clocking a 1:11 to take the win. Gambles finished the day in second, and Peterson hung on for third.
The women’s race started with Haley Chura (USA) leading out of the water as expected with Kinsey Laine (USA) and Chelsea Sodaro (USA) trailing. Onto the bike, Australian Carrie Lester took control, and came into T2 leading both Sodaro and Chura. It was to be Sodaro’s day, though, as she moved into the lead two miles into the run and never looked back. Chura ran her way into second, and Lester hung on for the last podium position.
Top 5 Pro Men
1 Sanders, Lionel CAN 3:45:59
2 Gambles, Joe AUS 3:48:16
3 Peterson, Kennett AUS 3:50:40
4 Winslow, Tim USA 3:54:39
5 Vondracek, Jesse USA 3:57:39
Top 5 Pro Women
1 Sodaro, Chelsea USA 4:14:28
2 Chura, Haley USA 4:17:16
3 Lester, Carrie USA 4:20:38
4 Laine, Kinsey USA 4:24:26
5 Benner, Holly USA 4:25:36